If you can read the above, there’s a good chance you’re one of the many students taking Chinese this year.

  This is Broughton’s first year offering Chinese, the most widely spoken language in the world. Students in the language class have already learned their own Chinese names, classroom phrases, and how to pronounce different characters.

  “It has been great. The students seem enthusiastic,” Chinese teacher and native speaker, Margaret Lee said. “I’m impressed with the students’ attitudes and how they engage in class.”

  Chinese is a unique language. It has many different dialects, including Cantonese and Mandarin. Mandarin is only one writing system.  It is also the only local graphic language offered at Broughton, meaning that the characters tell you what they mean instead of how to pronounce them. Unlike Spanish, German, and French, Chinese is not a romance language.

  “This is the first language Broughton offers that doesn’t use the Latin alphabet,” Chinese student Matthew Nichols said.

  Nichols has good reason for taking this class.

  “I’m an aspiring linguist, so any education about language is beneficial to me,” Nichols said.

  But you don’t have to be a linguist-in-training to take this unique, new class.

  “People should take Chinese to learn another language that is very well-known.” Chinese student Sydney Gyurek said. “It is very interesting and not that hard.”

  According to Lee, the perceived difficulty of learning Chinese is what stops many students from studying it. However, she doesn’t think this should be a deciding factor.

  “Learning every language has its difficult parts; I’m still learning English everyday,” Lee said.

  Lee, like over 1.15 million others, speaks Chinese as her first language. With China being the third top destination for US exports, Lee’s bilingualism is valuable. In 2014, the US exported over $120 million worth of goods to China, and that number is only rising. Trade and its complexity are two reasons a Chinese course looks good on a resume. Lee understands this and knows that her students are on the path to success.

  “I appreciate students taking my class. It shows nothing can stop them; they can do anything,” said Lee.

  As the headline says, “Chinese is good!”