Keeping my Mandarin alive : Lee Kuan Yew's language learning experience / / Lee Kuan Yew

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910809877903321
• Autore: Lee Kuan Yew <1923->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Singapore ; ; Hackensack, NJ, : World Scientific, : Global Pub. Co., c2005
• ISBN: 981-4480-02-9; 1-281-37266-8; 9786611372668; 981-270-100-1
• Edizione: [1st ed.]
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (255 p.)
• Disciplina: 495.1
• Soggetti: Mandarin dialects - Study and teaching; Chinese language - Study and teaching
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Contents; Preface; Quotable Quotes; Interview with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew; Minister Mentor we noticed that you have collected a lot of notes on your Chinese Lessons over the years is this a special effort and why?; What you have laid out on the table today is certainly just a small part of the materials you have gone through. I believe you started to learn Chinese as early as during the Japanese occupation perhaps you would like to share with us the experience?; You knew what that meant?; Have you succeeded in picking up words in areas other than politics and economics over the years?; Were you worried about the political cost of giving up Hokkien as many people were then still speaking dialects?You have not seen any example of people who speak good dialects English and Mandarin?; The motivation behind your effort in learning Mandarin appears to have been primarily political. With a changing environment particularly as more of the voters are now conversant in English why have you persevered in the effort to learn Mandarin? What moves you on?; What do you now do to keep up your Mandarin?; For those passive words and phrases how do you revise them or find ways to use them?; What about seizing opportunities to practise speaking Mandarin how ; do you do that now?In learning Mandarin what were some difficulties that you encountered and how did you overcome them?; Does this not apply to only the adult learners?; How would you rate your progress in learning Mandarin?; It appears that creating this big environment (da huan Jing) conducive to language learning is critical?; What else can be done?; Does the family not have to play a bigger part then whether in terms of practising the language or others?; However when English became the working language some people struggled to speak the language. Parents spoke halting English - somehow broken - to their kids. Are you worried that the same will happen with the encouragement of a greater usage of Mandarin?Are you optimistic that with the rise of China the bigger environment or da huan jing to learn Mandarin is created and more people will be motivated to team Mandarin?; Is there any worry that as more Mainland Chinese know English better then Singaporeans will lose our edge?; Would you not say that the motivation is the key to the learning of a language?For people who have had some foundation in Chinese but have lost it along the way and now hope to pick it up again would you have any advice?; Do you think that for an adult learner getting a teacher is essential; QuotabLe Quotes; Teaching Chinese to Adults An Interview with MM Lee's Chinese Language Tutor Professor Chew Cheng Hai; When did you start giving Chinese lessons to MM Lee?; Have there been any changes to his course curriculum since 1975? For example in terms of the vocabulary that he picks up has there been a shift in focus?
• Sommario/riassunto: Learn Mandarin while you brush your teeth or shave? Read how Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew does it!A Prime Minister as an interpreter? Find out when and why MM Lee had to do it.For the first time, this towering figure of the island-state's politics gives a first-hand account of H ow he has learnt Mandarin over the last 50 years and kept it alive. He also tells W hen and W hy he decided to learn the language, W here he got hold of the learning materials from, W hom he practises his Mandarin with and W hat spurs him on.MM Lee goes beyond these 5Ws and 1H in Keeping My Mandarin Alive,