Nearly 1 billion people speak Mandarin Chinese. But Short Wave host Emily Kwong is not among them. As a third generation Chinese American, Emily's heritage language was lost through the years when her father, Christopher Kwong, stopped speaking the language at a young age in order to adjust to life in the U.S. Now, at age 30, Emily's trying to reclaim Chinese by attending virtual Mandarin classes for the first time. In conversation with her father, Emily explores how being 'Chinese enough' gets tied up in language fluency, and how language is a bridge that can be broken and rebuilt between generations — as an act of love and reclamation. Check out more of the Where We Come From series here.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines — in just under 15 minutes. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. Join hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber for science on a different wavelength.If you're hooked, try Short Wave Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/shortwave
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Folge vom 20.06.2021'Where We Come From': Emily Kwong's Story
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Folge vom 18.06.2021We're Off For JuneteenthHey, Nerd! NPR takes Juneteenth off. We'll be back Sunday with a special episode from NPR's Where We Come From series. It focuses on Emily Kwong's relationship to her heritage language and journey to learn Mandarin as an adult.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Folge vom 17.06.2021#BlackBirdersWeek 2021: Celebrating The Joy Of Birds#BlackBirdersWeek emerged last year from a groundswell of support for Christian Cooper, a Black man and avid birder, who was harassed by a white woman while birding in Central Park. This year is all about celebrating Black joy. Co-organizer Deja Perkins talks about how the week went and why it's important to observe nature wherever you live.Send us your birding highlights! We're at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Folge vom 16.06.2021'I'm Willing To Fight For It': Learning A Second Language As An AdultBecoming fluent in a second language is difficult. But for adults, is it impossible? Short Wave hosts Maddie Sofia and Emily Kwong dissect the "critical period hypothesis," a theory which linguists have been debating for decades — with the help of Sarah Frances Phillips, a Ph.D. student in the linguistics department at New York University. You can watch a related video about Emily learning Mandarin here. It's part of the Where We Come From series.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy