In Chapter Three “Cultural roots – the Chinese language” we look at the Chinese language, its origin, development, structure and salient features that make it different from any other language in the world. The chapter looks at concept of  “word radical”, unique to the Chinese language. A short description of various calligraphic styles is then discussed, followed by a review of the Chinese pronunciation system, in particular [pinyin], complete with the four intonations. Issues such as association of words with sounds or meanings are discussed, followed by how the language overcomes constraints arising from the digital era. The pronunciation chart of all possible word sounds in Chinese is provided, with an example of each sound.

The chapter starts with a snapshot of the Chinese language origin as pictograms, presenting objects or ideas as "images" or "pictures". It then look into the structure of Chinese characters in terms of how words are formed through stroke combinations. Various types of strokes and their sequence in writing is discussed.

An important concept unique to Chinese language, the Chinese character radicals, forms the next part of the chapter. The radicals form part of the building block on which characters are formed. Different calligraphic styles in the Chinese language are then presented, followed by examples of Chinese fonts generated by modern day computers.

The pronunciation system, in terms of pinyin and zhuyin, complete with the intonations, forms the next part of discussion. A pronunciation chart of all possible word sounds in Chinese is provided, followed by a simple discourse of the Chinese grammar.

The chapter ends with looking at how new words are coined or developed from existing vocabulary, the chapter ends with a look development of the Chinese language in the fast changing digital world.