寧語藍實習日誌19: 台語復興提案

台語復興提案

今天，我和何秘書長以及許慧盈常務理事第二次前往立法院研究大樓，與立委蔡易餘國會議員會面，討論台語問題。直到初到台灣才知道，台灣有自己獨立的語言，與漢語截然不同。雖然來台灣已經三個月了，但我接觸台語的機會不多。只有在公共場合聽到有人說一些聽不懂的話時，我才會想──這會不會是台語？即使現在，我仍然不太清楚台語的發音。不過，我注意到，即使是台灣的普通話，聽起來也與中國，特別是北京的普通話不同，北京的普通話聽起來更生硬。台灣的國語聽起來更柔和、更悅耳、更動聽。

他們的目標是成立台語復興委員會，以提高年輕一代的台語水平。他們認為台語是台灣的核心語言，絕大多數台灣人都能說國語和台語。然而，學校不教授台語，官方交流、公共生活等場合也不使用台語。大家都認為別人可能聽不懂台語，所以通常都用國語溝通。這導致台灣的語言環境不利於台語的學習與傳承，人們擔心台語會因此逐漸消失，使用率下降。我發現一個有趣的現象：台語熟練度最高的人群主要集中在嘉義縣；然而，支持使用台語的人群主要是60歲以上的居民，因為嘉義縣老年人口眾多。

我還發現一個特別有趣的論點：他們認為恢復台語意識是一個國家安全問題，因為它對台灣身份的維繫至關重要，也是「抵制」國話的必要手段。我簡直無法想像中國政府會對這種政策有何反應！這個論點讓我開始思考中共為了實現「民族團結」的目標而壓制少數民族語言的問題。在我的學習中，我們討論了中國西部的新疆地區，那裡的少數民族曾經遭受殘酷鎮壓。他們的母語維吾爾語遭到壓制，學校禁止使用維吾爾語，甚至連人名都被漢化。陌陌提到，國民黨過去也出於類似的目的壓制台灣語，但當然，現在的政府對此卻毫不在意。當時，被發現說本族語的學生會被強迫戴上「我不說本族語」的羞辱性標語。這項政策在1987年《國家語言發展法》通過後被廢除，該法賦予台灣所有民族語言平等的地位。

現在，我對台灣語的歷史有了更深的理解！我希望能夠繼續學習更多。

Taiwanese Language Revitalization Proposal

Today, Secretary-General He, Executive Director Hsu Hui-ying, and I visited the Legislative Yuan Research Building for the second time to meet with Legislator Tsai Yi-yu to discuss the Taiwanese language issue. It wasn't until I first arrived in Taiwan that I realized Taiwan has its own independent language, completely different from Mandarin. Although I've been in Taiwan for three months, I haven't had many opportunities to speak Taiwanese. Only when I hear someone speaking something I don't understand in public do I wonder—could this be Taiwanese? Even now, I'm still not entirely clear on the pronunciation of Taiwanese. However, I've noticed that even Taiwanese Mandarin sounds different from Mandarin spoken in China, especially Beijing Mandarin, which sounds harsher. Taiwanese Mandarin sounds softer, more pleasant, and more melodious.

Their goal is to establish a Taiwanese Language Revival Committee to improve the Taiwanese language proficiency of the younger generation. They believe Taiwanese is the core language of Taiwan, and the vast majority of Taiwanese can speak both Mandarin and Taiwanese. However, Taiwanese is not taught in schools, nor is it used in official exchanges or public life. Everyone assumes that others might not understand Taiwanese, so Mandarin is usually used for communication. This has created a linguistic environment in Taiwan that is unfavorable for the learning and transmission of Taiwanese, leading to concerns that the language may gradually disappear and its usage may decline. I've noticed an interesting phenomenon: the highest proficiency in Taiwanese is concentrated in Chiayi County; however, those who support its use are primarily residents over 60 years old, given Chiayi County's large elderly population.

I've also discovered a particularly interesting argument: they believe that restoring awareness of Taiwanese is a national security issue because it's crucial for maintaining Taiwanese identity and a necessary means of "resisting" Mandarin. I simply cannot imagine how the Chinese government would react to such a policy! This argument has made me start thinking about the CCP's suppression of minority languages ​​to achieve its goal of "national unity." In my studies, we discussed Xinjiang in western China, where ethnic minorities suffered brutal repression. Their mother tongue, Uyghur, was suppressed; schools banned its use, and even names were Sinicized. Momo mentioned that the Kuomintang suppressed Taiwanese for similar purposes in the past, but of course, the current government seems unconcerned. Back then, students found speaking their native language were forced to wear humiliating banners that read "I don't speak my native language." This policy was repealed after the passage of the National Language Development Act in 1987, which granted equal status to all ethnic languages ​​in Taiwan.

Now, I have a deeper understanding of the history of the Taiwanese language! I hope to continue learning more.