Keeping My Mandarin Alive: Lee Kuan Yew's Language Learning Experience

by Nanyang Technological University Singapore Chua Chee Lay (Editor), Chee Lay Chua

Learn Mandarin while you brush your teeth or shave? Read how Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew does it!A Prime Minister as an interpreter? Find out when and why MM Lee had to do it.For the first time, this towering figure of the island-state's politics gives a first-hand account of How he has learnt Mandarin over the last 50 years and kept it alive. He also tells When and Why he decided to learn the language, Where he got hold of the learning materials from, Whom he practises his Mandarin with and What spurs him on.MM Lee goes beyond these 5Ws and 1H in Keeping My Mandarin Alive, to share the agony of a mature Chinese language student and how he has overcome the difficulties -- he strove to learn Mandarin only at age 32 (from 1955) and Hokkien at age 38 (from 1961).The comprehensive package also details how the English-educated MM Lee has been relating Mandarin to his master language in an effort to grasp the former and unravels how the latest technology has helped him in his quest.Edited by Dr Chua Chee Lay, one of MM Lee's Chinese tutors, Keeping My Mandarin Alive a book detailing his lifelong pursuit peppered with interesting photographs and comments from his Chinese language tutors;a DVD-Rom featuring snippets of an exclusive interview with Lee Kuan Yew and a demo version of the software he has been using to learn Mandarin;samples of materials that Lee Kuan Yew has been using to pick up the language;a guide on what resources (Chinese software, useful websites and dictionaries, among others) one can tap on to learn Mandarin;

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2005

Reviews

[Allie Shen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It is not just learning the language. With the language goes the fables and proverbs. It is learning a whole value system, a whole philosophy of life, that can maintain the fabric of our society, in spite of exposure to all the current madness around the world.”

This is a humbling book about MM Lee’s tenacious attitude towards lifelong learning of his mother tongue and his motivations for doing so. He also offered interesting perspectives on the current paradigm of language-learning in Singapore.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful analysis of how multilingualism can be achieved at the personal level, and how leaders can help to encourage this behavior at the country level. Lee Kwan Yew is an excellent role model when it comes to learning living languages that are useful.

[John Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not just learning the language. With the language goes the fables and proverbs. It is learning a whole value system, a whole philosophy of life, that can maintain the fabric of our society, in spite of exposure to all the current madness around the world. For optimum performance, a man must know himself, know the world.

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful analysis of how multilingualism can be achieved at the personal level, and how leaders can help to encourage this behavior at the country level. Lee Kwan Yew is an excellent role model when it comes to learning living languages that are useful.

[Budi Kurniawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring lessons from a lifelong learner, Singapore MM Lee Kuan Yew.