Confucius Says Learn Chinese

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ConfuciusJobshop Says Learn Chinese The first Confucius Institute Conference between China and other countries, promote that 100 million people will learn Chinese by was held in Beijing in early July as part of the multicultural development, and contribute to the year 2010, calling for at least four million mainland’s promotion of Chinese language a harmonious world.” Chinese teachers. Facing suchJobshop a great trend and culture overseas. Speaking to some 400 According to agreements signed there by for international dialogues, China has delegates from 38 countries and regions, Chinese Language Council International announced to build 100 Confucius Institutes State Councillor Chen Zhili said that (CLCI), a government body which co-ordi- worldwide by the year 2010, noted Wang Confucius Institutes not only help others to nates language-teaching efforts in other Shenghong, president of Fudan University. learn the Chinese language and culture, but countries, there will soon be 80 Confucius “China is a global power, — it influences “alsoThe get a Sou muchrce clearer picture of a modern Institutes worldwide. It was also announced global prices on commodity markets, it’s a China.” “Language is the most important tool that China had signed deals with six more player in global trade talks, it’s a principal that helps promote mutual understanding foreign institutes to set up Confucius colleges party in six-party talks on North Korea and and friendship among people,” Chen added. in Britain, Germany, Serbia, Portugal, many other issues of global importance,” The institutes’ main responsibilities are to Belarus, and Spain. says Yuen Pau Woo, president of the teach Chinese, train teachers, certify instruc- The Confucius Institute, a non-profit public Vancouver-based Asia Pacific Foundation of tors, conduct examinations, and provide con- institute, was first initiated in 2004 to satisfy Canada. “These issuesMethodology are shaped in some sultancy services on Chinese culture, the the surging overseas demand for Chinese ways on perceptions of China and how it economy, and society. The Confucius College language learning. To date, a total of 80 behaves as an international power. One way statute says that “the mission of the Confucius Institutes have been launched in that can be shaped is through softer issues Confucius Institute is to enhance peoples’ 36 countries and regions, and an additional like culture, language and education. These understandingStudy Ab ofroad the Chinese language and 99 institutes from 38 countries have applied institutes are a way to project an image of culture across the world, develop friendships to set up Confucius Institutes. It is estimated China.”

16 http://www.languagemagazine.com August 2006

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Teacher Development Shanghai Seeks LinguistsTeacher Development Language education officials in Shanghai are calling on more people to learn languages other Newsbytes than English ahead of the 2010 World Expo, which is expected to attract 70 million visitors. The city is seeking language professionals in a range of tongues to avoid a shortage of multilingual volunteers for theNewsbytes Expo, which is expected to attract visitors from all over the world. Officials will issue qualification certificates for professionals who Jobshop speak one of eight foreign languages — French, German, Spanish, China’s Miao Language Threatened Italian, Russian, Japanese, China’s fourth-largest ethnic minority, the mid-20th century, but now experts are wor- Portuguese and Arabic. the Miao (known as the Hmong in the rest of ried it could be destined for extinction. Since 1995, the government has Southeast Asia) people with thousands of years “With no effective inheritance mechanism, issued similar certificates for Eng- of history, are in danger of losing their lan- the Miao language will be hard to preserve,” lish proficiency. TheJobshop certificates are guage, Chinese state media has reported. Han said. highly prized in the country’s crowd- Evidence from areas in south China populat- The Miao, or Hmong, number nearly nine ed job market, and as of last year ed by the Miao suggest a drastic and speedy million in China and also inhabit parts of main- 100,000 people had them issued. decline in the use of the language, the land Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam, Officials hope the new certifi- Shanghai Daily said. Thailand, and Laos. cates will attract the same interest. The“Native Sou peoplerce in Miao villages communicate China’s minority languages are under pres- But issuing authorities reported in their own language less and less,” said Han sure especially from economic forces, as mem- that only 500 people had signed up Kan, an official in charge of ethnic and religious bers of ethnic groups migrate to big cities for the first qualification test, which affairs in Guizhou province, where many Miao where the standard Mandarin Chinese dialect will take place in December. Most live. dominates communication. of the applicants were young stu- In Danzhai county, part of Guizhou, only 60 Many parents also prefer to send their off- dents or white-collar workers who percent speak their own language, down from spring to schools where Mandarin is taught had studied languageMethodology as their major 85 percent just seven years ago, the paper said. exlusively or predominantly, as it gives the chil- or as a second foreign language at The Miao language may have gotten a lease dren significantly better chances in the labor university. of life when a writing system was developed in market upon graduation. “The number is far less than our expectation, not to mention the Study Abroad city’s demand for foreign language professionals,” said Shi Ronggen, an official with the certification application office. “We believe that the number of people who can get the certificate is much higher than the number ofStudy people Abwhoroad have applied for one,” Shi said. August 2006 http://www.languagemagazine.com 17

