Academic literature on the topic 'Southern Min dialects – Taiwan'

The aim of this study is to investigate the sociolinguistic hierarchy between Mandarin Chinese and Southern Min Chinese in Taiwan, or the linguistic hegemony of Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan. Of particular interest is the relationship between the language of the majority and the new Taiwanese identity forged presumably by democratization. Taiwan is an island that has been occupied by a variety of ethnic groups, causing it to be linguistically diverse. Japanese colonization of Taiwan was put to an end in the wake the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Mandarin Chinese became the official language of Taiwan in 1945. Nevertheless, the primary Chinese language spoken by ethnic Chinese was not Mandarin Chinese but Southern Min Chinese, also known as Taiwanese. Consequently, oppression of Southern Min Chinese and its speakers became inevitable. Sociolinguistic norms seemingly began to spawn rapidly, turning Mandarin Chinese into the mainstream language associated with the educated, intellectual, and upper class, while stigmatizing Southern Min as low class, uneducated and vulgar. As with obliteration of the oppressions on the institutional level, the transformation of such norms does not seem to stop in social contexts. It instead carries on in a more subtle way. Moreover, under the rule of Kuomingtang (KMT), democratization came unprecedentedly into the history of Taiwan. A new Taiwanese identity thus is assumed to be associated with democratization and is fundamentally different from Taiwanese identities constructed in the past. However, such a superordinate identity is deeply problematic due to its Chinese centric nature that is likely to impose ideologies and values onto other ethnic groups in Taiwan causing social inequality. Therefore, identifying ideologies and values imposed onto the Taiwanese identity by the majority, Benshengren (本省人), is crucial in addressing social issues. Accordingly this research also goes on investigating what it means to be Taiwanese to the Taiwanese majority, Benshengren (本省人).

本研究旨在探索台灣自一九九零年代末推行之母語復興運動及其影響。作為使用者為數最多的本土語言，閩南語一度沒落；隨著母語復興措施當中、鄉土語言教學政策的廣泛開展，閩南語自「方言」一逕躍升為台灣文化的象徵，更被從政者甚至政府利用作對外宣傳之用。<br>作者通過語言人類學田野考察方法，試圖以閩南語作為案例，釐清及解讀以下幾點：（一）台灣民眾當今的語言選擇及使用狀況；（二）他們的語言態度，與其文化認同之對應關係；（三）語言在台灣族群認同政治所扮演的角色；（四）語言政治在各社會文化層面所引起之角力；（五）方言（或語言，如原住民語言）群之競爭，如何掀起語言及文化傳統之再造和復興，以圖合理化其族群作為台灣文化象徵的地位。<br>研究結果顯示，雖然巴赫汀 (Bakhtin) 的「眾聲喧嘩」(heteroglossia) 理論在實務層面與台灣的多語、多元文化相呼應，但當地政府所提倡之文化多元論、以及各持份者之間的隱性競爭，若以布迪厄 (Bourdieu) 的文化複製理論和傅柯(Foucault) 的權力知識理論解讀，當更適切。總的來說，台灣的母語復興運動，乃一項與昔日保守政權的抗衡行為賦權，控制兼具的政治行動，更是多元政治文化的象徵。<br>This thesis looks into the government-led language revitalization campaign in Taiwan with special reference to the case of Hokkien, one of the "bensheng" (local) vernacular with Han Chinese roots, in terms of language rights, ethnogenesis, and cultural legitimacy. Tracing the rise and development of concepts such as cultural heritage, ethnic identity and democracy in the region, the focus is placed on the recent changes in Taiwan's language ideology and the intricate emergence of Hokkien as one of the "national" languages and symbols apart from the official language, i.e. Mandarin Chinese.<br>Against the backdrop where contesting discourses on language and culture discourses co-exist and crossbreed with each other, there are a number of closely-related issues that this thesis examines in particular: (1) the ways in which language choices are made and perceived in various contexts; (2) implications of such language choices as related to one's cultural identities; (3) the role of language politics in self and group identification and ethnic classification in Taiwan; (4) the power dynamics in various socio-cultural spheres; and (5) the resulting competition of multiple speech groups in Taiwan for authenticity, legitimacy and superiority in the political arena by means of reconstruction and reinvention of ethnic languages and traditions.<br>The findings reveal that despite the practical relevance of Bakhtin's theory of heteroglossia to Taiwan's current ethnogenesis against the backdrop of multilingualism and multiculturalism, the political connections between the cultural plurality promoted by the government and the covert competition amongst various stakeholders are better understood in terms of Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction and Foucault's framework of power-knowledge. Language revitalization in Taiwan is thus an act of both empowerment and control, and a symbol of the mutual toleration and the cultural ambiguity that means to be used for contrasting with the old hegemonies' conservatism by the current ruling power.<br>Detailed summary in vernacular field only.<br>Detailed summary in vernacular field only.<br>Detailed summary in vernacular field only.<br>Tam, Chung Wing Loretta.<br>Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013.<br>Includes bibliographical references (leaves 278-286).<br>Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web.<br>Abstract also in Chinese; indludes Chinese.<br>Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1<br>Past Research on Language, Ethnicity, and Identity --- p.2<br>Language Survival, Maintenance, and Revitalization --- p.7<br>Taiwan and Its Language Situation in Context --- p.28<br>Methodology --- p.34<br>Fieldsite Specifications --- p.43<br>Structure of the Thesis --- p.49<br>Chapter Chapter 2: --- "Taiwanese" as an Identity: A Historical Overview --- p.54<br>The Dutch Colonization and the Japanese Occupation --- p.56<br>The KMT Rule and the Mandarin Campaign --- p.65<br>Toward a Democratic and Multilingual Taiwan --- p.73<br>Chapter Chapter 3: --- Discourses of Language Endangerment in Taiwan --- p.79<br>Language Shift in Taiwan: Origins, Patterns, and Implications --- p.80<br>Discousrses of Endangerment in Taiwan --- p.99<br>Discussion --- p.125<br>Chapter Chapter 4: --- Counteracting Language Shift: Native Language Education Policy in Action --- p.131<br>One Policy, Multiple Interpretations --- p.133<br>Curriculum and Daily Usage --- p.140<br>Brand New Language Market for Local Languages: The Official Language Market --- p.150<br>Chapter Chapter 5: --- The Standardization Debates --- p.156<br>Standardization and Language Revitalization --- p.158<br>Language or Dialect? Concerns over Legitimacy and Status --- p.166<br>Questioning "National Language" --- p.175<br>Chapter Chapter 6: --- Patterns of Language Choice and Attitudes in Everyday Life --- p.188<br>Patterns of Language Choice in Northern Taiwan --- p.194<br>Patterns of Language Choice in Southern Taiwan --- p.166<br>On the Predominance of Code-Switching --- p.201<br>On the Current Differentiation of "High" and "Low" Languages --- p.210<br>Chapter Chapter 7: --- The Politics of Visibility --- p.213<br>Language and the Mass Media: An Overview --- p.217<br>Language Use in the Mass Media and the "Taiwanese" Identity --- p.231<br>Chapter Chapter 8: --- Conclusion --- p.242<br>On the Language Markets --- p.243<br>Ethnic Politics and Linguistic Nationalism --- p.255<br>Field Linguistics and Beyond --- p.265<br>Chapter Appendices --- p.270<br>List of Terms and Abbreviations --- p.270<br>List of Informants --- p.272<br>Interview Guide --- p.275<br>Bibliography --- p.278