Fourteen stores on Tainan’s Jhengsing Street (正興街) on Thursday began using Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) when helping tourists, part of a larger movement to promote the fluent use of Hoklo.
The movement, called “Discover Hoklo in Tainan,” was spearheaded by Hoklo pop singer Hsieh Ming-yu (謝銘祐), the Tainan Community College, the Flomo Education Foundation, Saikaokin Hostel and the shops on the street.
Hsieh, who teaches popular culture and music at the community college, said that he has come to realize that while many younger students say that Hoklo is their native tongue, they unconsciously use Mandarin syntax and grammar when speaking it.
Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times
“The environment for speaking Hoklo is rapidly disappearing,” Hsieh said, adding that he hopes the movement will help more people learn to speak Hoklo like a native speaker.
Mastering a language is about using it correctly, which is heard more often on the streets than in school, Hsieh said.
The phrase tsi tshui ta (止喙焦), meaning “to quench one’s thirst,” is often used in tea stores, while the phrase for traditional stores that sell suits is a homonym of Saville Row in England, Hsieh said.
Learning the language while it is being used would serve to promote it better than learning it at school, Hsieh said, adding that it would also help tourists understand the unique characteristics of Tainan’s long-standing stores.
Community college staffer Lin Kuan-chou (林冠州) said the movement has received the support of many stores, with the 14 stores on Jhengsing Street — a spot largely frequented by young people — being the first to implement Hoklo services.
The ultimate goal is to make Jhengsing Street entirely Hoklo-speaking, Lin said.
Store owner Erik Kao (高耀威) said that he moved to Tainan in 2010 and has slowly become fluent in the language, because his neighbors always speak to him in Hoklo.
“Everyone, from postal carriers to customers, has played the role of a teacher for me,” Kao said, adding that as he became more fluent in the language, his sense of belonging in the community became stronger.
The college has also established a group to help those who want to learn to pronounce Hoklo correctly, while the foundation has produced videos in Hoklo.
“We hope to make Hoklo a unique cultural aspect of Tainan,” Hsieh said.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS