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Colonial Legacy and Language Priority

Posted by Teddy Nee on August 01, 2026

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My Learning Material

I have used many materials for language learning and I found out that I like Teach Yourself material more than others do. I like the way it is arranged from chapter to chapter. Learners will start by reading the general knowledge about the language, such as how popular it is. The alphabets, examples, conversation dialogues are well arranged. Learners can learn the vocabulary little by little from conversation dialogues and the corresponding grammar. Therefore, the focus of this learning material is the conversation. The learner can apply directly the conversation in real life situation. The conversations illustrate several real-life situations, such as checking bus schedules, ordering food in a restaurant, etc.

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.

The Beauty of Chinese Character

People who have studied Chinese must realize that Chinese character is not just a character, but it is also an art. Every stroke in the character forms a beautiful combination of a meaning. It is said that Chinese character evolves from time to time based on the actual object. Although I cannot say that it is 100% true, there are books about Chinese pictogram. For example, you can see below how "sun" and "moon" was written in the past and the evolution of it until nowadays. Characters 日 and 月, on far right, are the characters used today.

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.

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.

Chavacano language: The Spanish language of Asia

Chavacano is a Spanish-based Creole language spoken primarily in Zamboanga City and parts of the Philippines. Originating during the Spanish colonial era, it blends Spanish vocabulary with local Philippine languages like Tagalog and Cebuano. Approximately 70% of its lexicon comes from Spanish, yet it features unique grammatical structures. Chavacano is a vital cultural identifier for its speakers and is used in local media and education. Despite challenges from dominant languages like Tagalog and English, efforts to preserve and promote Chavacano continue, highlighting its importance in the Philippines' linguistic heritage. I had the chance to learn this beautiful language on a language-learning platform called Italki. My teacher was the only Chavacano teacher so I felt fortunate to have found her. I find this language easy to learn because I already know Spanish. Chavacano sounds like the Filipino version of the Spanish language.

Esperanto: Saluton!

I had heard and read about Esperanto before, but did not pay much attention to it until today, when I watched several videos about Esperanto. You may question what kind or which country's language Esperanto is. How important is this language for the society? How did everything begin? How many Esperanto speakers there are in this world? Can Esperanto be one of the major languages in the global business market like Chinese and English?

Gilbertese Language

Kiribati (Gilberts) Kiribati (or locally pronounced as "Gilberts") derives from the Gilbert Islands, which is the main island. The name of the Gilbert Islands in indigenous Gilbertese language is " Tungaru ". The Gilbert Islands was named after a British explorer , Thomas Gilbert, who was the first European to discover them. It is home to about 100,000 of I-Kiribati .

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.

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