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Now you’re talking
Pŭtōnghuà! Crossing the cultural divide, learning Mandarin and winning the third SA/China Bridge competition, Emile de Laura and Matthew Daniels of the Cape Academy for Mathematics, Science and Technology in Constantia are on their way to China to compete in the international round.
By Nelia Vivier. |
Photo by Nelia Vivier
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They’re best mates, roomies and now the two 16-year-olds who take Mandarin as an optional and third language are on their way to discover China, after they beat learners of five other schools in the national SA/China Bridge event.
Learners who enter the annual contest have to complete a language test in Mandarin, deliver a speech about China, its people or a cultural event, and demonstrate an activity, such as a dance, paper-cutting, calligraphy or martial art.
“It is the second time our school has won the national competition, but Matthew and I have our work cut out for us in Kun Ming, the capital of Yunnan province. Some of the other kids from around the world have been studying Chinese culture and Mandarin for many years, while the two of us have been at it for only six months,” says Emile de Laura, who adds that they can’t wait to catch their first plane ride.
During the competition, he presented a speech on the dress code of the ancient dynasty, delivered a poem and a Mongolian dance routine, while Matthew Daniels talked about the Spring Festival and, having done karate before, did a Kung Fu demonstration.
“We do make a very good team, as Emile is excellent with pronunciation and I do well when it comes to memorizing the alphabet and words,” adds Matthew. “It’s not enough that you can understand the language, but you have to be fluent in mandarin and really understand the culture of China and its people.
“Our country is building so many bridges with China, in economics, technology and science, that learning Mandarin can open many doors for us in the future, but we have learned much more than simply another language.”
“Discipline and perseverance, just to mention two things,” maintains Emile with a huge grin. The top academic scholar and ace athlete says he found it hard at first to master the pronunciation of a language where the written characters, unlike English for instance, hold no clue as to what a word sounds like.
“Using the correct tone is very important, as one word can have as many as four different meanings, but our teacher made it so much fun, using singing and putting the words into a context that had meaning for us.”
More private and a bit shy, Matthew, who is also an excellent rugby player, reckons it has given him the confidence to speak in public. The value of learning Mandarin also hit home when, during the school holidays he decided to speak to local Chinese residents in his home town Uniondale, near George. “Just their reaction to hearing me speak their own language was worth the three hours daily of Chinese language lessons.
“It taught me that language is so much more than a way of speaking, how important it is to understand other cultures and its people. Also, mastering Mandarin gives me motivation to excel in other things, such as academics or on the sports field.”
“I’m actually looking forward to eating lots of weird, no, make that interesting food,” Emile quickly corrects himself when Mandarin teacher Li Gao pulls a funny face at him, while Matthew “can’t wait to see the famous terracotta warriors and their horses”.
Career-wise, the two 10th-graders are thinking nanotechnology and biology (studying foreign plants) “but anything really, as the options are wide open with our country’s strategic partnership with China,” Matthew concludes. ”After all, this is a nation that discovered paper, and uh – gunpowder (both have a good chuckle) and are world leaders in technology.”
“It has also given us street cred,” Emile ends on a high note. “The other weekend, when I visited my Afrikaans cousins in Malmesbury, they and their friends couldn’t get enough of me teaching them Mandarin, although they didn’t understand a single word.”
Learners who enter the annual contest have to complete a language test in Mandarin, deliver a speech about China, its people or a cultural event, and demonstrate an activity, such as a dance, paper-cutting, calligraphy or martial art.
“It is the second time our school has won the national competition, but Matthew and I have our work cut out for us in Kun Ming, the capital of Yunnan province. Some of the other kids from around the world have been studying Chinese culture and Mandarin for many years, while the two of us have been at it for only six months,” says Emile de Laura, who adds that they can’t wait to catch their first plane ride.
During the competition, he presented a speech on the dress code of the ancient dynasty, delivered a poem and a Mongolian dance routine, while Matthew Daniels talked about the Spring Festival and, having done karate before, did a Kung Fu demonstration.
“We do make a very good team, as Emile is excellent with pronunciation and I do well when it comes to memorizing the alphabet and words,” adds Matthew. “It’s not enough that you can understand the language, but you have to be fluent in mandarin and really understand the culture of China and its people.
“Our country is building so many bridges with China, in economics, technology and science, that learning Mandarin can open many doors for us in the future, but we have learned much more than simply another language.”
“Discipline and perseverance, just to mention two things,” maintains Emile with a huge grin. The top academic scholar and ace athlete says he found it hard at first to master the pronunciation of a language where the written characters, unlike English for instance, hold no clue as to what a word sounds like.
“Using the correct tone is very important, as one word can have as many as four different meanings, but our teacher made it so much fun, using singing and putting the words into a context that had meaning for us.”
More private and a bit shy, Matthew, who is also an excellent rugby player, reckons it has given him the confidence to speak in public. The value of learning Mandarin also hit home when, during the school holidays he decided to speak to local Chinese residents in his home town Uniondale, near George. “Just their reaction to hearing me speak their own language was worth the three hours daily of Chinese language lessons.
“It taught me that language is so much more than a way of speaking, how important it is to understand other cultures and its people. Also, mastering Mandarin gives me motivation to excel in other things, such as academics or on the sports field.”
“I’m actually looking forward to eating lots of weird, no, make that interesting food,” Emile quickly corrects himself when Mandarin teacher Li Gao pulls a funny face at him, while Matthew “can’t wait to see the famous terracotta warriors and their horses”.
Career-wise, the two 10th-graders are thinking nanotechnology and biology (studying foreign plants) “but anything really, as the options are wide open with our country’s strategic partnership with China,” Matthew concludes. ”After all, this is a nation that discovered paper, and uh – gunpowder (both have a good chuckle) and are world leaders in technology.”
“It has also given us street cred,” Emile ends on a high note. “The other weekend, when I visited my Afrikaans cousins in Malmesbury, they and their friends couldn’t get enough of me teaching them Mandarin, although they didn’t understand a single word.”
