Taiwanese academics say the government should stop promoting the use of English at the expense of Taiwan’s local languages. They say Taiwan needs a “multilingual” but “English-friendly” language policy, instead of one that only focuses on English.
Right now, the government is pushing ahead with its Bilingual Nation 2030 policy, which aims to boost English fluency in Taiwan by the end of this decade.
But academics from the Taiwan Languages & Literature Society say the policy runs counter to the reality that Taiwan is already a multilingual society.
People in Taiwan speak a variety of languages, including Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Indigenous Austronesian languages.
Linguist Li Jen-kuei, who is regarded as the father of research into Taiwan’s Austronesian languages, says Taiwan is different from Hong Kong and Singapore, where English is widely spoken. He says Taiwan cannot simply follow their example and give English priority over other languages.
In their petition, the academics say the government should instead think about how to turn Taiwan’s native languages into a tool for helping Taiwan integrate into global society.