National Taiwan University professor Chen Yu-wen (陳毓文) has conducted extensive research into the academic achievements of the offspring of mixed-race couples — where one of the partners is a non-native speaker — in Taiwan. She discovered that on the whole, these children performed well academically and some were quite outstanding. Her research is a reminder that although the majority of foreign spouses come from developing nations, their children can and do still do well at school and that people should never be judged on the basis of appearance.
In the field of psycholinguistics, it is accepted that the minds and intellects of children born into bilingual or multilingual families are more flexible than those of their peers. Parts of Chen’s research broadly agreed with this view and her work indirectly proved that the offspring of new immigrants are capable of impressive academic achievements, which makes it doubly important that they do not lose confidence in themselves.
However, the study also found that the children of new immigrants face social obstacles. In particular, it was found that classmates often teased them by calling them names like “Thai laborer” (tailao, 泰勞) and “Filipino maid” (feiyong, 菲傭). Children sometimes tease their mixed-race classmates, saying: “Teacher, he will only understand you if you speak to him in Indonesian.”
Such comments are hurtful and can traumatize students on the receiving end. These incidents demonstrate that in many cases students in elementary and high schools have already developed negative perceptions of the children of new immigrants and come to the conclusion that the languages their foreign parents speak are not in the same class as Mandarin or other Chinese dialects.
Unfortunately, this is not the only case of this sort. There was an incident in which a Taiwanese employer in Taipei County forced a female Indonesian worker to work overtime and demanded that the employee, a Muslim, eat pork, which led to a debate about human rights violations. The occurrence of such incidents have made me realize that some Taiwanese lack respect for people from certain racial groups and for the cultures of certain nations and that these psychological inclinations are closely related to subconscious linguistic prejudice.
Jonathan Green, an academic from the UK and an expert in racial issues in the US and the UK, is well known for his ideas on the subject. Green believes linguistic prejudice stems from stereotypical ideas about races and nations.
While these stereotypes are unfortunate, they do exist and they elevate racial language to a new level that is grayer and more obscure than outright racial maliciousness. Green has noted that while linguistic prejudice is not always easy to identify, language can hurt people.
The experience of the US and major immigrant countries in Europe has shown that linguistic prejudice often leads to racial and cultural disharmony. These experiences also show that three factors — linguistic prejudice, race and culture — sometimes reinforce each other in ways that often result in social conflict.
In essence, Taiwanese society is tolerant and integrative, but as the number of immigrants and the number of children born to interracial couples increases, Taiwan’s population structure will inevitably change. Under these circumstances, racial and cultural differences are sure to increase and language barriers are unavoidable.
In this context, it is imperative that we find ways to prevent linguistic prejudice from developing and undermining the racial integration and political stability we currently enjoy.
The resolution of linguistic prejudice must be based on the study and use of the languages involved. At the very least, Taiwanese must be taught to appreciate foreign languages and show understanding toward those who speak them. In this regard, the Ministry of Education’s idea to make Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese part of second-language study programs in senior high schools is commendable.
If such moves could be integrated with the efforts of social educators and these languages made into community languages and coupled with the promotion of resources for cultural education at local libraries, the Taiwanese public would have many more opportunities to come into contact with them. This would reduce the emotional distance people feel toward certain languages and the cultures they represent, and it would greatly complement efforts to eliminate linguistic prejudice.
Su Fu-hsing is a professor in the Department of Foreign Languages at National Chiayi University.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry