Learning Mandarin Chinese: A Father Bonding With His Angels
“Daddy, why don’t you remember what banana is?”
This is a question which I have heard many times from my son, who along with his 4-year-old sister and myself, is learning Mandarin Chinese. It didn’t take long to realize when it comes to learning a foreign language, my brain is not as absorbent as theirs. (In case you’re wondering, xiāng jiāo is banana in Chinese.)
Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken language in the world. Nearly 1.2 billion people (around 16% of the world’s population) speak some form of Chinese as their first language.
It is fascinating how children’s minds are like sponges, able to absorb more knowledge far more easily than adults. Children under the age of 11 learn languages better because new words go into an automated part of the brain as opposed to adults who rationalize it and compare it to the English word they already know. To a child, it’s natural to say “apple” to their English friend and “ping guo” to their Chinese friend and not even consider that they are two different languages.
A 2010 study found that bilingual children experience less anxiety, low self-esteem, loneliness and sadness. They also tend to get in fewer fights and get angry less frequently. In other words, they’re less stressed out and less of a pain to be around than their monolingual counterparts!
With this in mind, there are many ways you can teach your children a new language. You can use flashcards or label things around the house with new words. What is great is that you can learn anywhere you are with a translator on your phone or a chinese dictionary in your pocket. When my children and I are in the park, we like to learn how to say things around us, such as dog, tree and football. If you ever see me walking down the street with my children, you will most likely see me clapping my hands together and saying “Kuài Kuài” which means “quickly” and then you’ll see two little angels running behind me.
When I am with my children and have my phone in hand, I say “Okay Google….” on my phone and find a new couple of Chinese words for us to learn. “Ask the lady what (insert word) means in Chinese”, my daughter Isabelle asks me, her eyes wide open with excitement. Usually she is asking about words such as ‘chocolate’ or ‘lollipop’ (qiǎokèlì and bàng táng) but I also encourage my children to learn things such as the name of fruits and how to say daddy, grandma, and grandad (Bàba, nǎi nǎi and yé ye).
Your brain loves new words like it loves chocolate! The “pleasure zone” of the brain gives off the same excitement learning words as when you eat that tasty piece of chocolate. Try giving your child some new words, not chocolate. :)
Often it can be hard to find something in common with your children. My children are at an age where they don’t enjoy the things I do, like football and well…I’m not really into Peppa Pig. But, in these moments when we are learning Chinese together, we are no longer father, daughter or son — we are simply friends bonding while learning something new to all of us. This is a lifelong adventure and we are taking the first few wonderful steps.
Now, at the end of the day, when I kiss my children on the head goodnight, I whisper to them “wǒ ài nǐ” to which Isabelle replies, “Is that ‘I love you’?” I nod my head and she whispers “wǒ ài nǐ!”
And there you have it, a father and his two angels brought together by learning a beautiful language. Why don’t you give it a try too?
I hope you will learn these words and have fun teaching them to your children.
Banana — xiāng jiāo (shang j-ow)
Chocolate — qiǎokèlì (choc-o-lee)
Lollipop — bàng táng (a very gentle ‘g’ sound at the end of each word)
Daddy — bàba
Grandma — nǎinǎi (ni ni — like in the word NIght)
Grandad — yé ye
I Love You — wǒ ài nǐ (wo i nee)
Throughout this article, you have learned some Chinese words with me, Ban ke se. (That is my Chinese name.) I hope you enjoyed and continue to learn more in the future ^_^
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