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Almost five years ago, Brazilian con- MultinationalWorld Languages Brazil gressman Atila Lira presented Bill No. 3987/00 in Brazil’s National Congress, re- questing that Spanish be taught as a sec- Support for Embraces ond language in all of the country’s private and public schools. Last month, the bill was Teacher Development finally approved, and now only awaits the Saving Malay Spanish signature of President Lula da Silva to become law. As English usage becomes more common, If approved, Brazil’s education system Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia are establishing will have five years to adapt to the new law a regional agreement to revitalize Malay as their requiring that Spanish be offered as an elec- national language. tive for students in grades five through eight. “We would Tlikeeacher to maintain Development Malay- Congressman Lira commented that “The Indonesian’s position as a national and regional new law is important for primary education language and put foreign languages like and for Brazil’s integration with the rest of English, Chinese or Arab in a purely supporting Mercosur.” role,” said Indonesia’s education Minister Bambang Sudibyo after signing the commit- Newsbytes ment. He also said that to implement the program nationwide, the ministry was initiating a Malay Police Go Trilingual law that would stipulate the use of Bahasa Indonesia as the leading language. The planned Malaysian police in the eastern Sabah state on Borneo Island will be made to law would also require that Bahasa Indonesia attend language classes to enable them to communicate in basic Mandarin and Arabic, on be used for public speeches and commercial top of being proficient in the English and Malay language. The majority of police officers in advertisements. Newsbytes the country are ethnic Malays, who generally lack proficiency in any language but the Malay Although the ministry has yet to decide on language. Many struggle with speaking basic English. the kinds of punishments people might face for New police recruits in the state must now attend a six-month English training program breaking the law, the drafting process is finished and take a language competency test, said state police deputy director of training Abdul and the draft bill will be submitted to the WahabJobshop Julai. “This is to enable future policemen to have at least a basic understanding of President soon. these languages and eventually better communication skills.” He pointed out that the top Bambang said Bahasa Indonesia is now in a brass of the police force was determined to ensure each recruit is able to converse in difficult position in this country, since public English or at least have a basic understanding of the language. places are often named in English. “We are trying to improve their communication skills in view of the growing number of for- “We have to halt this process; otherwise we eign tourists,” said Julai. will no longer have a national language,” he said. A similar thing has happenedJobshop in Malaysia. Bahasa Malaysia The use of Malay has decreased over the past few decades amid increasing emphasis on The spoken Sabahan technology and education. Malaysia’s Education dialect of Bahasa Minister Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein said Malaysia differs much in the globalization process had diluted the usage The Source inflection and intonation of Malay among native speakers. The commit- from the West Malaysian ment with Indonesia and Brunei, he said, would version, having more refresh the three countries’ determination to similarity in pronunciation fight for their united national language. to Indonesian. English, “I will ask support from other institutions in Chinese Mandarin as well my country to use the language in international as the Chinese dialects of Methodology Hakka and Cantonese agreements and meetings,” he said. “If we, the are widely understood. In locals, who are the owners of the language, addition, Kadazan-Dusun, don’t want to use it, then who will?” Bajau, Murut, and other Indonesia and Malaysia have also estab- races also have distinct lished an agreement to link top schools from Study Abroad ethnic languages. both countries in a network to promote the use Source: wikipedia.org of Malay. The schools would facilitate sharing

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KiwisTeacher DevelopmentPush Call for Pan-Pacific Language The head of the Maori Language He said the New Zealand and Australian Multilingualism Commission in New Zealand has called for governments had been a driving force in the the development of a pan-Pacific language to decline of Polynesian languages and must stem declining numbers of indigenous play a greater role in ensuring their survival. Polynesian speakers. However,T theeacher proposal Development has been met with Commission chief executive Haami Piripi skepticism by senior lecturer in Samoan stud- said the commission was in discussions with ies at Victoria University, Galumalemana a number of Pacific nations including Hawaii, Alfred Hunkin, who said strong opposition Rarotonga, Samoa and Niue to develop a would follow moves for change, “When we language database that would be used to talk about language loss it is a very emotional Newsbytes develop a common issue. Language “Meta-Polynesian” is about identity language. and pride and He claimed the your culture if you initiative was have someone required to halt the who comes along declining use of Newsbytesand says ‘hey Polynesian lan- let’s use this New Zealand’s education minister, guages driven by word’, you are Steve Maharey, says New Zealanders the dominance of going to have must become competent in the major the English lan- some very languagesJobshop of the world or risk being left guage and high healthy debate behind in trade with emerging numbers of Pacific aren’t you?” economies. peoples settling in Mr. Hunkin On July 31, Maharey unveiled a draft other parts of the applauded moves curriculum which will make it compulso- world. to compile a ry for schools to offer classes in a sec- “There are net- database and ond language other than Maori and works of lan- prJobshopotect Pacific English from Year 7. He says New guages that share languages, but Zealand needs people competent in a common ances- said initiatives to Spanish, Chinese, and Indian because try, from Fiji across ensure the sur- they are countries New Zealand will be to Tahiti, it is vival of a native doing business with this century. important to tongue had to be The“On top Sou of rceensuring that people can chronicle the driven from within maintain their languages, we want to changes to the the community ensure that we have a wider variety of language as it and embraced by people speaking a wider variety of lan- spread across the those at the guages,” Maharey said. Pacific and to rec- grass-roots. He Maharey noted that final amendments ognize the family of added, “While would be made to the draft after three languages that Methodologythere is a similari- months of consultation ending in exist.” ty between November. The end result would be a database that Pacific languages, there is also great unique- would assist in developing greater uniformity ness of vocabulary and words particular to among the various languages, driven by a each language, including in spelling.” Study Abroad need to ensure Polynesian languages are maintained. Hello across the pacific “There is a merge point, the point where Maori kia ora tatou katoa the languages merge will get greater and Rarotongan Kia orana tatoa katoa toa greater until it becomes a language of its Hawaiian Aloha kakou own. As we move towards convergence we Samoan Talofa tatou A waka [maori canoe] on an Abel will move towards a means of conversing Tongan Malo e lelei Tasman beach, New Zealand Study Abroad across all of the languages.” Niuean Whakalofa August 2006 http://www.languagemagazine.com 19

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