Making Mandarin Chinese More Accessible and Learnable in the Philippines

There's no doubt about it that the Chinese language, often referred to as 华语 (huá yǔ), is very important. I remembered meeting some of my old Chinese language teachers who even said, "Now you see Mandarin is very important, right?" It was sometime in college when Chinese entertainment took the Philippines by storm. I could remember hearing English covers of some Chinese songs. I remembered a text that talked about how Mandarin is becoming more widely spoken. Langoly even verifies that by 2022 last year--we've already hit a total of 1.118 billion speakers. Even before 2022, I started to see Mandarin Chinese as a very important subject. Yet, the only thing I regretted, back then, was taking the Chinese language subject for granted. 

I think it's necessary to look at the flaws of the education system. One of the many things that I wrote about was the problem of focusing too much on grades and too little on learning. Grades can be a good motivator but the problem is grading alone doesn't help. Even a former schoolmate of mine who graduated summa cum laude and is now a teacher, posted on his Facebook wall that students cheat because the system cares more about grades than learning. The class salutatorian even commented, "Good old days! The library!" There were folders needed so cheating would be avoided. Yet, cheating has been very hard to fight. I tried cheating in the Chinese classes. A classmate of mine was caught cheating in a Chinese class and got suspended when things got stricter. If I must admit why I attempted cheating, it had to do with getting a better grade. True, grading helps assess performance but when learning becomes too theoretical, policies against cheating become nearly useless.

It was the 1990s to the 2000s so I experienced some of the old Chinese education system beforehand

After I transferred from a non-Chinese school, I did remember how Grade 1 Chinese was easy then Grade 2 Chinese became harder. I passed through Grade 1, failed Grade 2, skipped Grade 5 for Grade 6, and I was still flunking hard. I was soon under what many called the strictest Chinese teacher we ever had, something I'm still grateful for because, without her, I'd never change my study habits. Later on, Chinese schools had to be stricter and not accept people who never had formal Chinese education since it would add too much pressure all at once. I could really think of the problem that was there with the old Chinese education.

For the first three levels, I could remember there were four subjects to study. There was Language 1 referred to as 华语 (huá yǔ), Chinese mathematics (which I think can be more obtrusive especially if the English and Chinese levels don't match), the traditional use of Zhuyin, and Language 2 which I think was called 历史 (Lìshǐ). In Amoy, it was called Chong Hap. I don't know Amoy pinyin so I'm pretty sure I got the Amoy pinyin wrong I could remember mixing Mandarin and Amoy in the classes. Right now, I even feel like it can be confusing, especially for non-Chinese students.

I could talk about these issues that went wrong with Chinese education from the days of my parents up to the last time we had Language 2:

1. The use of Zhuyin over pinyin. After the rise of pinyin, I felt not having my Chinese diploma didn't matter anymore. I didn't get my Chinese diploma because I failed in Zhuyin. I was eventually told to just forget about it and study pinyin. Teachers were told that students weren't allowed to put Romanize. Well, it's a problem really if you use improper Romanization resulting in the wrong reading. For example, small in Chinese should be spelled out as Xiǎo instead of Shiao. It's because X and Sh are two different characters in the Pinyin table. Teachers had no choice but to follow. That's why I even wrote about how pinyin helps us get our business permits. Can you imagine if Chatime were written in the business permit as ㄔㄚTime? Can the non-Chinese-speaking government offices read the Zhuyin?  
2. Memorization of both questions and answers (referred to as 问题 or Wèntí, called bun toi in Amoy) can be rather confusing. Many times, I would either ace it (by just getting a clue) without understanding it. I wonder if overemphasis on the memorization of answers to questions may also explain why some graduate Chinese in high school but can't speak Mandarin? I'd also blame the parents who say, "Who cares about that? What's important is you pass the subject!" Well, that kind of attitude may have been encouraged by a faulty system. 

Eventually, Language 2 was removed so Language 1 can be focused. However, the next few years would still focus on Zhuyin Zhuyin is still used in Taiwan as part of their culture even when Pinyin got used. I guess politics really played a part. It turns out that Zhōu Yǒuguāng, the genius behind Pinyin, was a critic of Mao Zedong's unjust policies. Later, Zhou died at the age of 111 last 2017. The great critic of Chinese Communism. I think the use of Zhuyin in schools had to do with the mentality older Taiwanese generations had towards Pinyin as "too easy". However, I felt that if Pinyin was taught back then, memorizing all that we called Bun Toi and filling in the blanks referred to as 填空 (Tiánkòng) or Tian Chiong may become easier. 

As the demand for Mandarin-speaking soars up, I really felt like criticizing the way Mandarin was taught. Teachers sure spoke the truth about the rise of Mandarin. However, they were forced to use faulty tools. That is, even if all the Chinese-language teachers got fired and replaced, the new set of Chinese-language teachers will have to deal with the same mess that was left by the previous batch. 

My experience in a basic Chinese language class in college made me think of a creative way to teach it in Filipino-Chinese schools

I graduated from the University of San Carlos (USC) in 2007. It would soon be 2027 a few years from now. That's really a lot of time passing right? New foreign language (FOLA) courses were offered. The FOLA classes are Spanish (the most commonly used) and there's Mandarin and Chinese. My basic Mandarin classes were from 6:00 to 7:30 P.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Right now, I wished that a Saturday class from 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. was available so that three hours can be devoted to learning Mandarin. I think an over-the-weekend Chinese class might be more beneficial for some. 

