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Professor Jonathan Spence on
Learning Chinese
Compiled
by Bryan K. Beaudoin
Dr. Jonathan D. Spence, Yale University
Sterling Professor of History
[史景遷：耶魯大學歷史系史特林講座教授]
At Academia Sinica the ICLP Bulletin asked Professor Spence how he learned Chinese.
Everyone entering
either graduate school or undergraduate comes from some different
level. I didn’t grow up with
it. The huge difference I see now is
that I have many students who are closer to bilingual, and who have lived
in China or Taiwan for a year or longer.
The dream would be to be totally at home in Chinese and other
languages, not necessarily English.
We have students for whom Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese are very
important, but so of course increasingly so are Manchu, Tibetan Mongol, and
Russian. Any of these might be the
best language for a given problem, keeping China in mind as the central focus.
I came to Chinese late, and now I
recall too late. I was about
twenty-three before I looked at any Chinese character, and I wish it had
been much earlier. (continue)
Dr. Spence with ICLP students Jessica Hanser and Bryan Beaudoin
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ICLP
Students Enjoy New NTU Dorm
Benjamin Rasmus, on assignment
As of mid-February
ICLP students can now live in a National Taiwan University student
dormitory. Construction of the Prince House (太子學舍) was just completed and
ICLP is
excited to offer students a new housing option.
The rent is 7100 NTD a month for a single room and includes
water. The room comes equipped with
basic amenities such as a bed, desk, shelving, air-conditioner and personal
bathroom. The complex is not restricted to use by foreign student. ICLP has been allotted 60 rooms in total, 30 each
in the
male and female buildings.
“This new dorm now solves students’ previous living
problems,” said Chen Li-Yuan (陳立元), ICLP
Administrative Director.
“It’s an affordable, new and great option.”
Two ICLP students, Kara Hill (丘凱瑞) and Christina Napolez (聶綺麗) already seized the
opportunity and moved into their new home in mid-February. Both Hill and Napolez
moved into the dormitory out of frustration with their previous living arrangements
and for the
chance to live in a brand new facility.
“This place is so much better than my previous
apartment,” said Napolez, “It’s really modern,
comfortable and way quieter than other places in Taipei. Noise free, a
great place to live and study.”
(continue)
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