Let's talk about the language in Taiwan.
Taiwanese language: history
Hokkien, a Southern Min language, is spoken by the Hoklo people in Fujian Province, Southern China, particularly in the Minan (South Min) region. This coastal area, encompassing cities like Xiamen, Quanzhou, and Zhangzhou, has a linguistic history dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 AD), suggesting that Hokkien diverged from Chinese during that period. The geographical isolation from northern regions throughout history contributed to the distinctiveness of Hokkien compared to Northern Chinese dialects.
Historically, Fujian was a hub for trade and migration, and many Taiwanese people can trace their roots to this region. The migration of fishermen from Fujian to Taiwan, starting around 400 years ago and intensifying during the Qing Dynasty, brought the Hokkien language to the island. Additionally, Hokkien became the prevalent form of Chinese spoken in various Southeast Asian countries due to migration patterns.
During Japan's colonial rule of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, the Taiwanese language was discouraged in favor of Japanese as the official language for governance and education. Following the Kuomintang's (KMT) retreat to Taiwan in 1949, Mandarin was established as the official language, and policies aimed at suppressing Taiwanese persisted, with public use of the language banned and violations punished with penalties, beatings, and public humiliation.
The lifting of Martial Law in Taiwan in 1987 marked a turning point, leading to a revival of the Taiwanese language, particularly in the 1990s. The momentum increased in 2000 when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the election, promoting the localization of Taiwanese culture, including its indigenous languages, for eight years under Chen Shui-bian's leadership. This period fostered a stronger sense of national identity distinct from China, and Taiwanese language classes were incorporated into elementary school curricula.
Historically, Fujian was a hub for trade and migration, and many Taiwanese people can trace their roots to this region. The migration of fishermen from Fujian to Taiwan, starting around 400 years ago and intensifying during the Qing Dynasty, brought the Hokkien language to the island. Additionally, Hokkien became the prevalent form of Chinese spoken in various Southeast Asian countries due to migration patterns.
During Japan's colonial rule of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, the Taiwanese language was discouraged in favor of Japanese as the official language for governance and education. Following the Kuomintang's (KMT) retreat to Taiwan in 1949, Mandarin was established as the official language, and policies aimed at suppressing Taiwanese persisted, with public use of the language banned and violations punished with penalties, beatings, and public humiliation.
The lifting of Martial Law in Taiwan in 1987 marked a turning point, leading to a revival of the Taiwanese language, particularly in the 1990s. The momentum increased in 2000 when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the election, promoting the localization of Taiwanese culture, including its indigenous languages, for eight years under Chen Shui-bian's leadership. This period fostered a stronger sense of national identity distinct from China, and Taiwanese language classes were incorporated into elementary school curricula.
Is Taiwanese a language?
Taiwanese Hokkien, also referred to as Taigi, Taigu, or simply Taiwanese, is a variant of the Hokkien language spoken by over 70 percent of Taiwan's population. This language is commonly used among Taiwanese individuals whose ancestors hailed from southern Fujian, specifically the Hoklo immigrants. It holds the status of being one of the national languages of Taiwan.
Linguistically, Taiwanese bears similarities to spoken Amoy Hokkien, Quanzhou Hokkien, and Zhangzhou Hokkien, as well as their respective dialectal forms found in Southeast Asia, including Singaporean Hokkien, Penang Hokkien, Philippine Hokkien, Medan Hokkien, and Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien. Taiwanese Hokkien exhibits mutual intelligibility with Amoy Hokkien and Zhangzhou Hokkien, particularly in the region near the Jiulong River's mouth in mainland China. Additionally, it shares mutual intelligibility with Philippine Hokkien to the south, spoken collectively by approximately 3 million people.
The widespread popularity of Hokkien entertainment media from Taiwan, particularly since the 1980s, has contributed significantly to the prominence of the Taiwanese variety of Hokkien.
Linguistically, Taiwanese bears similarities to spoken Amoy Hokkien, Quanzhou Hokkien, and Zhangzhou Hokkien, as well as their respective dialectal forms found in Southeast Asia, including Singaporean Hokkien, Penang Hokkien, Philippine Hokkien, Medan Hokkien, and Southern Peninsular Malaysian Hokkien. Taiwanese Hokkien exhibits mutual intelligibility with Amoy Hokkien and Zhangzhou Hokkien, particularly in the region near the Jiulong River's mouth in mainland China. Additionally, it shares mutual intelligibility with Philippine Hokkien to the south, spoken collectively by approximately 3 million people.
The widespread popularity of Hokkien entertainment media from Taiwan, particularly since the 1980s, has contributed significantly to the prominence of the Taiwanese variety of Hokkien.
What language is spoken in Taiwan?
