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Changfeng works to spread Shanghai dialect
Print Edition
CHANGFENG Neighborhood in Putuo District developed a free Shanghai dialect summer course for children in the community to help preserve the local language.
The program was created three years ago by the community and the School of Public Administration at East China Normal University. Some residents and students have volunteered some of their summer time to teach children the local dialect.
Zhang Yongping’s 10-year-old son, Xie Sheng, participated in the program last summer. They learned about the course when the neighborhood committee called to inform them.
“I think as a Shanghainese. It’s his mother tongue, but he doesn’t speak it well,” said Zhang, Xie’s mother.
Xie’s father is Shanghainese but his mother is not.
“I heard my son speaking some simple Shanghai dialect after the classes,” Zhang said.
While the course only takes place in summer, the students have been encouraged to use Shanghai dialect on a regular basis so they will not forget it.
“He sometimes speaks it at home with his father and me,” his mother said. “He’s very willing to learn.”
The grade four student at Jinshajiang Road Primary School doesn’t have the chance to learn and speak Shanghai dialect at school.
“The teacher (at the summer course) taught us what they learned while they were young, and we answered the questions they asked,” Xie said.
There are 40 to 50 students in each class. Since the program started, 23 classes with more than 900 students have taken part. The course also teaches students about the city’s culture.
Wang Hong is a resident at the community who volunteered to teach a class last summer.
“I like participating in community events. I think a lot of the children in the community cannot speak Shanghai dialect well,” Wang said. “I heard about this great program with East China Normal University, so I signed up as a teacher.”
As a Shanghainese, he thinks it’s important to pass the language on to the next generation.
“They also have very good teaching materials for children new to Shanghai, as well as those who are local,” Wang said. “From the perspective of language and cultural awareness, it helps bring everyone together,” Wang said.
The course focuses on useful expressions and teaches by playing games with students. They learn about numbers, plants, animals, transportation, geography, history, important festivals, as well as children’s songs and chants.
With more interactive activities and an engaging course plan, the children can learn the dialect in fun ways that allow them to use the language better.
“It’s important to practice the language, the students are interested in learning with the goal of learning it well,” Wang said. “In class we teach them what to say while playing games, which makes it easier for them to remember.”
According to a survey, only 60 percent of elementary and secondary school students who were born in Shanghai can speak the dialect.
People from other provinces and regions who have settled in the city also would like their children to learn the local dialect and blend in better.
The dialect is valuable both linguistically and culturally. With a unique heritage value, it is crucial for helping young children learn about Shanghainese culture and foster a love of their hometown, according to the program organizer.
Shanghai has been taking measures to expand the use of the local dialect, like introducing textbooks to primary schools, games and songs to kindergartens, and announcements in the dialect on some buses and more.
While it’s more complicated for schools across Shanghai to introduce compulsory course in Shanghai dialect, the community has the advantage of developing short-term programs tailored to the needs of residents.
The Changfeng community now plans to make teaching DVDs and CDs and introduce them to primary schools, work with schools in the area to design Shanghai dialect courses, find more experts and teachers, as well as plan various events and competitions that will help young children learn and use the language.
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