Language learning has always been something fun since my childhood and it would not have been made possible if not for my mum. As an ex-preschool teacher, she played a huge role in creating amusing ways of teaching English and Mandarin. For example, when I was still in kindergarten, I recall vividly how she made a hawker push-kart out of painted cardboard for my younger sister and me to role-play as hawkers at home. We would learn the vocabulary of the different kinds of “food” (plastic toys) in Mandarin and sell them by talking to “customers” in Mandarin.
At night, my mum would read bedtime stories to us. One of my favourites was the Mr Men series by Roger Hargreaves. Each book in the series introduced a different character with a single dominant personality trait conveying a simple moral lesson. It helped me expand my vocabulary of adjectives in an entertaining way.
Other than through books and role-play, I learnt languages from watching TV. In primary school, we would watch Hong Kong dramas over dinner. When I encountered phrases or idioms that I did not understand, I would learn their meanings through the English subtitles. It was also my mum who piqued my interest in the Japanese language when she introduced us to an anime called Inuyasha which aired on Arts Central (now called Okto).
My mum instilled a love for languages in me which continued even as I grew older. When travelling to other countries and interacting with the locals there, I was able to appreciate how languages are influenced by culture. During an overseas exchange programme, I remember being intrigued by how people in Beijing described spoons as 勺子 whereas, in Singapore, the very same spoon is known as 汤匙 in Mandarin.
At NTU, I was excited at being able to take up foreign language courses as elective modules. Over the past 3 years, I have taken Japanese levels 1 to 3 and Malay level 1 and I look forward to learning another new language in my remaining year in NTU. I am thankful for having grown up in a supportive environment where language learning is not just a compulsory subject in the education system, but rather, a fascinating and fun-filled activity.
This piece was written by our #SGUnited intern, Jerald Chew. Jerald is a fourth-year Psychology major.
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