Interesting fact: Mandarin speakers use both sides of their brains! A study conducted by Dr Sophie Scott has discovered that people who speak Mandarin use both sides of their brain to process and understand the language while people who speak other languages, such as English, only use one side of their brain. Why is this? It’s suggested that the reason is that Mandarin speakers need to interpret intonation for each word in order to understand the language. We use the right temporal lobe of our brain to process music or tones, while we use the left temporal lobe to help us process information. Decoding Mandarin makes use of both sides of the brain.
Did you know that Mandarin Chinese is the most widely-spoken language in the world?
According to infoplease.com, approximately 1,197,000,000 people speak Chinese, of which 873,000 million speak Mandarin.
Although many of our students speak the language already, ME students are taught the finer workings of the language including:
Phonics Writing
Comprehension
Grammar
Speaking
Reading
Comprehension
HSK Preparation
Here are the top 5 reasons we believe learning Mandarin is so important:
1. Business Potential
Learning to speak Mandarin opens the door to speak to millions of people around the world! Many people think the language is only spoken in China but the truth is, Mandarin is spoken in countries such as Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines and Mongolia. In addition to making day-to-day interactions easier, having the ability to speak Mandarin in the business world is a major advantage. It is much easier to develop important relationships if you can speak the same language as your prospective clients and customers. ME Students will be well rehearsed in the proper manner of speaking Mandarin and will learn to cultivate a precious ability that will serve them well throughout their lives.
2. Brain Strengthening
Flexing both sides of the brain means learning to speak Mandarin can actually help improve your brain power. According to Dr Scott, the structure of the languages we learn as children affects how our brains develop to decode speech. This means that learning Mandarin enables children to strengthen both the left and right sides of their brain. The regular use of both sides of the brain allows children to easily toggle between them and handle different tasks with ease.
3. Culture
Chinese culture is fascinating and is the only culture in the world to have a continuous recorded history of 5,000 years. It is one of the richest cultures in the world. Millions of people travel to China to walk The Great Wall, pay their respects at the shrines or indulge in the famous food markets. Learning Mandarin allows children to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and to fully immerse themselves in all facets, no matter where their interests lie. They may want to learn more about the history of China, the intricacies of Chinese architecture, the hauntingly beautiful melodies of Chinese music, or the skills behind delectable Chinese cuisine. No matter where their interests sit, a knowledge of Mandarin can enrich their understanding of Chinese culture.
4. Easy Peasy
Interesting fact: Mandarin speakers use both sides of their brains! A study conducted by Dr Sophie Scott, has discovered that people who speak Mandarin use both sides of their brain to process and understand the language while people who speak other languages, such as English, only use one side of their brain. Why is this? It’s suggested that the reason is that Mandarin speakers need to interpret intonation for each word in order to understand the language. We use the right temporal lobe of our brain to process music or tones, while we use the left temporal lobe to help us process information. Decoding Mandarin makes use of both sides of the brain.
No subject/verb agreement
No plurals
No conjugations
No tenses
Simple numbering system which is applied to dates and time expressions
Simple conditional sentences
Simple prepositions
There are over 80,000 Chinese characters but generally only 3,500 are used in conversation.
5. Enjoying the Arts
China is renowned for producing beautiful novels, short stories, poetry and more recently excellence in film. Having a firm grasp on the language opens up doors for students to study these great works and offers the opportunity to read great Chinese biographies and watch Chinese films.
As well as the 5 reasons to learn Mandarin we listed above, it can actually be a lot of fun to learn. At ME Education, we have some of the best Mandarin teachers in Hong Kong. Our teachers are dedicated to providing students with a great learning experience and furnishing them with all the skills they will need to secure acceptance to the international school of their dreams.