I finally got a grip on the basics of Mandarin. Unlike the regular Chinese classes, it was somewhat practical especially when some students never had a Chinese education. It was also then when pinyin was taught instead of Zhuyin. I ended up laughing when somebody wanted to write the Zhuyin and the teacher herself taught the Pinyin using the Bopomofo method. That's why I still prefer to call pinyin Bopomofo. Although Zhuyin wasn't taught, we still memorized the Pinyin sequence in this order:

Until now, I prefer to recall the pinyin from B up to YU/Ü using the Bopomofo sequence. That's why I was shocked to learn that there's the use of the 23 initials-24 finals method to learn pinyin (read here). I still think one can master pinyin better with the rhythmic cycle of the Bopomofo--even if the person never learned Zhuyin! I think it's a lot more advantageous to recite the Pinyin like the Zhuyin. That's how we were taught so we could begin with the learn how to speak and memorize. I still feel Zhuyin complicates things for people outside Taiwan. The Philippines isn't Taiwan so it needs a few adjustments. Sure, the Philippines can learn from Taiwan's economic policies but it needs a different approach to learn Chinese. It's like how Chatime in the Philippines may add or remove items that will either work or not work in the Philippines.

Transparent Language Blog

After learning the basic spelling rules (such as when to and not to use Y and W or when the E must be removed from ENG), it would also be important to emphasize the tones. The use of the four tones can be confusing at first. Memorizing the sequence of the first four tones along with a fifth neutral tone is essential. The table above is now more accessible to people outside Taiwan. One can start to memorize this table with the Pinyin. Of course, one must take note that D and T sound nearly alike and know that T is read as a harder T and D as a softer T. 

The Learning Mandarin blog also presents these truths about Pinyin as an irreplaceable tool. As the demand for Chinese goes up, the Pinyin tool has become more practical.

1. It is more internationally used by the fact that it uses Latin script. It is relatively easier to type even if you don’t have the input set up in your computer. The keyboard is the same as QWERTY, so there are almost no obstacles to start typing Chinese.
2. Its use of Latin script makes it more beginner-friendly after all! Even for someone who has never learned Pinyin, he can still try to guess it by reading it with the pronunciation method he is used to though it won’t sound accurate, but it reduces possible struggles in many life situations. For example, for tourists, when they see the Pinyin marked under a road sign, though they’re not sure, chances are they can still get by to successfully communicate with people about where they want to go. 
3. Learners usually find more resources with Pinyin too. That’s the reality. Since the users of Pinyin are much more than Zhuyin’s, and plus other advantages, there are more materials using Pinyin than Zhuyin.

The class was nothing like I imagined. I did talk about it with the elders but they said, "That's too easy! You'll never learn anything." What got me into trouble was saying, "Did you really learn anything?" The next generation will have to find new ways to learn to speak Chinese. Having true or false or answering questions means nothing if one can't even understand. I even feel that memorizing 填空 (Tiánkòng) and 问题 (Wèntí) would be easier if there was teaching more practical applications and the use of Pinyin. It would be necessary to keep having recitations by having students read them out loud, write down the Pinyin, and say the Mandarin and English out loud. 

For example, we start learning the greetings with the 填空 (Tiánkòng) and 问题 (Wèntí). It could go like filling in the blanks of Hello Teacher by writing 你好老师. We have the (    ) 老师. The student would be required to fill in the blank by writing 你好 (Nǐ hǎo). In my case, I would prefer if students have repeatedly write down the Pinyin with the complete tones for both the 填空 (Tiánkòng) and 问题 (Wèntí). It would lessen the situation to pass the test yet not knowing how to read Chinese characters. They should also be required to write down the English as well. Eventually, learning both 填空 (Tiánkòng) and 问题 (Wèntí) may become more instinctive than rote.  

I think the removal of Chinese math should've been done. I feel teaching mathematics in a Chinese class is overly redundant. Instead, the teaching of both Mandarin and pinyin should be the focus. Also, pinyin should be taught from elementary to middle school and even up to high school. It's because the usage of pinyin will make students practice their reading some more. What that in mind, I hope that I can make a better point on how Chinese can be taught in Chinese schools. 

There could also be a focus on making Chinese language schools for older people more accessible

Not everyone has gone or will end up going to a Chinese school in the Philippines. What happens is that some people may have never learned to speak Chinese at all. Sure, you can still get a job in the Philippines even without learning Mandarin. However, learning Mandarin can help people get better opportunities or be able to communicate with Chinese tourists. It can also help people when they go abroad. Learning Mandarin can also help people teach Chinese speakers another language that they may want to learn.

I heard Cebu Eastern College (CEC) in Cebu City offers conversational classes. However, I think establishing more language centers will be better. That's why I'm an advocate for opening up the Philippine economy to FDI all the more. Once again, it's about letting FDIs invest without having to look for a Filipino partner who owns the 60% of the company's equity. FDIs can invest without a local partner though they will not be able to buy land (as Singapore doesn't sell land to foreigners from what I heard) and will still be required to pay taxes. This will allow more Chinese language schools to set up their schools in the Philippines without having to look for a Filipino partner. Sure, they'll need to look for a Filipino landowner but not a partner who gets 60% of the net profits.

This is what I dub the special class where non-Chinese can learn the language in another way. Chinese teachers may have to adopt the styles used by Japanese language and Korean language teachers with non-Chinese speaking adults. After trying my Chinese language class in college--I called it a Grade 1 Chinese class for adults. I felt that would be the way that Chinese will be taught especially to those who never studied in a Chinese school. 

My say is that there's really no one size fits all approach. Sure, people can learn in groups. Some people end up in the school for the mute if they're mute. Some people go to adaptive classes if they've got health problems. I believe learning Chinese is really no different. Some people are better with languages and others are not. The need to flex around is really badly needed.