With a record number of people — Hakka and non-Hakka alike — taking and passing the beginner’s level Hakka proficiency test, Council for Hakka Affairs Minister Huang Yu-chen (黃玉振) yesterday said the results showed that the Hakka language is gradually being revived.
“This is the sixth time the council has held beginner’s level Hakka proficiency tests and we’ve got some very exciting numbers this time that I’d like to share with you,” Huang told a press conference in Taipei.
“First of all, a total of 15,646 people signed up for the test, which is 135 percent higher than last year’s 6,662, and the highest number of test takers ever,” he said. “Among the 8,564 people who passed the test, 4,801 are in elementary school or high school. The large number at such a young age shows that the Hakka language is gradually being revived.”
In the past, many linguists and Hakka activists worried about the future of the Hakka language, since, according to some estimates, as many as 60 percent of Hakkas under the age of 30 are not fluent in the language.
Besides an increased number of youngs students, Huang also said that many people who are not Hakka, including some foreign residents, took the test.
Chiu Kun-yu (邱坤玉), one of the administrators of the test, said more than 1,300 Hoklo speakers took the test and 41 percent passed.
“In addition, nine foreign residents took the test, with five of them passing,” Chiu said.
He said that since the council had introduced a NT$1,000 cash award for each person under the age of 18 who passes the test, many more students were signing up.
“Since many students are learning to speak Hakka to take the test, their teachers are also taking time to learn the language and sign up for the test. As their children are learning the language, many non-Hakka parents have also signed up,” Chiu said. “So this year, we have had a lot of teachers and families signing up together to take the test.”
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
RSS