Taiwan is intriguing for its diverse linguistic landscape, encompassing four official languages. These include Taiwanese, Mandarin, Hakka, and the Formosan languages as a collective linguistic heritage.
Taiwan sign language
Taiwan Sign Language (TSL) is the primary sign language used by the deaf and hard of hearing community in Taiwan, with its roots tracing back to 1895.
The inception of Taiwan Sign Language can be linked to the period of Japanese rule, where it evolved from Japanese Sign Language and is considered part of the Japanese Sign Language family. TSL exhibits some degree of mutual intelligibility with both Japanese Sign Language and Korean Sign Language, boasting a lexical similarity of approximately 60% with JSL.
There are two prominent dialects of TSL associated with major sign language schools in Taiwan, one in Taipei and the other in Tainan City. While there is a variant in Taichung, it essentially mirrors the Tainan school's sign language.
Following Taiwan's return to the Republic of China (ROC), TSL underwent influences from Chinese Sign Language due to an influx of users from mainland China. This influence manifested through teaching methods and the incorporation of loanwords.
Linguistic research on TSL gained momentum in the 1970s and continues to the present day. The inaugural International Symposium on Taiwan Sign Language Linguistics took place on March 1–2, 2003, at National Chung Cheng University in Minxiong, Chiayi, Taiwan.
TSL, like other sign languages, employs nonmanual markers with various functions, including lexical, syntactic, discourse, and affective aspects. These markers involve actions such as brow raising and furrowing, frowning, head shaking and nodding, as well as leaning and shifting the torso.
The inception of Taiwan Sign Language can be linked to the period of Japanese rule, where it evolved from Japanese Sign Language and is considered part of the Japanese Sign Language family. TSL exhibits some degree of mutual intelligibility with both Japanese Sign Language and Korean Sign Language, boasting a lexical similarity of approximately 60% with JSL.
There are two prominent dialects of TSL associated with major sign language schools in Taiwan, one in Taipei and the other in Tainan City. While there is a variant in Taichung, it essentially mirrors the Tainan school's sign language.
Following Taiwan's return to the Republic of China (ROC), TSL underwent influences from Chinese Sign Language due to an influx of users from mainland China. This influence manifested through teaching methods and the incorporation of loanwords.
Linguistic research on TSL gained momentum in the 1970s and continues to the present day. The inaugural International Symposium on Taiwan Sign Language Linguistics took place on March 1–2, 2003, at National Chung Cheng University in Minxiong, Chiayi, Taiwan.
TSL, like other sign languages, employs nonmanual markers with various functions, including lexical, syntactic, discourse, and affective aspects. These markers involve actions such as brow raising and furrowing, frowning, head shaking and nodding, as well as leaning and shifting the torso.
Taiwan indigenous language
The Formosan languages represent a geographic grouping encompassing the indigenous languages spoken by the people of Taiwan. These languages, all belonging to the Austronesian family, are not unified into a single subfamily but rather comprise up to nine distinct primary subfamilies. Despite the recognition of Taiwanese indigenous peoples by the government, constituting approximately 2.3% of the island's population, only 35% of them speak their ancestral languages, a result of centuries of language shift. Among the approximately 26 languages spoken by these indigenous groups, at least ten are already extinct, and another four (possibly five) are in a moribund state, with all others facing varying degrees of endangerment.
The historical linguistics of Taiwan's aboriginal languages hold considerable importance, as Taiwan is likely the place of origin for the entire Austronesian language family. According to the analysis by linguist Robert Blust, the Formosan languages constitute nine of the ten principal branches of the Austronesian family, with the remaining principal branch, Malayo-Polynesian, encompassing nearly 1,200 Austronesian languages found beyond Taiwan. While some linguists may have differing views on specific details of Blust's analysis, there is a general consensus that Austronesian languages originated in Taiwan, a theory supported by recent studies in human population genetics.
The historical linguistics of Taiwan's aboriginal languages hold considerable importance, as Taiwan is likely the place of origin for the entire Austronesian language family. According to the analysis by linguist Robert Blust, the Formosan languages constitute nine of the ten principal branches of the Austronesian family, with the remaining principal branch, Malayo-Polynesian, encompassing nearly 1,200 Austronesian languages found beyond Taiwan. While some linguists may have differing views on specific details of Blust's analysis, there is a general consensus that Austronesian languages originated in Taiwan, a theory supported by recent studies in human population genetics.
Does China and Taiwan speak the same language?
Both the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan speak Mandarin Chinese, which originated from the Beijing dialect. However, the political split in 1949 led to a prolonged lack of communication during the Cold War, resulting in linguistic differences between the two regions.
