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Hakka language

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Taiwanese Hakka
toiˇ vanˇ hagˋ gaˊ ngiˊ / toiˇ vanˇ hagˋ fa
Thòi-vàn Hak-kâ-ngî / Thòi-vàn Hak-fa
PronunciationSixian: [tʰoi˩ van˩ hak̚˨ fa˥]
Hailu: [tʰoi˥ van˥ hak̚˨ fa˩]
Dapu: [tʰoi˧ van˩˩˧ kʰak̚˨˩ fa˥˧]
Raoping: [tʰoi˧ van˥ kʰak̚˥ fa˨˦]
Zhao'an: [tʰai˧ ban˥˧ kʰa˥ su˥]
Native toTaiwan
RegionTaoyuan, Miaoli, Hsinchu, Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Nantou, Changhua, Yunlin, Yilan, Hualien and Taitung
Native speakers
2,580,000 (2015)[1]
Dialects
Latin (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ)
Official status
Official language in
Taiwan[lower-alpha 1]
Regulated byHakka Affairs Council
Language codes
ISO 639-3
ISO 639-6htia
GlottologNone
Linguasphere79-AAA-gap
Proportion of residents aged 6 or older using Hakka at home in Taiwan, in 2010

Taiwanese Hakka is a language group consisting of Hakka dialects spoken in Taiwan, and mainly used by people of Hakka ancestry. Taiwanese Hakka is divided into five main dialects: Sixian, Hailu, Dabu, Raoping, and Zhao'an.[5] The most widely spoken of the five Hakka dialects in Taiwan are Sixian and Hailu.[6] The former, possessing 6 tones, originates from Meizhou, Guangdong, and is mainly spoken in Miaoli, Pingtung and Kaohsiung, while the latter, possessing 7 tones, originates from Haifeng and Lufeng, Guangdong, and is concentrated around Hsinchu.[5][6] Taiwanese Hakka is also officially listed as one of the national languages of Taiwan. In addition to the five main dialects, there are the northern Xihai dialect and the patchily-distributed Yongding, Fengshun, Wuping, Wuhua, and Jiexi dialects.

Geographic distribution[edit]

Townships/cities and districts in Taiwan where Hakka is a statutory regional language according to the Hakka Basic Act

In 2014, 4.2 million Taiwanese self-identified as Hakka, accounting for 18% of the population.[7] The Hakka Affairs Council has designated 70 townships and districts across Taiwan where the Hakka account for more than a third of the total population, including 18 in Miaoli County, 11 in Hsinchu County, and another 8 in Pingtung, Hualien, and Taoyuan counties each.[7]

Status[edit]

With the introduction of martial law in 1949, the KMT-led government repressed Hakka, along with Taiwanese Hokkien and other indigenous languages in favor of Mandarin.[8] In 1988, the Hakka community established the Restore My Mother Tongue Movement to advocate for the right to use and preserve the Hakka language.[9] Language restrictions were relaxed after 1987 with the lifting of martial law and ensuing democratic reforms.[8] In 2012, the ministry-level Hakka Affairs Council was established to stem the language's decline in Taiwan.[10] In December 2017, the Legislative Yuan designated Hakka as an official national language of Taiwan.[11]

Sociolinguistics[edit]

While Hakka has official status in Taiwan, it has seen ongoing decline due to a language shift to the more dominant Taiwanese Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien.[12] The number of Hakka speakers in Taiwan has declined by 1.1% per year, particularly among youth.[10] In 2016, only 22.8% of self-identifying Hakkas aged 19 to 29 spoke the language.[13] Today, Taiwanese Hakka tends to be used within families and within local communities, which has reduced intergenerational transmission.[12] An estimated 2 million Hakkas now self-identify as Hoklo.[12] Furthermore, the great diversity of Hakka dialects used throughout Taiwan has impeded standardization of Hakka for teaching.[12]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. National language in Taiwan;[2] also statutory status in Taiwan as one of the languages for public transport announcements[3] and for the naturalisation test.[4]

References[edit]

  1. Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Chinese, Hakka". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 14 August 2019. Search this book on
  2. "Draft National Language Development Act Clears Legislative Floor". Focus Taiwan (CNA English News). Central News Agency. 2018-12-25.
  3. "Dàzhòng yùnshū gōngjù bòyīn yǔyán píngděng bǎozhàng fǎ" 大眾運輸工具播音語言平等保障法 [Act on Broadcasting Language Equality Protection in Public Transport] (in 中文) – via Wikisource.
  4. "Standards for Identification of Basic Language Abilities and General Knowledge of the Rights and Duties of Naturalized Citizens" (PDF). Republic of China (Taiwan): Ministry of the Interior. Amended 9 April 2016. Article 6. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Accessed 20 July 2020.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Distribution and Resurgence of the Hakka Language". Hakka Affairs Council. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Chapter 2: People and Language" (PDF). The Republic of China Yearbook. Republic of China (Taiwan): Government Information Office. 2010. p. 42. ISBN 9789860252781. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-05. Unknown parameter |url-status= ignored (help) Search this book on
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Study of Hakka language to become mandatory in designated regions". Taipei Times. 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Waksman, Itamar (2021-10-11). "The fight for Taiwan's linguistic diversity". The China Project. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  9. "KMT Hakka language policy hypocrisy". Taipei Times. 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Van Trieste, John (2021-12-24). "Lawmakers call for law promoting the revival of the Hakka language". RTI.
  11. Cheng, Hung-ta; Chung, Jake (2017-12-30). "Hakka made an official language". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Vollmann, Ralf; Soon, Tek Wooi (2022-09-01). "Convergence of Hakka with Chinese in Taiwan". Global Chinese. 8 (2): 211–229. doi:10.1515/glochi-2022-0008. ISSN 2199-4382.
  13. Chan, Rosalie (2016-01-25). "Demographic shift spells language decline". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2024-02-20.