The writer is a Singapore student studying in the United States. Based on his personal experience at the Princeton University, he came out with some thought-provoking ideas about the teaching of the second language.
As a student who has been through twelve years of Chinese language study in Singapore, and two years of studying German at Princeton University, I have some thoughts on the teaching of Chinese in Singapore.
Here at Princeton, every student outside the Engineering Department is required to graduate with knowledge of a language besides English. Princeton has a world-class language teaching programme, with some of the world's best teachers. Every student is encouraged to take up a new language, and I chose German.
Now, German is not an easy language to learn. Yet my German teachers were able to sustain my interest in the subject, such that I had reached A-level competence in just forty eight weeks' of instruction.
Forty eight weeks！ Imagine bringing your child from zero to A-level standards in any subject in just one year of continuous study！ And this is done here for students of all the other languages that Princeton offers — French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, and even Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Persian.
Perhaps the way Princeton conducts its second language programme might be instructive for our situation in Singapore.
First of all, I think that the pedagogy of Chinese language teaching in Singapore should be re-examined, if it is as I remember, students from English- and Chinese-speaking backgrounds are mixed together in the same classes and taught in exactly the same way.
We have to accept the reality ： for the 40 per cent of Chinese students who come from English-speaking homes, Chinese is not a native tongue. It must therefore be taught as a foreign language. The method of teaching Chinese must surely vary according to whether a student is exposed to it at home or uses it with his friends, or not at all outside the classroom.
For Princeton professors, every language is taught as a foreign language, building on the student's knowledge of English. They do not try to throw their students into the deep end of the pool —“total immersion” —and expect them to sink or swim. For example, text books — yes, even Chinese text books — contain explanations of vocabulary and sentence structure in English.
This is probably a better way for us in Singapore to reach out to students who are already comfortable with English. I advocate separate classes for students to learn Chinese in different ways.
Secondly, we need to look closely at why interest in the learning of Chinese language in Singapore wanes faster than the learning of other subjects. At Princeton, language teachers make special efforts to keep their subjects interesting. For example, language games, meals during which only the foreign language is spoken, and language projects（such as producing a video instead of having final examinations） are all used to motivate the study of a language, changing it from tedium to engagement.
Thirdly, almost all the articles I read on the subject carried in Singapore newspapers unquestioningly acceded that the study of Chinese was a “cultural anchor” for the students and was a way of “transmitting values.”
We cannot assume that merely learning a language imbues one with any kind of value system. After learning German, I have not become more punctual or orderly. My friends who have learnt Italian or French have not suddenly become connoisseurs and romantic. And those who studied Japanese did not seem to have become any more efficient.
Languages are excellent transmitters of concepts and ideas. But for the transmission of values, children depend mostly on their parents and family. Nevertheless, there is the possibility that acquiring knowledge through one's native tongue may boost self-confidence.
Students of advanced Chinese language abilities can easily absorb the essence of the cultural value system. But for the majority of the population, learning Chinese is just a matter of fulfilling curriculum requirements—their proficiency in Chinese is inadequate for true appreciation of Chinese culture.
Fourthly, the simple pass-fail basis on which some students are permitted to take Chinese needs to be reviewed. It is fair to say that those students who are constantly struggling with the Chinese language will probably never acquire full competence in the language.
It has been hypothesised that students learn in different ways ： some students learn best phonetically, and would be excellent at phonetic languages like English and German but miserable with Chinese. On the other hand, students with photographic memories will probably find it easier to learn Chinese.
So, to prevent this pass-fail alternative from becoming a soft option, and as a matter of national well-being, any student who is good in other subjects but has to take Chinese on a pass-fail basis should be allowed to take a third language instead
This language can be another “world language” like French, Spanish or German, or perhaps the languages of our Southeast Asian neighbours like Malay, Tagalog and Thai.
