It is not only Taiwanese politicians who are eager to learn Hoklo (commonly known as "Taiwanese"). An increasing number of well known international universities -- including nine institutions each in Japan and the US -- are now offering accredited Hoklo language classes.
Last year, the Hoklo language craze reached Europe, where France's Universite de Lyon III added a Hoklo language program to its Chinese department, making it the first European university to offer such a program.
Professor Liu Kuang-neng (
PHOTO COURTESY OF PROFESSOR LIU KUANG-NENG, NATIONAL CENTRAL UNI
Gregory Lee (
The Universite de Lyon III's post-graduate Taiwanese Studies program is divided into two parts.
The first year of the program offers classes in Taiwanese film studies, and the second year focuses on Taiwanese history classes.
Liu said that although there are not very many students in the program now, it serves as a bridge for young French students who want to learn more about Taiwan.
Lee arrived with the university's president, Guy Lavorel, on Sunday evening, for a one-week stay.
The aim of their trip is to visit the institutes for Taiwanese literature at National Central University, National Taiwan University and Tsing Hua University in order to initiate exchanges with the three schools.
The National Central Library will also present the Universite de Lyon III with books on Taiwan studies.
On Thursday, Lavorel is scheduled to give a speech at National Central University.
Liu said that the fact that the EU promotes cultural diversity will help promote attempts to set up Hoklo-language programs in Chinese departments at universities throughout the EU.
By taking advantage of this wave of interest to initiate active exchanges with European universities and build a good impression of Taiwan in the eyes of young Europeans, the nation will be able to connect with the international community.
Learning Hoklo
Overseas universities and colleges offering courses in the Hoklo language.
Japan:
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies
Aichi University
Tenri University
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Reitaku University
Daitobunka University
Keiyo University
Obirin University
Tsukuba University
North America:
University of Hawaii
University of California, Berkeley
Pennsylvania State University
Stanford University
Williams College
University of Michigan
Harvard University
University of Illinois
University of Colorado
Universities where student societies offer informal tuition in Hoklo: Yale University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Brown University and Massachussetts Institute of Technology.
Europe:
University de Lyon III
SourceL Professors Li Chin-an and Liu Kuang-neng.
EUROPEAN TARGETS: The planned Munich center would support TSMC’s European customers to design high-performance, energy-efficient chips, an executive said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said that it plans to launch a new research-and-development (R&D) center in Munich, Germany, next quarter to assist customers with chip design. TSMC Europe president Paul de Bot made the announcement during a technology symposium in Amsterdam on Tuesday, the chipmaker said. The new Munich center would be the firm’s first chip designing center in Europe, it said. The chipmaker has set up a major R&D center at its base of operations in Hsinchu and plans to create a new one in the US to provide services for major US customers,
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
BEIJING’S ‘PAWN’: ‘We, as Chinese, should never forget our roots, history, culture,’ Want Want Holdings general manager Tsai Wang-ting said at a summit in China The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時媒體集團) for making comments at the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit that it said have damaged Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that it would investigate if the group had colluded with China in the matter and contravened cross-strait regulations. The council issued a statement after Want Want Holdings (旺旺集團有限公司) general manager Tsai Wang-ting (蔡旺庭), the third son of the group’s founder, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), said at the summit last week that the group originated in “Chinese Taiwan,” and has developed and prospered in “the motherland.” “We, as Chinese, should never
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying