"The whole world is learning Chinese, Confucius's words are spreading internationally, The whole world is speaking Chinese, Our language makes the world listen up."
Pop music isn't often a source of academic enlightenment, but one could gain a valuable lesson in international relations from a Taiwanese girl group.
S.H.E.'s latest single, "Zhong Guo Hua (Chinese Language)," celebrates the growing popularity of Mandarin Chinese, the most widely-spoken native language in the world.
China's rise on the world stage, in part due to its booming economy and the upcoming Beijing Olympics, has captivated students across the globe. The University has responded to demand with more language classes and a new department of East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
According to East Asian Studies Prof. Shu-Chen Chen, the number of students enrolled in Chinese 101 increased from 94 to 110 in the past year.
"Chinese looks good on a resume," Chen said. "But some students are truly interested in the culture, not just for economic reasons."
It seems they would have to be: with classes held Monday through Friday, learning the language is time-consuming. But students who put in the time reap the rewards, according to Chen.
"In Chinese 101 and 102, you learn two-thirds of the grammar," she said. "In Chinese 201, you learn the other one-third. The rest is memorizing phrases. If you have a good two-year foundation, you should be able to become a lifelong learner."
In the first year of Chinese, only the strong survive: more than half of those enrolled do not return for 201.
"How many years have we practiced English pronunciation and grammar?
Now it is their turn to tie their tongues in a knot."
In French, a language is "une langue." In Spanish, it is "una lengua." In Mandarin Chinese, it is "yu." Unlike the Romance languages, there is no safety in cognates in Chinese.
Then there are the tones. Depending on context and the speaker's inflection, "yu" could mean rain, useless, happy or armadillo. Chen uses "ma" as an example in class: If you aren't careful, you could be calling your mother a horse.
But for many students, tones are minor troubles. The real difficulty is in the writing. Chinese is a non-alphabetical language and each word is represented by a distinct, ornately-drawn character. It is said in order to read a newspaper, one must memorize at least 3,000 characters.
Third-year Curry student Carla Halle is enrolled in Chinese 101. She meets with a study group every day to practice the week's lesson, about 40 new characters and two dialogues.
"I study two to three hours a day," she said. "I don't think it's enough."
Halle's decision to study Chinese was influenced by her predominantly Chinese high school and a summer abroad. She hopes to use the language in education -- "if I get good enough." Other students enrolled on a whim.
Fourth-year College student Ryan McElveen wanted to "do something different."
"I wanted to branch out from what's normal in American secondary education," he said.
McElveen has also studied Korean and Spanish, though Chinese seems to be an area of particular interest.
"I think students should take any language that they're interested in, but I would advise them to take Chinese," he said. "It's a fun language. You can be artistic."
It seems that many share his enthusiasm: In a 2007 survey regarding the University's curriculum, nearly 40 percent of students surveyed indicated an interest in learning Chinese.
McElveen has expanded his study of Chinese outside of the classroom, spending two summers with U.Va. in Shanghai and conducting research in China. He also occasionally takes part in Chinese Corner, a weekly meet-and-greet for Chinese- and English-speaking students. Though he doesn't yet know how he will use his language skills, he said he expects to do graduate work in Asian Studies.
"People of every skin color,
People of every hair color,
What they read and what they speak,
Chinese is the new trend."
Thursday nights on the Lawn, under the bronzed gaze of Homer, students try desperately to understand one another.
College Graduate student Yize Li is one of the patient ones. She gamely answers students' queries with textbook-approved responses.
"This weekend, do you want to watch a movie?"
"I think movies are not interesting. I prefer to dance and eat Chinese food."
The philosophy of Chinese Corner is that the classroom can only take you so far. Fluency comes from interaction with native speakers.
Yize Li learned English as a middle-school student in China.
"We learned with reading and writing rather than listening and speaking," she said. "I knew a lot of English words, but I couldn't express myself well."
At the University, students learn to communicate through daily conversation, in addition to reading and writing.
"Students are learning much quicker than I thought," she said. "People think it's harder to learn Chinese than English, but it seems like everyone is working very hard."
There is more to Chinese Corner than test preparation. Some students opt to be paired with a language partner and others meet new friends at the weekly sessions.
Engineering Graduate student Jiguang Li volunteers his time as a language partner.
"Both of us benefit," he said. "I learn English, he practices Chinese with me."
Speaking Chinese is an asset for anyone hoping to enter the world of business, Jiguang Li said. About 40 percent of consumer products imported to the United States last year were manufactured in China, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"I feel proud," Jiguang Li said. "I am very glad to see so many people learning Chinese."
And the benefits of Chinese Corner go beyond the practical. To Jiguang Li's amusement, his language partner is now hooked on Chinese soap operas.
"So smart the Chinese people are,
So beautiful the Chinese language."
This isn't the first time a language has come into vogue. In the Cold War era, students scrambled to learn Russian. Only a few decades later, Arabic and Chinese are gaining momentum as the Russian language lags. Is the popularity of Chinese sustainable?
Experts disagree as to whether China will become a global power or experience economic collapse. But if you ask Chen, there is a worthier reason for the study of languages.
"You get to know your own culture better," she said. "You become more understanding, more accepting and you learn that differences aren't so great after all. It's good for the harmony of the world."
And that's a message any pop music fan could appreciate.
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