Languages

The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, also known in Taiwan as guo yu(national language).(Bates, Bates, 2008.) This is a tonal language, which means the pronunciation of each word carry a tone. The change in tone will also bring a change in the meaning of the word. There are 4 tones, namely high and even tone, rising tone, dipping tone, falling tone, and a clear (unstressed) tone.

Taiwanese, also known in Taiwan as tai yu, Fujian hua or Minnan hua, is a popular language that is widely spoken between the majority of the people of Taiwan. However, this people are able to maintain their fluency in Mandarin while using Taiwanese dialect. As the ancestors of Taiwan are mostly from the south of the Min River in the province of Fujian, thus they brought their dialects into Taiwan. The dialect is rich in tone and complex in pronunciation. There are 6 changeable tones in Taiwanese. A tone may change whether it is at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a sentence. (Bates, Bates, 2008.) A point to note is that Taiwanese spoken in different part of the country varies, but to the dialect groups, it is not difficult for them to communicate with each others.

There are also many other languages spoken in Taiwan. The Hakka people and aborigines have also preserved their own languages. Many elderly people can also speak some Japanese, as they were subjected to Japanese education during the Japanese occupation years. The most popular foreign language in Taiwan is English, which is part of the regular school curriculum.

Reference:

• Welcome to Taiwan, Discover Taiwan, People. Retrieved on 7 December, 2010 from http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002010
  
• Bates, C., Bates, L.L., (2008) CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, Taiwan, pp 206, 208-209.