We should remember that most of the world speaks neither English nor Chinese as a native language. Let us nurture a group of Singaporeans fluent in other languages, and capable of acting as our communicators with the rest of the world. What better way to encourage third-language competence than to make it a trade-off for alleviating the pressure to study Chinese？
以務(wù)實方式教導(dǎo)第二語文
作者是在美國求學(xué)的新加坡學(xué)生。他根據(jù)自己在普林斯頓大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)語文的經(jīng)驗,提出深具啟發(fā)性的第二語文教學(xué)概念。
作為一名在新加坡學(xué)了12年華文,以及在普林斯頓大學(xué)學(xué)了兩年德文的學(xué)生,我對新加坡的華文教學(xué)法有些意見。
在普林斯頓大學(xué),凡是工程系以外的學(xué)生,都必須掌握英文以外的另一種語文才能畢業(yè)。普林斯頓大學(xué)有的語文系,擁有世界上數(shù)一數(shù)二的語文教師。校方鼓勵每名學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)一種新的語文,我于是選擇了德文。
德文并不是容易學(xué)的語文,但我的德文教師們卻能夠維持我對此科目的興趣。上了48個星期的課之后,我的德文已經(jīng)達(dá)到了A水準(zhǔn)的程度。
48個星期！不妨想象自己的孩子在經(jīng)過一年的不間斷學(xué)習(xí)之后,某個科目的水平竟從零提升到A水準(zhǔn)！普林斯頓大學(xué)內(nèi)學(xué)習(xí)其他語文的學(xué)生也是經(jīng)歷同樣的過程——如法文、意大利文、西班牙文、葡萄牙文、日文、韓文、華文、俄文,甚至古希臘文、希伯來文、拉丁文和波斯文。
普林斯頓大學(xué)的第二語文教學(xué)法或許能供新加坡參考。
首先、我認(rèn)為我們應(yīng)該重新檢討新加坡的華文教學(xué)法。如果我沒記錯的話,來自英語家庭背景和華語家庭背景的學(xué)生都上同一堂課,教師們也以同樣的方式教導(dǎo)他們。
我們必須接受這個事實：有40%的華族學(xué)生是來自英語家庭背景的。他們的母語并不是華語,因此必須以教導(dǎo)外文的方式來教導(dǎo)他們?nèi)A文。華文教學(xué)法應(yīng)該考慮不同學(xué)生對華文的接觸程度不同而加以調(diào)整。有些學(xué)生在家使用華語,有些則用華語和朋友交談,有些學(xué)生更是在課堂以外完全不用華語的。
普林斯頓大學(xué)教授的語文教學(xué)法是按照學(xué)生的英文基礎(chǔ),以教外文的方式來教導(dǎo)所有的語文。他們不會把學(xué)生推入深潭中,讓他們“徹底浸濡”,自生自滅。譬如,語文教科書（當(dāng)然也包括華文教科書）都以英文解釋生字和語法。
在新加坡,對教導(dǎo)那些比較熟悉英文的學(xué)生來說,這或許是個較好的方法。我建議我們分班授課,讓不同的學(xué)生以不同的方式學(xué)習(xí)華文。
第二、我們需要認(rèn)真檢討,為什么和其他科目比較起來,學(xué)生們會那么快對學(xué)習(xí)華文失去興趣。在普林斯頓大學(xué),語文教師特別下功夫,使他們的課程增添趣味性。譬如,玩語文游戲、舉辦只能以外語交談的聚餐會,以及語文作業(yè)（如以制作錄像帶來取*試）。這些都會鼓勵學(xué)生更多參與學(xué)習(xí)語文的過程,使語文的學(xué)習(xí)不再是一件苦差。
第三、我所看過的新加坡報章,無不同意學(xué)習(xí)華文是要奠定學(xué)生的“文化根基”,而且也是“傳達(dá)價值觀”的管道。
我們不能假定說,學(xué)習(xí)某種語文就會吸收某種價值觀。我在學(xué)習(xí)德文之后,并未變得更加守時或整齊。學(xué)過意大利文或法文的朋友,不會突然變成鑒賞家或變得更浪漫。那些學(xué)日文的,做事就不見得會更有效率。
語文是傳達(dá)概念和思想的良好工具。至于價值觀的傳達(dá),孩童們還得依靠他們的父母和家人。然而,以本身的母語吸取知識或許可以加強(qiáng)自己的自信。
華文能力強(qiáng)的學(xué)生能夠很容易地吸收華族文化價值觀的精髓。但對大多數(shù)的國人來說,學(xué)習(xí)華文只是因為課程需要而已。他們?nèi)A文的造詣根本不足以讓他們真正體會華族文化。
第四、*允許一些學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)華文時只需及格。我想我們應(yīng)該檢討這個措施。我們可以這么說,那些在學(xué)習(xí)華文過程中不斷掙扎的學(xué)生,將不能夠完全掌握華文。
有人作出假設(shè)：不同的學(xué)生有不同的學(xué)習(xí)方式。有些學(xué)生傾向以語音學(xué)習(xí)語文,因此他們能夠很好地掌握以音節(jié)為主的語文如英文和德文,而面對華文時卻如臨大敵。另一方面,對記憶力很強(qiáng)的學(xué)生來說,學(xué)習(xí)華文應(yīng)該是輕而易舉的事。
為了防止這個只需及格的華文課程被淪為一個避重就輕的選擇,同時也為了國家的利益著想,我們應(yīng)該讓那些其他科目成績都很好,但只為了考試而苦修華文課程的學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)第三種語文。
這個語文可以是另一個“世界語文”如法文、西班牙文和德文,或者是我們東南亞鄰國的語文如馬來文、他加祿（菲律賓）文和泰文。
我們應(yīng)當(dāng)明白,世界上多數(shù)的人并不以英文或華文為母語。讓我們培養(yǎng)一批精通其他語文的新加坡人,充當(dāng)我們和世界其他地方之間的橋梁。把學(xué)習(xí)第三語文作為減輕學(xué)習(xí)華文壓力的對換條件,這是一個鼓勵學(xué)生掌握第三種語文的佳方法。
