Languages
- Overview: Mandarin (official), Taiwanese Minnan, Hakka dialects, Taiwanese aboriginal languages
Almost everyone in Taiwan born after the early 1950s can speak Mandarin, which has been the official language and the medium of instruction in the schools for more than four decades. The Mandarin spoken in Taiwan has minor differences from that spoken in mainland China, South-east Asia and other regions of the world.
The majority speak a dialect form of Min Nan (Southern Fujianese language), commonly referred to as Taiwanese, which was the most common language. The ethnic Hakka have a distinct Hakka dialect. Between 1900 and 1945 Japanese was the medium of instruction and could be fluently spoken by many of those educated during that period. Chinese romanisation in Taiwan uses both Hanyu pinyin which has been officially adopted by the central government, and Tongyong pinyin which some localities use. Wade-Giles, used traditionally, is also found.
On Kinmen (Quemoy), the language spoken is also Min Nan. On the Matsu Islands, the Foochow dialect, a Min Dong (Eastern Fujianese) dialect, is spoken.
The most widely spoken Taiwanese aboriginal languages today are Amis, Atayal, Bunun, and Paiwan.
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of Taiwan
Famous quotes containing the word languages:
“I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigree of nations.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“Wealth is so much the greatest good that Fortune has to bestow that in the Latin and English languages it has usurped her name.”
—William Lamb Melbourne, 2nd Viscount (1779–1848)
“The less sophisticated of my forbears avoided foreigners at all costs, for the very good reason that, in their circles, speaking in tongues was commonly a prelude to snake handling. The more tolerant among us regarded foreign languages as a kind of speech impediment that could be overcome by willpower.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)