Linguistically, there is
no language in the world, widely spoken or not, which is determined to
be a vulgar or disgraceful one. Yet, the development of a language is
often intensely affected via intentionally political actions, which then
make up the pivot that determines the stratification of a language
within the language hierarchy. Taiwanese was once disdained as a vulgar
language with a disgraceful culture; its history aptly exemplifies the
previous observation.
Back in the early 1930s and 1940s while Taiwan was still under the
Japanese occupation, Japan triggered the Second World War and commenced
its project of the assimilation of Taiwan as Japan reorganized Taiwan as
strategic stepping-stone to overcome the world. Due to the Assimilation
policy, 『Japanese』 became a necessary course in schools and everyone in
Taiwan, literate or illiterate, was impelled to learn Japanese. This is
the first time Taiwanese suffered outside political pressure during its
development. Taiwanese was no longer the accepted dialect in Taiwan;
Japanese was imposed instead as the official language. As much as the
Japanese government tried to eliminate the dialect at the time,
Taiwanese still persevered.
The monopoly of Kuomingtang』s governmental sovereignty after 1949
introduced another wave of oppression. To fit the best profits of the
government and the ruling party, Kuomingtang instituted a radical change
of Taiwan in various aspects: economically, politically, socially and
culturally. The language policy prohibited the use of local dialects;
the education system was thoroughly changed; the value of currency
fluctuated dramatically -- overall living conditions became very
difficult for the Taiwan people because of all these changes. However,
it was the prohibition of the Taiwanese dialect that dealt a most
serious blow to the population.
The language which many people had spoken all their lives was prohibited
overnight. Information sources excluded Taiwanese speakers for years to
come: Mandarin monopolized television programs, radio programs, and most
importantly, employment. In schools, the situation got even worse,
students who spoke the dialect in public immediately received severe
punishment: Taiwanese was presented as a disgraceful language; Mandarin
a graceful one.
As information became monopolized by Mandarin-speakers, Taiwanese
speakers lagged behind in the acquisition of new knowledge. The
original intelligentsia who spoke sophisticated Taiwanese gradually
faded out; other members of the Taiwanese population became illiterate.
What we might have perceived today is that, most Taiwanese speakers,
especially those old people who speak only Taiwanese, are often
illiterate or speak only vulgar Taiwanese words. This has created an
illusion that Taiwanese is a disgraceful language.
The historicization of the Taiwanese dialect may help clarify the
vulgarization and stigmatization of the Taiwanese language. But what
has been damaged by political actions will need new political actions to
reverse the stereotypical bias. The new government is now emphasizing
the preservation of dialects and learning. 『Taiwanese』 now has been put
into elementary schools so that every elementary student is able to
learn and speak Taiwanese. After decades of degradation, the repressed
is finally returning.