What Language Do Taiwanese Speak? Languages Spoken in Taiwan

Taiwan, a beautiful island with a diverse culture, is also a melting pot of many different languages. So what language do Taiwanese speak? Do Taiwanese speak Chinese? Let's find out the answer in this article!

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What language do Taiwanese speak?

What language do Taiwanese speak? Taiwan is notable for its long-standing culture and unique linguistic diversity. The languages spoken here today can be divided into three main groups: Sino-Tibetan languages; Austronesian languages, representing the linguistic heritage of indigenous communities; and foreign languages.

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Sino-Tibetan Language Family

• Mandarin:

The most commonly spoken language in Taiwan is Mandarin, which has been recognized as the official language since 1945. Mandarin plays an important role in education, administration, and communication. 

Young Taiwanese people tend to speak Mandarin more fluently than older people, and people in urban areas like Taipei tend to use Mandarin more frequently than people in rural areas.

• Min Nan language:

Another important Sino-Tibetan language in Taiwan is Min Nan, also known as Hokkien or Taiwanese. This language originated from the dialects of Fujian province in mainland China and is spoken by about 70% of Taiwan's population. 

Min Nan is widely spoken in the central and southern regions, playing a major role in shaping the island's culture, music, literature, and politics. 

• Hakka language:

Hakka is another Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Taiwan, primarily by the Hakka (or Hakka) community – an ethnic minority that migrated from mainland China over the centuries. 

This community is concentrated in areas such as Kaohsiung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan. Hakka has significant differences in phonology, grammar and vocabulary compared to other Sino-Tibetan languages, and is considered one of the languages that preserves many characteristics of Classical Chinese.

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Austronesian Language Family

Austronesian languages are the indigenous languages of Taiwan, spoken by the aboriginal peoples who first inhabited the island. Currently, Taiwan recognizes 16 Austronesian languages, each associated with a different tribe or aboriginal group.

The Austronesian languages in Taiwan are considered the origin of the entire Austronesian language family, which is now used in many regions such as Southeast Asia, Oceania and Madagascar. Therefore, they have historical and linguistic value, attracting the attention of many researchers around the world. 

However, due to the influence of colonization, cultural assimilation and urbanization, many Austronesian languages are now facing the risk of extinction. In response to this situation, the Taiwanese government has implemented a series of conservation measures such as including Austronesian languages in the education program.

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Foreign Language

During its formation and development, Taiwan has been influenced by many foreign languages. 

• Japanese:

Japanese is perhaps the foreign language that left the deepest mark, introduced to Taiwan during the Japanese occupation from 1895 to 1945. 

During this period, Japanese was used as an official language and widely taught, contributing to the shaping of Taiwan's culture, society, and language. Today, many Taiwanese, especially the older generation, are still able to speak or understand Japanese.

• English Language:

English is also an important foreign language, widely taught in Taiwan's primary and secondary education systems. In order to enhance the international competitiveness of the younger generation, the Taiwanese government is currently strongly promoting the application of the Chinese-English bilingual education model.

• Other languages:

In addition, the presence of Southeast Asian languages such as Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai and Malay have also contributed significantly to Taiwan's rich linguistic landscape. 

These languages are mainly spoken by immigrant and migrant worker communities, reflecting the cultural and linguistic mix on the island.

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Do Taiwanese people speak Chinese?

Do Taiwanese people speak Chinese? Taiwanese people speak Chinese, but not the simplified form that is common in mainland China. Instead, they use Traditional Chinese characters, a traditional script that carries deep cultural and historical value.

• Traditional Character: 

Traditional Chinese characters are quite complex and have deep meanings. Learning traditional characters requires not only memorizing the shape of the characters but also understanding the profound meaning and philosophy that the ancient Chinese people put into each stroke. 

Although learning traditional characters is quite difficult and time-consuming, once learned, learners will be able to remember them for a long time and feel profound cultural values.

• Simplified Character: 

Simplified Chinese characters, with their simplified stroke count, are now the most common writing system in mainland China and Singapore. Due to their compact structure, simplified characters are easy to learn and remember, making them especially suitable for foreigners who are just starting to learn Chinese.

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However, this simplification process has caused simplified characters to lose some of the original meaning and cultural depth of traditional hieroglyphs. Furthermore, simplified characters are not suitable for use in calligraphy, a field that requires sophistication and completeness in each stroke.

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Some of the Most Common Taiwanese Communication Sentences

Below is a list of some Taiwanese (Traditional Chinese) conversational phrases:

So, together we have found the answer to the question of what language do Taiwanese people speak?. The preservation and development of local languages is a matter of concern. Because each language carries within it a precious cultural treasure that needs to be preserved and passed on to future generations.