Elizabeth Tai

So I’m learning Mandarin

In language-learning circles, I’m considered a Mandarin “heritage speaker”.

Heritage speakers have “learned a language informally by being exposed to it at home as opposed to having learned it formally in a school setting.” (What is a Heritage Speaker?)

Technically, I don’t fit the label because my real heritage language (mother tongue) is Hokkien, an 8-tone Chinese language that is considered one of the oldest in China. And I learned Mandarin in a school setting!

Basically, I was thrown into Mandarin classes during my primary school years. But I was a terrible student who spent most of my time copying homework and doodling instead of paying attention to the teacher. 

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