华文学习的“难”与“易”

The writer noted that some students were finding it difficult to learn the Chinese language, and questioned what it meant to define a language as being ‘easy’ or 'difficult' to learn. She opined that there were two ways to look at it – one, the language itself; and two, the learner’s background and his/her learning environment. Using English as comparison, the writer said the Chinese language was thought to be difficult because English, being the common language used by most, was perceived as being easier. On the second point, Zeng said many people would find Chinese more difficult to learn because they did not take enough time to understand the language better. The writer also opined about how some parents were placing emphasis on English rather than Chinese, and how it affected the way students view the latter. The writer concluded by saying that no language in the world was easy to learn, but neither was it difficult, as long as we have the right learning attitude. 

Source: Lianhe Zaobao © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.