Civic groups and academics yesterday requested that the government rethink its Bilingual 2030 concept and instead consider what they call multilingual, English-friendly Taiwan, prioritizing Taiwan’s native languages.
The government’s current push for Mandarin and English “bilingualism” ignores the other languages in Taiwan that make millions of Taiwanese already bilingual or multi-lingual, and overlooks Taiwan’s multiethnic population, Taiwan Languages and Literature Society director Chiang Min-hua (江敏華) said.
While the Bilingual 2030 plan would elevate English to one of Taiwan’s working languages, it could affect Taiwan’s rich language heritage and diminish Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), Hakka, along with other indigenous mother tongues, as well as the Mindong dialect on Matsu Island, Chiang said at a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
The ministry’s push for English instruction in math, science, music and arts elevates English above languages native to Taiwan, she said.
“The 2030 bilingual plan pushes English into a top position among the many languages spoken and used by many segments of society. It would erode Taiwan’s identity as a sovereign state, and sever people’s homeland roots,” said Chiang, a linguistics research fellow at Academia Sinica.
“Taiwan is well known for the diverse mother tongues that its people have kept alive, and this is part of these groups’ cultural heritage,” said Paul Jen-kuei Li (李壬癸), an expert on Austronesian languages.
“Our society’s most distinctive cultural features are the diverse Austronesian languages, which are in danger of disappearing. Most younger generations from indigenous communities cannot speak their mother tongues,” he said, adding that preserving and reviving these languages should be a priority.
Chiang said that a signature drive that started on Feb. 21, International Mother Language Day, has garnered about 1,700 signatures for the cause, including the names of about 400 academics and linguistic researchers, and about 400 schoolteachers.
The groups asked for support from lawmakers to review the Bilingual 2030 policy and to not approve a bill to establish a Bilingual Nation Development Center.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
RSS