Time out with Alan--A Girl from Shangxi

     A most often asked question during my sharing sessions with students is “How do you suggest we could improve our English?”

      Let me tell you a story.

      About six years ago, when still the Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, I led a delegation to visit Beijing .  As part of the itinerary, we were taken to the Faculty of Law of Beijing University to meet some students.  There were about 60 to receive us.  After we had been seated, I broke the ice by introducing members on the delegation and explaining the purpose of our visit.  That was reciprocated by a law professor who gave us a brief but succinct account of the history of the Faculty and most updated information about legal learning in the Mainland.  These were all done in Putonghua.

     About 20 minutes into the dialogue, a girl started to speak.  And, she spoke in English.  I cannot now recall exactly what the topic was, but was then most impressed by her fluency and articulation.  But for her very heavy American accent, which I have yet to appreciate, her English was certainly much better than an average university student in Hong Kong .

     While I was wondering whether she had been brought up in the States, an hour passed quickly and the meeting ended.  I could not help but went up to this girl and asked, “If you don’t mind, if I may ask from where you have learnt your English?  I bet you must have spent a long time in the States.”  Her answer bewildered me.  “No.  I have never left China.” she said.  So I was wrong.  If not a returnee from abroad, then she must have been educated in Shanghai , Beijing or one of the coastal cities.  So I thought to myself.

      “Which part of the country are you from?” I wanted to find out.  Her next answer bewildered me even further.  “I am from the mountains of Shanxi ”.  I was taken aback.  Shanxi is one of the poorer and more backward provinces of China .  If she was from the mountainous regions, then I did not expect education facilities to be particularly good.  I was determined to find out more.

      I continued to ask, “I do not expect the English learning facilities back home to be good.  Do you mind telling me how you have acquired for yourself such a good command of the language?”

      Her answer is most inspiring.

If you want to read about it, make sure you come back to this column next week.  If you want to venture your guess, then e-mail me at chat_with_alan@hotmail.com or leave a message on www.alanleong.com or my Facebook.

Alan Leong

29 September 2008