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The Importance of Heritage Language for Chinese Indonesians

Posted by Teddy Nee on February 01, 2026

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Meeting Chabacano and Esperanto friends in the Philippines

Posted by Teddy Nee on January 15, 2026

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Learning Languages from Different Writing Systems

Posted by Teddy Nee on January 01, 2026

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9 Multilingual News Websites For Reading Practice

Learners learn languages in many different ways, such as attending language classes, playing games, or listening to audio. Whatever the methods are, they usually cover four aspects of language learning: reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Mastering only one or two of these is not enough because, in reality, we read, listen, speak, and write.

6 Local Writing Systems in Indonesia

Indonesia is a vast country in Southeast Asia that anyone can recognize easily on the map because it borders the sea, thus its country border is also the sea border. Hundreds of ethnic groups and languages exist in Indonesia. Despite having numerous writing systems, the government recognizes the Latin alphabet as the official writing system, which was introduced during the colonization by the Europeans.

5 Famous Polyglots and Their Learning Techniques

You may have watched videos of people speaking in multiple languages. Some of them even call themselves hyperpolyglots. Whether they really can speak fluently or not, we don't know unless we test them. However, here I shall present 5 renowned polyglots that have been on the news, in the community worldwide and have proved their exceptional linguistic capabilities.

I speak 4 languages in Penang Malaysia and I shall learn 1 more language

I spoke 4 languages: Hokkien, Indonesian, English, and Mandarin on my recent trip to Penang. There was no communication barrier since the Penangnites are mostly multilingual too, at least, they know a bit of each language. They are also familiar with the Indonesian language because of the many tourists from Indonesia, either for tourism or medical checkups. I had learnt Tamil before but it was not enough for me to have a conversation yet. I will learn Tamil more seriously from now on, so I can use it on my next trip to Penang.

The Importance of Heritage Language for Chinese Indonesians

Knowing their heritage language is very important for Chinese Indonesians. These languages, like Hokkien, Hakka, and Cantonese, connect people to their culture and history. Heritage languages carry traditions, stories, and values that have been passed down for generations. When Chinese Indonesians speak their heritage language, they keep their culture alive. This helps younger generations understand their roots and feel proud of their identity. Once their native language is not Chinese, they tend to think differently from the Chinese. For many families, speaking a heritage language is a way to connect with older relatives. It allows children to communicate with grandparents and learn about family history. This strengthens family ties and creates a sense of belonging. The society in which they live frequently causes the younger generations to have a linguistic and even religious divide with their elders. Knowing a heritage language can open doors in business and social settings. Many bu...

Penang Hokkien language: The sister language of my native language

With John Ong from the Penang Hokkien Podcast 庇能福建 Penang Hokkien is a unique dialect spoken primarily in Penang, Malaysia. It's a vibrant blend of Hokkien, a Chinese language, with strong influences from Malay, English, and other local languages. Like many other dialects, Penang Hokkien faces the challenge of declining use among younger generations who increasingly favor Mandarin and English. As a Medan Hokkien person, I understand Penang Hokkien almost without effort. Medan Hokkien and Penang Hokkien share a common root in the Hokkien language, originating from Fujian, China. Both dialects exhibit significant influence from the surrounding languages, like Dutch and Indonesian in Medan, and English and Malay in Penang.

Nauruan Language

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a two-day event promoting the Asia-Pacific culture in the capital city of Taiwan, Taipei City, on September 28-29th. The participants come from the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Vietnam, Tuvalu, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, Palau, Nauru, Malaysia, Kiribati, Japan, Indonesia, India, Fiji, and Brunei. Apart from performing dances from each country, the participants also displayed a wide variety of handicrafts and artworks as well as authentic cuisine at each country's booth.

Teochew language: A Chinese language gone overseas

Teochew, also known as Chaozhou or Teochiu, is a Southern Chinese dialect belonging to the Min language group. Predominantly spoken in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province, as well as by overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Despite the increasing dominance of Mandarin in China and among the Chinese diaspora, efforts are being made to preserve and promote Teochew. Community organizations, cultural events, and language classes help keep the dialect alive among younger generations. Additionally, social media and digital platforms are being utilized to share Teochew culture and language with a broader audience. As a Hokkien speaker, I understand quite a lot of Teochew since Teochew and Hokkien still belong to the same language group. The most noticeable difference is the tones whereas the vocabulary and grammar are similar.

A unique group of Chinese Indonesian: Why are they still able to converse fluently in Hokkien after most areas have been "Indonesianized"?

Before visiting Medan, Indonesia, like many non-Indonesians who have never visited Medan, I thought that the local Chinese were highly Indonesianized, just like other parts of Indonesia such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung. Therefore, when I visited Medan for the first time in 2009, I was deeply surprised by the fact that most of the local Chinese, including children, speak fluent Hokkien, as Hokkien is also my father's native dialect.

Why Chinese Languages Are Called "Dialects" and Why It's Wrong

When people talk about Chinese languages, they often call them "dialects." On the other hand, when discussing European languages like French, German, and Italian, these are recognized as separate languages. But categorizing Chinese languages as "dialects" is misleading and doesn’t make sense. The Chinese language family is diverse. This family includes Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, and many other languages. Their differences can be as distant as the differences between English and German. For example, a person who speaks Mandarin will not automatically understand Cantonese, just like an English speaker cannot understand German. This shows that these are separate languages, not just "dialects" of one language. So why are they called "dialects"? Part of the reason is political and historical. The Chinese government promotes Mandarin as the national language to unify the country. Calling the other Chinese languages "dialects"...

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