Taiwan’s first foundation for the research and development of Aboriginal languages launched on Saturday to coincide with International Mother Language Day.
The Foundation for the Research and Development of Indigenous Languages was established in accordance with legislation that was passed in 2018 and defines its role as research and development of teaching methods for Aboriginal languages, collection of Aboriginal corpora, compilation of Aboriginal language dictionaries and the establishment of Aboriginal language databases.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that Taiwan’s Aboriginal languages in 2017 gained national language status with the Aboriginal Language Development Act (原住民族語言發展法).
The budget for Aboriginal languages has since increased five-fold, and there are specialized Aboriginal language instructors in schools and villages, Tsai said.
Some government agencies are publishing official documents in Aboriginal languages and providing simultaneous interpretation in Aboriginal languages on a trial basis, she said.
Apart from recognizing and embracing Aboriginal languages, the government is also working to promote the mother tongues of other ethnic groups, such as the Hoklo and Hakka, Tsai said.
Taiwan’s 16 officially recognized Aboriginal languages have more than 40 dialects, according to Council of Indigenous Peoples statistics.
International Mother Language Day was approved by the UN in 1999 and is observed worldwide on Feb. 21 to promote linguistic diversity and multilingualism.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS