Fluency in Chinese may mean more opportunities in Canada as more parents, students and educators recognize China's emergence, and their interest in studying the Chinese language increased.

The mushrooming of interest is not only among Chinese Canadians, but people with different ethnic backgrounds, said language experts.

In Hamilton, almost 200 students with different ethnic and professional backgrounds were the first students of the Confucius Institute at McMaster University starting June, 2009.

Margherita Cina, who brought the first gold medal for Team Canada in last year's World Wushu Championship, is one of them. After almost one-year study, she and her classmates have learned several hundred Chinese characters through learning Pinyin -- the Chinese phonetic alphabet.

"I have been exposed to Chinese culture for a long time. I like Chinese culture and this is the main reason I am learning Chinese, " Cina told Xinhua in her halting yet understandable Mandarin.

"The number of registered students is much more than we expected,"Dr. Min Cheng, the Director of the Institute told Xinhua. The institute is dedicated to promoting Chinese culture and language.

Hang on to home language

Interest in retaining the Chinese language is growing among Chinese-Canadians. In some messages posted online, parents share their personal experiences and lessons, and even upload Chinese language materials such as old Chinese poetries or children's rhymes and songs for others to download.

"More and more Chinese parents come to me asking how to help their kids keep their home language while at the same time (not falling behind) in their English studies," said Terry Kelly in a phone interview with Xinhua. Kelly is an early literacy specialist with Ontario Early Years and Family Day Care Services.

Kelly has led workshops on how to retain home languages over the last eight years. She says she has known some parents who feared that introducing a second language to their children would hurt the children's ability to speak fluent English. But now things are changing, Kelly says, adding parents have realized importance of children retaining their mother tongue.

One reason for this increasing interest in language retention is research into how a second language can provide extra stimulation to infants' brains. Research shows kids can start learning more than one language before they are even a year old. And that "cognitive advantage" translates into benefits well beyond language in later life, scientists say. "There is more than one reason for the Chinese Canadians to hang on to the first language. Language is the gateway for the kids to strengthen their ties with their families, their roots and culture. And a second language also provides a different perspective on things," said Kelly.

Potential financial gains

Kelly stressed that the second language can bring huge economic benefits, since the more languages that workers can speak, the more opportunities they will find down the road.

Her words are echoed by Paul Yeung, a communications specialist at Royal Bank of Canada. As a Chinese descendant himself, although he can't speak Mandarin, he sent his two-year old daughter to learn Chinese.

"China's economy is booming now and the economic growth is faster than any country in the world. To master the Chinese language, it means opening more job opportunities. I want my daughter to be able to read and write Chinese."

Nonetheless, not only Chinese descendants but also Canadians from other ethnic backgrounds realized the enormous benefits that will flow from learning Chinese, as China's importance in the world grows due to its rising political and economic power.

Many parents foresee the opportunities and are encouraging their children to learn Chinese. They send their children to Mandarin schools on the weekend or hire tutors teaching Mandarin at home.

Going beyond language study:essence of Confucius harmony

This interest in Chinese among Canadian high school students will hopefully mean more of them going on to study at places like Hamilton's Confucius Institute when they are at university. The Institute is located on the seventh floor of McMaster University' s Facult of Humanities -- the same floor as the Department of Greek Literature.

Dr. Suzanne Crosta, Dean of Humanities, explained the special arrangement to Xinhua, saying: "Chinese and Greek culture ( together represent) the origins of (much of) human civilization. The reason that we position them in the same floor is (that they together represent the) essence of Eastern culture and Western culture."

"The main idea of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius is harmony. While today China is becoming a leader in many areas of human endeavor, Chinese culture continues to value harmony and never forces others to accept its ideas. Instead, China continues to learn from the strengths of other cultures," said Dr. Angela Sheng, the director of Confucius Institute.

(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2010)