Table of Contents
Is Hokkien and Taiwanese the same?
So-called “Taiwanese” is a kind of Hokkien, which is a kind of Chinese. There are several major dialect families of Chinese: Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, and Wu (including Shanghainese), to name four.
Is Hokkien from China?
Hokkien (/ˈhɒkiɛn/) is a Southern Min language originating from the Minnan region in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in Southeastern Mainland China and spoken widely there.
Where is Hokkien spoken in China?
Taiwan
Hokkien is spoken in Taiwan and in parts of China including Fujian Province. It is also called Taiwanese, Min Nan (Southern Min), or Holo. There are several dialectal variants of Hokkien; this textbook uses the variant spoken around the Tainan area, where Hokkien is most prevalent in Taiwan.
What is the history of the Hokkien language in Taiwan?
During the 40 years of Dutch colonial rule of Taiwan, many Han Chinese from the Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Hakka regions of mainland China were recruited to help develop Taiwan. Because of intermingling with Siraya people as well as Dutch colonial rule, the Hokkien dialects started to deviate from the original Hokkien spoken in mainland China.
What is the origin of the Taiwanese language?
Regional variations within Taiwanese may be traced back to Hokkien variants spoken in Southern Fujian, specifically those from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, then later Amoy. Taiwanese Hokkien also contains loanwords from Japanese and the native Formosan languages.
Is Hokkien still spoken in Malaysia?
IN PRESENT DAY MALAYSIA: The Hokkien dialect is still the most spoken dialect among the Chinese community, although it is no longer in its pure form. Hokkien spoken today contains loanwords from the Malay language (especially Penang Hokkien) and may differ according to region.
What language is written on a blackboard in Taiwan?
Hand writing on a blackboard in a language class with the word “Mandarin” written on it. Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Taiwan. Taiwanese Hokkien, a topolect of the varieties of Chinese, is spoken by about 70\% of the population of Taiwan.