Pronunciation discrepancies are subtle for those unfamiliar with Chinese, but noticeable for speakers from the PRC or Taiwan. Notably, differences exist in the pronunciation of retroflex initials (zh, ch, sh, r) versus their non-retroflex counterparts (z, c, s). The PRC emphasizes a more distinct contrast, while in Taiwan, these differences are less pronounced, making sounds like 'sh' and 's' nearly identical.
Regarding Chinese characters, it might be surprising that Taiwan employs more traditional characters compared to the simplified versions used in mainland China. Although formal texts in China may still utilize traditional characters, everyday communication, professional writing, and literature in the PRC predominantly employ simplified characters. This creates challenges for those learning Chinese in the PRC to write in the traditional style in Taiwan, although most Taiwanese individuals can read simplified characters.
In spoken Chinese, there are slight lexical differences. For instance, a term like "coffee companion" refers to "cream" in China, causing confusion for a Taiwanese professor. Menu items like "tu dou" may mean potato in China but peanut in Taiwan. While these discrepancies may occasionally pose challenges in fluent conversation, they typically do not lead to major communication issues for casual interactions.
Pronunciation discrepancies are subtle for those unfamiliar with Chinese, but noticeable for speakers from the PRC or Taiwan. Notably, differences exist in the pronunciation of retroflex initials (zh, ch, sh, r) versus their non-retroflex counterparts (z, c, s). The PRC emphasizes a more distinct contrast, while in Taiwan, these differences are less pronounced, making sounds like 'sh' and 's' nearly identical.
Regarding Chinese characters, it might be surprising that Taiwan employs more traditional characters compared to the simplified versions used in mainland China. Although formal texts in China may still utilize traditional characters, everyday communication, professional writing, and literature in the PRC predominantly employ simplified characters. This creates challenges for those learning Chinese in the PRC to write in the traditional style in Taiwan, although most Taiwanese individuals can read simplified characters.
In spoken Chinese, there are slight lexical differences. For instance, a term like "coffee companion" refers to "cream" in China, causing confusion for a Taiwanese professor. Menu items like "tu dou" may mean potato in China but peanut in Taiwan. While these discrepancies may occasionally pose challenges in fluent conversation, they typically do not lead to major communication issues for casual interactions.
Do people in Taiwan speak Japanese?
Among the older generation in Taiwan, specifically those aged 85 and above, there exists a proficiency in Japanese, owing to their education under Japanese rule. Additionally, individuals who pursued university studies in Japan or undertook Japanese language learning can also speak Japanese. This group constitutes a significant portion of the population in Taiwan with Japanese language proficiency.
Taiwanese language vs Japanese
Taiwanese and Japanese are distinct languages with different linguistic roots and historical influences, despite sharing some similarities due to historical interactions. Taiwanese, also known as Hokkien or Minnan, belongs to the Southern Min branch of the Min Chinese language family. It is predominantly spoken in Taiwan and among overseas Taiwanese communities. Taiwanese incorporates a significant number of loanwords from various languages, including Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese, reflecting Taiwan's complex history of colonization and cultural exchange.
On the other hand, Japanese is a member of the Japonic language family, which has no proven genetic relationship with any other language family. The Japanese writing system combines logographic Kanji characters with two syllabic scripts, Hiragana and Katakana. Japanese has been heavily influenced by Chinese, but the two languages are not mutually intelligible.
On the other hand, Japanese is a member of the Japonic language family, which has no proven genetic relationship with any other language family. The Japanese writing system combines logographic Kanji characters with two syllabic scripts, Hiragana and Katakana. Japanese has been heavily influenced by Chinese, but the two languages are not mutually intelligible.
Do people in Taiwan speak English?
Approximately 28.5% of the population in Taiwan possesses some degree of proficiency in English, and this percentage has shown a consistent increase over the years. A growing number of young individuals and professionals exhibit fluency in English.
English holds significant importance in Taiwan, with schools incorporating it into the curriculum from an early age. However, the extent of English proficiency varies based on factors such as educational background, exposure to the language, and individual interest.
In metropolitan areas like Taipei and Taichung, a higher proportion of the population tends to be fluent in English, particularly in service-oriented sectors like hotels, restaurants, and shops. In contrast, English proficiency is generally lower in rural areas. Nonetheless, the local populace remains friendly and helpful, and even in these regions, it is often possible to find individuals with basic English communication skills.
English holds significant importance in Taiwan, with schools incorporating it into the curriculum from an early age. However, the extent of English proficiency varies based on factors such as educational background, exposure to the language, and individual interest.
In metropolitan areas like Taipei and Taichung, a higher proportion of the population tends to be fluent in English, particularly in service-oriented sectors like hotels, restaurants, and shops. In contrast, English proficiency is generally lower in rural areas. Nonetheless, the local populace remains friendly and helpful, and even in these regions, it is often possible to find individuals with basic English communication skills.
