[EDLING:911] Foreign brides get language boost

[Francis M Hult]

Taipei Times

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/07/23/2003264659

Foreign brides get language boost

By Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER 
Saturday, Jul 23, 2005

Vietnamese bride Mei-feng married her husband about a year ago, with no knowledge about 
the culture, history or languages of Taiwan. Thanks to her husband's support, however, she 
started to learn Chinese two months ago and already she can communicate in simple 
sentences and write basic Chinese characters.

In an effort to improve the Chinese skills of the 126,361 foreign spouses in Taiwan like 
Mei-feng, the Ministry of Education (MOE) invited language teachers and linguists to 
design a Chinese-learning curriculum aimed at foreign spouses.

After publishing the basic-level curriculum last year, the MOE yesterday announced the 
publication of an advanced-level reading primer for those who have finished the basic 
course to further increase their vocabulary and communication skills.

Addressing a press conference at the new curriculum's launch, Vice-Minister of Education 
Fan Sun-lu (­S´Sºñ) said that the ministry hopes to take good care of foreign spouses and 
their families through the promotion of education and Taiwanese culture.

"New immigrants in Taiwan are reshaping the culture in Taiwan. It is the ministry's 
responsibility, therefore, to help foreign spouses understand Taiwan better and learn to 
speak our language through education, so that they can blend in smoothly," Fan said.

Huang Fu-shun (¶À´I¶¶), curriculum designer and education professor at National Chung 
Cheng University, said that while the design of Chinese textbooks for Taiwanese students 
are based on the level of difficulty, Chinese characters chosen in the reading primers for 
foreign spouses are all of commonly used words and everyday expressions.

"Chinese characters such as `the restroom' (¿d¬~«Ç), for example, are considered difficult 
to write and would be put in fifth or six-grade textbooks. However, we chose the term as 
one of the 400 basic vocabulary items in the textbooks, because it is a common term used 
everywhere," Huang said.

According to Huang, the advanced-level curriculum consists of three textbooks covering 
introductions to the society, geography and cultural aspects in Taiwan.

The textbooks provide practical pieces -- including examples of conversations, press 
releases and a diary -- for students to practice different styles of writing. Huang said 
that after learning the total vocabulary of 1,011 words in the textbooks, students will be 
able to read pamphlets and simple articles with no difficulty.

An Keng Elementary School teacher Lin Hsiu-er (ªL¨q®Z), who teaches Chinese to Mei-feng 
and many other foreign spouses in evening classes, shared her teaching experience.

"My students come from various countries, so the most difficult part is for us to 
understand each other. But I find it rewarding to teach foreign spouses, because in 
addition to learning the language, we also learn about their different cultures and 
customs," Lin said.

Thanks to the systematic new curriculum, Lin said, it is easier for students to learn 
Chinese phonetic symbols. Students' Chinese vocabulary and language skills would be the 
same as those of third or fourth graders after approximately two years of study, she said.

Mei-feng goes to Chinese classes every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evening from 6pm to 
8pm. She said that learning Chinese is hard yet interesting. With the ambition to finish 
all the classes with teacher Lin, Mei-feng said she sees the class as a good way to get to 
understand the history, culture and people of Taiwan, and she encourages more foreign 
spouses to join her to enjoy the language-learning experience.