One distinct possibility is that Taiwan will become a permanently bilingual society, with most citizens having native-like proficiency in both Taiwanese Hokkien and Taiwanese Mandarin. Many linguists already classify Taiwan as a bilingual society, and bilingualism could become a long-term reality in Taiwan as long as the status of Taiwanese Hokkien is raised to a level which will encourage parents to keep passing it on to their children.
This scenario would probably seem to be a win-win situation to many, especially since Taiwan seems to be evolving into a society in which most people speak both dominant languages, instead of having a split based on ethnic or regional lines.
However, the issues of maintenance versus loss of Hakka and Aboriginal languages will remain. The recent controversy over an alleged Taiwanese-only policy at DPP meetings, resulting in the linguistic isolation of Hakka speakers, is ample evidence that strengthening Taiwanese Hokkien by itself is not enough to make up for the decades of linguistic oppression that Taiwan has underwent in the 20th century. The resurgent "Taiwanese" has become a symbol of democratization and inclusiveness, but it is also, like any successful language, capable of being seen by minorities as a tool of linguistic exclusion.
Nevertheless, the fact that Taiwanese Hokkien is by default in a better position than other pre-Mandarin tongues is no reason not to raise its status in society. And, the fact that preserving Aboriginal languages and Hakka will be much more difficult than preserving Hokkien is no reason not to take the necessary steps to give them a fighting chance of long-term survival. The examples of countries like Switzerland or Finland show that linguistic policy does not have to be a zero-sum game; it is eminently possible to create a linguist situation in which the rights of minorities are protected without resulting in significant disunity.
There are no easy answers, and no perfect solutions, but in an age in which societies need to make conscious decisions about maintaining linguistic identity, imperfect solutions are far better than none. At this point in history, Taiwan has an opportunity: it may well become a good example for the entire world if it can reverse its tragic history of colonial linguistic oppression and become a peaceful, inclusive multilingual society.
Matthew Ward (
RSS