Growing up, the language I spoke depended on where I was. At school, it was English. But at home, conversations occurred in two different worlds: Mandarin and Fuzhounese…
Growing up, the language I spoke depended on where I was. At school, it was English. But at home, conversations occurred in two different worlds: Mandarin and Fuzhounese with my parents and grandparents; and English with my brother and sister. Sometimes, one conversation occurred in three languages. My parents could ask me a question in Mandarin, and I would respond in a mix of Fuzhounese and English without thinking twice.
At dinner time, my parents made a rule that we could only speak Mandarin and Fuzhounese. My grandparents didn't understand English, and my parents didn't want them to be left out of the hectic conversations my siblings and I had. Each time we would speak English at the dinner table, my parents joked that we were talking about our grandparents, and we would immediately counter that we were not, in Fuzhounese. However, as I got older, I started to notice the gaps between my speech.
There were words I understood in one language, but didn't know how to translate into another. There were also moments when I knew what I wanted to say, but didn't know the right words to say it. Very often, I start my sentences in Fuzhounese, only to discover that I can't find the words to finish the other half of my sentence. It's strange. On other occasions, I would completely understand what my parents were saying but found it difficult to convey my own thoughts.
Over the years, my Mandarin has gotten rusty because I haven't used it as much. Now at Hopkins, those gaps have become more apparent. Whenever I hear other people speak Mandarin on campus, it makes me want to become more fluent again. Back home, switching between three languages was normal. But hearing other students speaking in complete sentences in solely Mandarin made me realize how much I've forgotten. Right now, my 1,405 day Duolingo streak is helping me.
Although it is only for a few minutes every day, I am slowly building up my vocabulary and comprehension skills. I've also started to talk with my other Chinese friends in Mandarin rather than English, helping me gain confidence in expressing myself in a language that has slowly slipped away from me. Aside from Duolingo, I have started to listen intently to Mandopop and watching Chinese movies.
This is a source-linked briefing. Read the original report from Johns Hopkins University .