Learn Taiwanese

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Foreword

This section of the website on Taiwanese Southern Min is not only designed for language learners who wish to study some Taiwanese, but also as a reference guide to the Taiwanese language. The fact is, very little is published in English about this language, and so I would like to take the opportunity to introduce the language to both western linguists and language students alike. As a linguist, I am inclined to write from a strictly linguistic point of view, but on the contrary many language learners are unfamiliar with linguistic terminology and special symbols foreign to their own language. I have taken both of these perspectives into consideration and attempt to meet the needs of both: not only do I try to include as accurate a linguistic description as possible, but also try to maintain ease of readibility for non-linguists.

Taiwanese is a language in its own right. Taiwanese actually refers to a particular dialect of the Min language. This language has a lot of different names, and no matter which way you refer to it, it is still a distinct language that has a lot of different dialects. The language originates in Fujian province (Fujian is a Mandarin pronunciation), the old name of which used to be Hokkien (from the Min pronunciation). Most importantly there is a split between northern and southern dialects; so much is the divergence that communication in Min between the two areas is difficult enough that they are considered two separate languages. Today, Hokkien more specifically refers to the Southern Min language. Besides Southern Min, Hokkien, and Taiwanese, you may also come across the following names: Minnan, Ho-lo, Holo-oe, Taigi, Taigu, Taioan-oe, and Banlam-oe.

So how does Taiwanese fit into this picture? Most of the settlers of Taiwan originated from the area surrounding Xiamen (old name Amoy). There are two varieties of "standard" Southern Min speech from this area, which may be called "accents" because of a slight variation in one or two vowels and consonants that does not impede comprehension in the least. These two accents/dialects are known as Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. According to a 1926 study in Taiwan, which was before mainlanders from various regions settled there, 44.8% of the population were Quanzhou and 35.2% were Zhangzhou, out of a total 3.75 million population. People originating from Fujian accounted for 83.1% of the population, or 3.1 million.

Some people might wonder, but doesn't everybody in Taiwan speak Mandarin now? The truth is, most children in Taiwan speak Taiwanese as their mother tongue and learn Mandarin as a second language in school, though school is not necessarily their first contact with it. A large number of families speak Taiwanese amongst each other but use Mandarin with their children, thus helping their children not find it so difficult when they get outside or have to go to school. Even so most children are still very familiar with Taiwanese. After a certain age, they usually make a decision never to speak it again (this happens more in the cities like Taipei) or continue to use it in everyday life as they find it necessary. Because of this you will find a great number of people familiar with Taiwanese and able to understand, but not able to speak it well. You will also find a great number of people who hold almost all their conversations in Taiwanese. Just taking a walk around the crowds of Taipei and recording how many instances of conversations are held in Mandarin and in Taiwanese will reveal to you that more than half the population is conversing in Taiwanese or including at least some Taiwanese in their conversations.
This means that Mandarin is considered an important language without doubt, but Taiwanese will get you much further in daily life situations in Taiwan. This does not take into account the Hakkas and a portion of the population whose families originated from other provinces and who speak other Chinese languages. The Hakkas find it not only important to bring their children up in Hakka but also familiarizing themselves with Taiwanese so they can get by in non-Hakka speaking areas of Taiwan; in essence it is not uncommon to find many Hakkas brought up in three languages, including Mandarin.
The other group, those whose families originated from other provinces are of a variety of people. A large number are mixed-blood with Taiwanese and are very familiar with Taiwanese and may even speak it. The other pure-blood non-Taiwanese group have adapted to learning Taiwanese and using it as necessary, or refusing to learn the language at all.

This site will cover language lessons for Taiwanese as spoken in Taipei, which like most of Taiwan has a mix of both Quanzhou and Zhangzhou pronunciation. I will also try to point out some differences found between speakers from northern and southern Taiwan, and of those found on the islands of the Taiwan Strait who talk more like people in Fujian. It does not matter what variant you learn, you will be able to be understood all over Taiwan, in Fujian, and in areas of Southeast Asia, for example Singapore and Malaysia, although you might want to refrain from doing so in Singapore where Mandarin is preferred. Although Chaozhou (Teochew / Teochiu) is a Southern Min dialect, you will still have a lot of difficulty speaking with these people. If your goal is to be understood by Chaozhou speakers, learn the tones and their changes (sandhi), some of the local terminology, etc. You will find it much easier and quicker if you have already learned a good amount of Taiwanese.

Lessons 1-145

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