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Never too late to learn a new language: Adults learning Chinese in Denver Yi Ren
Joyous Chinese Cultural Center
When you look at this photo below, would you guess that these Americans are reciting a famous Chinese poem from the Tang Dynasty (608-907) during a 2013 Chinese New Year celebration?
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These are students in the adult Chinese class at Joyous Chinese Cultural Center (JCCC) in Denver. They all have full-time jobs and families, but they make time to go to JCCC for a one-hour Chinese class every Saturday morning while their children attend Chinese language and dance classes. Most of them are first-time Chinese language students, having started Chinese class last September. Although they haven’t learned Chinese for very long, they know how to greet each other, introduce themselves and family members, say their nationalities, give an apology, and express thanks in Chinese. Lawyer Susan Jeffries said, “I now know how to say ‘This is my name card. I work at a joint venture company.’ in Chinese: ‘Zhè shì wǒ de míng piàn. Wǒ zài hé zī gōng sī gōng zuo’. 这是我的名片。我在合资公司工作。” Many of the parents have adopted Chinese children. “Our children are so happy to see I can speak Chinese with them. Sometimes they are even surprised I know more Chinese than they do,” said Judge Elizabeth Weishaulp. “Learning Chinese has given us more enjoyable time together.” The parents want their children to keep their Chinese roots and some day will take them to visit their birthplace in China. Their biggest goal is to be able to speak fluent Chinese during their China visit. Not only can the parents say simple Chinese words, but they can also have Chinese conversations with each other. When they get familiar with new vocabulary, they practice in pairs in front of the class. using their imagination, they recite the dialogue and pretend to be in real situations. For example, when they learned how to introduce their friends to their parents, one student played the role of the father and another played the friend. Using the dialogue content, they introduced themselves as if they just met each other. This role-playing format not only brings a lot of fun to the class, but also helps students memorize the words and sentences better and faster. Outside the classroom, students listen to the Chinese language CD that comes with their textbook while they drive. They speak Chinese with their children at home, as well as with Chinese people they meet in restaurants or supermarkets. One day Barrie James and her family had dinner in a Chinese restaurant, she asked a waitress in Chinese: “Nǐ jiào shén me míng zi? 你叫什么名字?” (What is your name?) The waitress was surprised that James was able to say this Chinese sentence with the correct tones. May 2013 | Feature
Teresa Lybarger can’t forget a year ago, when her former Chinese class went to John Holly’s Asian Bistro for lunch with their families. In Chinese, the class ordered dishes and asked questions about the food. They had a lot fun. Teresa’s husband, Rock, and the students in her current class would like to try this activity again this year. Beth Buonanno said, “Every night during reading time, I listen with my daughter to the Chinese CD, learn a few words and sing Chinese songs. We enjoy practicing our Chinese together so much!” Sandra Dixon is a university professor. She found that a few sentences she had learned are useful in some of her activities and when she meets Chinese people at the university. She tries to memorize sentences such as ““Rèn shí nǐ hěn gāo xìng. 认识你很高兴。”(It’s nice to meet you.) and “Nǐ hē chá hái shì kā fēi? 你喝茶还是咖啡?”(Would you like some tea or coffee?) Another class is offered at the Bemis Public Library in Littleton. There, the students include retired people, housewives, full-time and part-time workers, and even a college student. They come to class for various reasons. Most of them have never been to China, but some are planning to visit China in the near future. The students that are retired share that learning Chinese at their age allows their brains to stay more active. That is true! Sue joined the class two weeks later than others, but she quickly caught up with her classmates and is able to speak words and sentences with the right tones. What is her secret in learning Chinese? She said, “I am 73 years old now and I had worked in a law office before retiring two years ago.” “I am curious about the Chinese language. I listen to the CD from our Chinese book almost every day to get used to the tones and pronunciations. It really helps me in my learning process.” In addition to a few silver-haired people, there is a freshman at Regis University. She said, “Since I was a little girl, I have wanted to see China. I am studying to become a nurse and would like to work in China after I graduate from college. Because my school doesn’t offer Chinese courses, I come here to study.” Similar to this young woman, Jim Taylor is going to travel to China this November. He would like to learn some basic Chinese conversations before he goes. A musician, Jeanne Chin was born in Hong Kong and came to the U.S. at the age of nine. She didn’t learn how to speak Mandarin, so she wants to take Chinese lessons and enjoys practicing with her mother at home. Although the class at Bemis Public Library only started in mid-January of this year, don’t be surprised that the students can already greet in Chinese. They also know why America is called “Měi guó 美国” and China is called “Zhōng guó 中国”. Is it hard for adults to learn Chinese? Not for Barrie James, who works full-time and has two young children. She said, “Many people think to learn Chinese is so hard, but for some reason, I’ve found learning Chinese is easy for me.” She and her classmates have made incredible progress and they all enjoy learning Chinese. Today, China’s door is open to the whole world. Learning the Chinese language and culture provides an extra path for exploring interests, opportunities and enjoyment. Some day, like these students, many of you may be able to say proudly: “Wǒ mén shì měi góu rén. Wǒ mén zài xué zhōng wén. 我们是美国人。我们在学中文。”which means “We are American. We are learning Chinese.” Yi Ren is a teacher at Joyous Chinese Cultural Center and also the author of Chinese for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Chinese. For more information, visit www.joyouscenter.org.
Photo above from left: Susan Jeffries,Teresa Lybarger, Beth Buonanno, Sandra Dixon, Elizabeth Weishaupl, Rock Hoff, Barrie James, Nina, Monica Ryan and Nancy White