As a student who has been through twelve years of Chinese language study in Singapore, and two years of studying German at Princeton University, I have some thoughts on the teaching of Chinese in Singapore.
Here at Princeton, every student outside the Engineering Department is required to graduate with knowledge of a language besides English. Princeton has a world-class language teaching programme, with some of the world's best teachers. Every student is encouraged to take up a new language, and I chose German.
Now, German is not an easy language to learn. Yet my German teachers were able to sustain my interest in the subject, such that I had reached A-level competence in just forty eight weeks' of instruction.
Forty eight weeks！ Imagine bringing your child from zero to A-level standards in any subject in just one year of continuous study！ And this is done here for students of all the other languages that Princeton offers — French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian, and even Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Persian.
Perhaps the way Princeton conducts its second language programme might be instructive for our situation in Singapore.
First of all, I think that the pedagogy of Chinese language teaching in Singapore should be re-examined, if it is as I remember, students from English- and Chinese-speaking backgrounds are mixed together in the same classes and taught in exactly the same way.
We have to accept the reality ： for the 40 per cent of Chinese students who come from English-speaking homes, Chinese is not a native tongue. It must therefore be taught as a foreign language. The method of teaching Chinese must surely vary according to whether a student is exposed to it at home or uses it with his friends, or not at all outside the classroom.
For Princeton professors, every language is taught as a foreign language, building on the student's knowledge of English. They do not try to throw their students into the deep end of the pool —“total immersion” —and expect them to sink or swim. For example, text books — yes, even Chinese text books — contain explanations of vocabulary and sentence structure in English.
This is probably a better way for us in Singapore to reach out to students who are already comfortable with English. I advocate separate classes for students to learn Chinese in different ways.
Secondly, we need to look closely at why interest in the learning of Chinese language in Singapore wanes faster than the learning of other subjects. At Princeton, language teachers make special efforts to keep their subjects interesting. For example, language games, meals during which only the foreign language is spoken, and language projects（such as producing a video instead of having final examinations） are all used to motivate the study of a language, changing it from tedium to engagement.
