Journey of 3 british languages
Right now, I can speak four languages: English and three Chinese dialects—Cantonese, Mandarin, and Hakka. I feel this is really good. I think that if I were to learn other languages, I would focus on ones I could actually use. Because I don’t like going abroad, the languages I would learn would be especially Welsh, Cornish, or British Sign Language. Why is that?
I want to learn sign language because my mum wants to learn it. I’m really happy that my mum will learn it. She has wanted to learn for several years, so if we could learn together, I think it would make me really happy.
Which language will I learn first?
If I have the chance to learn all three languages, I would choose to learn either sign language or Cornish first. Why? Because sign language is very useful, but Cornish has much less material you can use to learn the language. Also, I feel learning Cornish would be really good if there are many opportunities to go to Cornwall.
I think it’s very convenient because the people in my household, especially my mum and dad, really like going there, because the place is very beautiful, and there are lots of things you can do. It’s really great!
My favourite place in Cornwall is definitely St Ives. This place has beautiful beaches and really nice cafés. It’s a great place you can explore. But Cornwall has many other places that are also beautiful. Another special place is Land’s End, which is unique because it’s the southernmost point in the UK, but it’s also very pretty.
I think learning sign language is very useful, especially if you have deaf friends. Others would like the fact that someone wants to understand their language and culture, which is great! The most difficult thing is that many deaf people think few people have time to learn sign language, because compared with other languages, it’s not considered that important, which is a shame.
But the best thing is that my mum wants to learn British Sign Language, because she has wanted to learn it for a long time. If I have the chance, I will learn together with her, maybe attending classes or using apps, etc.
So, my last three languages that I want to look into are French, British Sign Language, and Welsh.
I plan to learn a total of six languages. Why six? Because I feel learning more than six languages would be too difficult, especially to maintain them all—it would take too much time. I don’t want to learn too many foreign languages because I don’t like travelling too much, so learning those languages wouldn’t be useful.
I think learning British Sign Language is very hard because it’s so different from other languages I’ve studied—it uses your hands instead of your voice, so it’s very different. It’s best because I will understand more about deaf culture, so I can help people understand and gain more knowledge: Deaf people are human as well, and not less then for being deaf.
I learned French in secondary school, and I liked it a lot before, so I want to continue learning it. I think learning it will be fine, because I have already studied three other languages (Chinese dialects), which were relatively difficult.
I know of a person named Kerstin: she is multilingual and is learning Welsh. Her Welsh level is around B2–C1, which is very impressive. She really likes learning this language, which encourages me to learn Welsh too.
ChatGPT did this for me:
Sign language has its own culture, so if I learn it, I will learn that knowledge. I feel that many people have the misconception that hearing people can’t help deaf people, because they aren’t interested in learning sign language and think deaf people are strange, and don’t want to support them. But I think that’s wrong, so I will learn British Sign Language, and that’s a very good reason.
Because my voice isn’t good—it hasn’t been good for a long time—I will start learning sign language soon (next Monday, May 24). I have bought a textbook called BSL Teach Yourself. I’m really looking forward to starting.
Summary:
In conclusion, I feel that learning languages is a really great hobby, especially the next step in my language learning: learning British Sign Language, French, and Welsh. That’s great!
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