A language that has got everyone talking
Mandarin, the world’s most widely spoken language, is increasing in popularity here, too. Ruby Macandrew reports.
Each week, Li Ling Ho organises more than 20 Mandarin language classes and story-time sessions – and each week they are full up, with toddlers and schoolchildren eager to learn.
Ho founded Ni Hao Children’s Community, a charitable organisation in Wellington, two years ago as a way to teach Chinese Mandarin in a fun way. With the number of participants on the up, it appears to have struck a chord.
‘‘So far, even just as a start up, people are really interested and keep asking us to start classes in different suburbs.’’ she says.
What’s happening in Wellington isn’t unique, with a rise in the number of people learning the language, in schools or private lessons, in the past decade.
The most recent figures show the number of people who could speak Northern Chinese, including Mandarin, almost doubled between 2001 and 2013.
Of the 52,263 people who are able to speak the language, 6,900 of them were born in New Zealand, up from 1,953 in 2001.
Ministry of Education figures show the number of students learning Chinese in schools is growing quickly, with 32,896 primary school-aged children learning the language in 2015, up from 24,143 the year before.
Former Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown learned the language while on council and reckons knowing a second language is ‘‘valuable at any age’’.
‘‘Mandarin is increasingly important – from welcoming foreign delegations to doing business in China or encouraging higher value tourism in New Zealand. It’s about upskilling Kiwis to become global citizens.
‘‘It’s also a beautiful and complex language that makes you think more widely.’’
New Zealand is the only western country to celebrate a national Chinese Language Week each year.
Project manager Sylvie PoupardGould said the week, typically held in September, came on the back of a growing relationship with China.
‘‘It’s about upskilling Kiwis to become global citizens. New Zealand is essentially monolingual so it’s been great to see the push for languages that can help us become more of a global player.’’
This year the awareness week has been pushed back to October 16 due to the election.
About 140,000 students study a second language before high school.
While it’s still not a subject offered at the majority of primary schools, partnerships with private language lesson operators have been bridging the gap.
Ho reached out to schools and playcentres around the Wellington region, to highlight what her organisation is doing to prepare young people for the future.
‘‘It’s about how to communicate in a global world and being able to see things from someone else’s point of view.
‘‘From an overseas point of view, people who already know a second language know that it opens up your mind to a whole different way of thinking.’’
The organisation has about 65 enrolled language students as well as hundreds of others taking part more informally or during story times around the city.