Thirdly, almost all the articles I read on the subject carried in Singapore newspapers unquestioningly acceded that the study of Chinese was a “cultural anchor” for the students and was a way of “transmitting values.”
We cannot assume that merely learning a language imbues one with any kind of value system. After learning German, I have not become more punctual or orderly. My friends who have learnt Italian or French have not suddenly become connoisseurs and romantic. And those who studied Japanese did not seem to have become any more efficient.
Languages are excellent transmitters of concepts and ideas. But for the transmission of values, children depend mostly on their parents and family. Nevertheless, there is the possibility that acquiring knowledge through one's native tongue may boost self-confidence.
Students of advanced Chinese language abilities can easily absorb the essence of the cultural value system. But for the majority of the population, learning Chinese is just a matter of fulfilling curriculum requirements—their proficiency in Chinese is inadequate for true appreciation of Chinese culture.
Fourthly, the simple pass-fail basis on which some students are permitted to take Chinese needs to be reviewed. It is fair to say that those students who are constantly struggling with the Chinese language will probably never acquire full competence in the language.
It has been hypothesised that students learn in different ways ： some students learn best phonetically, and would be excellent at phonetic languages like English and German but miserable with Chinese. On the other hand, students with photographic memories will probably find it easier to learn Chinese.
So, to prevent this pass-fail alternative from becoming a soft option, and as a matter of national well-being, any student who is good in other subjects but has to take Chinese on a pass-fail basis should be allowed to take a third language instead
This language can be another “world language” like French, Spanish or German, or perhaps the languages of our Southeast Asian neighbours like Malay, Tagalog and Thai.
We should remember that most of the world speaks neither English nor Chinese as a native language. Let us nurture a group of Singaporeans fluent in other languages, and capable of acting as our communicators with the rest of the world. What better way to encourage third-language competence than to make it a trade-off for alleviating the pressure to study Chinese？
