January 2022

EducationUAE: The gateway into a rich and ancient culture, Mandarin also gives its speakers a truly competitive advantage in the business world. For as well as in China, Mandarin is spoken in countries such as Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, the Philippines and Mongolia. Education UAE spoke to Rihua Jin, the PYP Mandarin Teacher at Dwight School Dubai, to get her top five facts about learning this important and fascinating language.

Good Brain Exercise

Studies suggest that learning Chinese uses more parts of the brain that are required for other languages. As there are numerous differences between learning Chinese when compared with the English language, including tones and characters, it is believed that learning Chinese takes more brainpower! Whereas English speakers only use the left temporal lobe, speakers of Mandarin use both.

The Mandarin Language is Easy to Pick Up

Chinese grammar is in many ways similar to English grammar. A simple Chinese sentence structure consists of a subject, a predicate, and an object. For example, ‘I wash my hands’ in Chinese is 我 Wo (I) 洗 xi (wash) 手 shou (hands). Chinese grammar is even simpler in some ways. For instance, the Chinese language does not have different forms based on gender, or singular/plural. In Dwight PYP, we teach Mandarin with TPRS (teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling). As a result, students are actively involved in creating fun stories with teachers and, by being exposed to extensive meaningful conversations and reading, naturally acquire Mandarin. 

Communicate with One Billion People

China is the most populous nation in the world, with 1.28 billion people. It is the most widely spoken first language in the world.

It May Open the Door to More Opportunities Later in Life

Kids who learn Mandarin may stand out from a pool of applicants when the time comes to apply for selective colleges and when applying for jobs later in life. Bilingual candidates get an edge over others in many workplaces, and having employees who speak Chinese languages is especially helpful.

Mandarin is Becoming Increasingly Popular in Schools

Mandarin is becoming one of the most popular foreign languages in the US. It’s also becoming popular in UAE schools, which is part of the country’s prerequisites to seeking development and innovation, and deepening cooperation with China.