Language is the bridge that connects people everywhere. On April 20, people around the world celebrated the United Nations Chinese Language Day. To mark the occasion, the UN Office at Geneva, Switzerland, organized the first Chinese Language Video Festival (CLVF).
Participants from 27 countries, including the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, took part in the one-hour special event, sharing their passion for the Chinese language and culture through short videos. Over 340 video submissions told touching stories about a civilized, modern and youthful China through participants' personal experiences in the country.
Though some people find the language difficult to learn, most find it to be rewarding.
For M. Yousaf from Pakistan, learning Chinese gave him a better perspective and insight into the culture. "Learning Chinese is not just learning a language. It's a language of one of the biggest populations in the world," Yousaf said. "If you know this language, you know the civilization and mind of the people. "
Of course the language itself is unique, particularly considering it's tonal (音调的) foundation. "Tones are important because a lot of Chinese syllables (音节) sound similar or even the same – the tone changes their meaning," said Mike Fuksman, an American living in Beijing.
To remember Chinese characters, you can connect them with pictures and make some short stories. Many people find it is important to use imagination when learning Chinese. For example, the Chinese character for "tea" has some lines of grass, the roof of a house and people drinking tea.
Learning any language comes with benefits, particularly for those who are always looking to learn more. Since some languages have "loanwords (外来词)" from Chinese, it may be easier for one to pick up Korean or Japanese after studying Chinese. "It helped me so much when I started learning Japanese," said Yerdana.