以務(wù)實方式教導(dǎo)第二語文
作者是在美國求學(xué)的新加坡學(xué)生。他根據(jù)自己在普林斯頓大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)語文的經(jīng)驗,提出深具啟發(fā)性的第二語文教學(xué)概念。
作為一名在新加坡學(xué)了12年華文,以及在普林斯頓大學(xué)學(xué)了兩年德文的學(xué)生,我對新加坡的華文教學(xué)法有些意見。
在普林斯頓大學(xué),凡是工程系以外的學(xué)生,都必須掌握英文以外的另一種語文才能畢業(yè)。普林斯頓大學(xué)有的語文系,擁有世界上數(shù)一數(shù)二的語文教師。校方鼓勵每名學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)一種新的語文,我于是選擇了德文。
德文并不是容易學(xué)的語文,但我的德文教師們卻能夠維持我對此科目的興趣。上了48個星期的課之后,我的德文已經(jīng)達(dá)到了A水準(zhǔn)的程度。
48個星期！不妨想象自己的孩子在經(jīng)過一年的不間斷學(xué)習(xí)之后,某個科目的水平竟從零提升到A水準(zhǔn)！普林斯頓大學(xué)內(nèi)學(xué)習(xí)其他語文的學(xué)生也是經(jīng)歷同樣的過程——如法文、意大利文、西班牙文、葡萄牙文、日文、韓文、華文、俄文,甚至古希臘文、希伯來文、拉丁文和波斯文。
普林斯頓大學(xué)的第二語文教學(xué)法或許能供新加坡參考。
首先、我認(rèn)為我們應(yīng)該重新檢討新加坡的華文教學(xué)法。如果我沒記錯的話,來自英語家庭背景和華語家庭背景的學(xué)生都上同一堂課,教師們也以同樣的方式教導(dǎo)他們。
我們必須接受這個事實：有40%的華族學(xué)生是來自英語家庭背景的。他們的母語并不是華語,因此必須以教導(dǎo)外文的方式來教導(dǎo)他們?nèi)A文。華文教學(xué)法應(yīng)該考慮不同學(xué)生對華文的接觸程度不同而加以調(diào)整。有些學(xué)生在家使用華語,有些則用華語和朋友交談,有些學(xué)生更是在課堂以外完全不用華語的。
普林斯頓大學(xué)教授的語文教學(xué)法是按照學(xué)生的英文基礎(chǔ),以教外文的方式來教導(dǎo)所有的語文。他們不會把學(xué)生推入深潭中,讓他們“徹底浸濡”,自生自滅。譬如,語文教科書（當(dāng)然也包括華文教科書）都以英文解釋生字和語法。
在新加坡,對教導(dǎo)那些比較熟悉英文的學(xué)生來說,這或許是個較好的方法。我建議我們分班授課,讓不同的學(xué)生以不同的方式學(xué)習(xí)華文。
第二、我們需要認(rèn)真檢討,為什么和其他科目比較起來,學(xué)生們會那么快對學(xué)習(xí)華文失去興趣。在普林斯頓大學(xué),語文教師特別下功夫,使他們的課程增添趣味性。譬如,玩語文游戲、舉辦只能以外語交談的聚餐會,以及語文作業(yè)（如以制作錄像帶來取*試）。這些都會鼓勵學(xué)生更多參與學(xué)習(xí)語文的過程,使語文的學(xué)習(xí)不再是一件苦差。
第三、我所看過的新加坡報章,無不同意學(xué)習(xí)華文是要奠定學(xué)生的“文化根基”,而且也是“傳達(dá)價值觀”的管道。
我們不能假定說,學(xué)習(xí)某種語文就會吸收某種價值觀。我在學(xué)習(xí)德文之后,并未變得更加守時或整齊。學(xué)過意大利文或法文的朋友,不會突然變成鑒賞家或變得更浪漫。那些學(xué)日文的,做事就不見得會更有效率。
語文是傳達(dá)概念和思想的良好工具。至于價值觀的傳達(dá),孩童們還得依靠他們的父母和家人。然而,以本身的母語吸取知識或許可以加強(qiáng)自己的自信。
華文能力強(qiáng)的學(xué)生能夠很容易地吸收華族文化價值觀的精髓。但對大多數(shù)的國人來說,學(xué)習(xí)華文只是因為課程需要而已。他們?nèi)A文的造詣根本不足以讓他們真正體會華族文化。
第四、*允許一些學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)華文時只需及格。我想我們應(yīng)該檢討這個措施。我們可以這么說,那些在學(xué)習(xí)華文過程中不斷掙扎的學(xué)生,將不能夠完全掌握華文。
有人作出假設(shè)：不同的學(xué)生有不同的學(xué)習(xí)方式。有些學(xué)生傾向以語音學(xué)習(xí)語文,因此他們能夠很好地掌握以音節(jié)為主的語文如英文和德文,而面對華文時卻如臨大敵。另一方面,對記憶力很強(qiáng)的學(xué)生來說,學(xué)習(xí)華文應(yīng)該是輕而易舉的事。
為了防止這個只需及格的華文課程被淪為一個避重就輕的選擇,同時也為了國家的利益著想,我們應(yīng)該讓那些其他科目成績都很好,但只為了考試而苦修華文課程的學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)第三種語文。
這個語文可以是另一個“世界語文”如法文、西班牙文和德文,或者是我們東南亞鄰國的語文如馬來文、他加祿（菲律賓）文和泰文。
我們應(yīng)當(dāng)明白,世界上多數(shù)的人并不以英文或華文為母語。讓我們培養(yǎng)一批精通其他語文的新加坡人,充當(dāng)我們和世界其他地方之間的橋梁。把學(xué)習(xí)第三語文作為減輕學(xué)習(xí)華文壓力的對換條件,這是一個鼓勵學(xué)生掌握第三種語文的佳方法。