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OPINIONS
Diane Mufson: An Olympic message -- teach our children Chinese
As a billion people around the world did these past few weeks, my husband and I watched some of the Olympics from Beijing. Like most viewers, we've been awed at the swimming prowess of Michael Phelps, fascinated by the skills of this generation of Mary Lou Rettons and marvel at the abundance of athletic talent from around the world.
Those of us who tuned in to the opening and closing Chinese spectaculars could only describe them as "over the top." Beyond entertainment and technical accomplishments, they sent a clear message. China is not only the most prolific producer of our everyday American products, it is a nation determined to be internationally dominant. And that means more Americans need to learn to speak Chinese.
China is not a democracy. It can and will play by different rules than our nation does. But it is a competitor, and winning and "looking good" means everything to them. While we Americans thrive on our achievements, hopefully we wouldn't substitute a beautiful lip-syncing 9-year-old in the opening ceremony because the wonderful voice of a 7-year-old resides with a less adorable child.
Americans have been fortunate that English was the pre-eminent world international language for business, research and travel for most of the 20th century and continues to be. Internet estimates say there are about 341 million native English-speaking people in the world and almost three times that many whose first tongue is Mandarin Chinese. Not today or next year, but very soon, more business will be conducted in Asian languages, particularly Chinese. Those who speak it will have an advantage.
Just recently, an Associated Press article in The Herald-Dispatch reported that there is an increasing demand for Chinese language classes in Ohio schools, but there are difficulties in finding teachers for these classes. The Chinese government is reported to be willing to help make arrangements for native speaking language teachers.
Many of us who tried to master a foreign language at the high school level realized that learning a foreign language in adolescence is not easy. Plus, when language instruction is offered only at the high school level, foreign language skills are limited to a small fraction of students. Foreign language instruction needs to be started at an early age, preferably kindergarten.
More people are recognizing the importance of this. In December 2007, The Herald-Dispatch reported that West Virginia legislators suggested starting "10 pilot foreign language programs in kindergarten to teach Spanish, French, Chinese or Japanese."
Shortly before the Olympics began, PBS presented a one-hour program on China and its reach into other corners of our universe. The program highlighted China's economic development in oil-rich Angola and a special school in Cambodia that has about 8,000 young students enrolled in Chinese-language classes.
China is thousands of miles away from the United States, but in terms of business and trade interactions with our country, it is as close as the nearest Wal-Mart, Target or other retail store.
The world's population continues to grow, as do the interactions among people from different nations. English will remain a dominant world language, but one message from the 2008 Beijing Olympics is that China is now a major world player. It is time to prepare our youngest students for the future and provide them an opportunity to study Chinese as part of their school curriculum.
Diane W. Mufson is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Huntington. She is a citizen member of The Herald-Dispatch editorial board and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page. Her e-mail is dwmufson@comcast.net.
