A group of language activists yesterday urged the government to begin using the Taiwanese Roman-ization System (TRS) for teaching Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) as soon as possible.
"We hereby show our support and offer our endorsement toward the Ministry of Education's decision to use the Taiwanese Romanization System to teach Hoklo," said Tan Hong-hui (陳豐惠), an executive member of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan's Mother-Tongue Promotion Department.
Hoklo, the language of the southern region of Fujian Province and common throughout much of Taiwan, is also known as Min Nan Hua and is the primary language of about 14.35 million people in Taiwan, or 67 percent of the population.
There are a number of competing Romanization systems that have been developed for Hoklo, including TRS, Modern Literal Taiwanese, and Tongyong pinyin, which was developed as an alternative to transcribe both Mandarin and Tai-wanese in Roman characters.
The activists said that TRS is now the most popular system for teachers to teach Hoklo. In addition, they said, compared with Tongyong pinyin, TRS will be able to help people pronounce sharp and accurate Hoklo.
"In addition to Hoklo, we can also take advantage of TRS to write Aboriginal languages and Hakka. Meanwhile, the system is very similar to the International Phonetic Alphabet, which will make it easier for our foreign friends to learn Hoklo," she said.
Tan Beng-jin (
"I also know other pinyin systems for writing Hoklo. Years ago, a reverend taught me TRS and I started to use it. I felt it was convenient and easy," Tan said. "So, personally, I? support TRS."
The poet said that linguists should "follow the government's decision once a decision is made."
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS