Day #117: Taiwanese language

---

Taiwan's struggle for independence was especially bitter and protracted, so its Memorial Museum emphasizes peace, and is situated in Peace Park, next to the Taipei 228 Memorial. Taiwan was under Chinese control and then from the late 1800s Japanese control and the Japanese forced all Taiwanese to learn and speak Japanese, especially for all official matters.

After WWII the Japanese surrendered Taiwan to China, and the new parliament immediately insisted that everyone speak Mandarin, and in particular that all state matters (including administration and voting) were conducted in Mandarin. But in Taiwan by this time, the majority of the population spoke only Japanese, meaning the Taiwanese were almost entirely excluded from any aspect of governance. Eventually, in the midst of economic troubles, riots were sparked by the shooting by a policeman of a civilian selling illegal cigarettes (on 28th February, hence the name), and after bitter fighting over several years, Taiwan became effectively independent, though it was decades before it became a democracy. Eventually, Mandarin became the language of the people again.

I wondered if this history is why the Taiwanese seem relatively relaxed about their language, and not particularly worried about the use of English everywhere. Although many ordinary Taiwanese speak little English, it sometimes seems like English is an official language here: almost all public signs, including everything on public transport and all road signs, are bilingual. I can't think of any other country where it would be acceptable to have so much official information in a language that is not an official language, or spoken as a first language by any native.

---