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If speaking English doesn't make an American an English person, does speaking Chinese make a Taiwanese a Chinese person?

Posted by Teddy Nee on November 01, 2026

china culture politics taiwan tradition

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Popular Posts

A fast method for remembering the German language grammatical article

(1) Nominative, (2) Accusative, (3) Dative, (4) Genitive Masculine: (1) Der, (2) Den, (3) Dem, (4) Des Ending: RNMS (renmes) Neutral: (1) Das, (2) Das, (3) Dem, (4) Des Ending: SSMS (sesmes) Feminine: (1) Die, (2) Die, (3) Der, (4) Der Ending: IIRR (ir) Plural: (1) Die, (2) Die, (3) Den, (4) Der Ending: IINR (iner)

Colonial Legacy and Language Priority

In some countries, the past of colonial rule still shapes culture and education. Nations like India, the Philippines, and many in West Africa admire parts of their old colonial powers. They often make languages such as English, French, or Spanish a priority. These languages are seen as doors to modern life, global jobs, and respect. Examples In Francophone Africa, French is still the language of government and schools, viewed as a mark of status. In the Philippines, English is strong in business and universities, often more important than local languages. In Cameroon, people argue about whether French and English should dominate or if native languages should be given more space. Advantages Knowing colonial languages helps with trade, diplomacy, and study abroad. Speaking them can bring better jobs and higher social standing. They give access to many books, science, and cultural resources. Disadvantages Local languages may be pushed aside, weakening cultural identity. A gap grows betwee...

5 Famous Polyglots and Their Learning Techniques

You may have watched videos of people speaking in multiple languages. Some of them even call themselves hyperpolyglots. Whether they really can speak fluently or not, we don't know unless we test them. However, here I shall present 5 renowned polyglots that have been on the news, in the community worldwide and have proved their exceptional linguistic capabilities.

Bisindo: One of two Indonesian sign languages

Bisindo, short for "Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia," is the sign language used by the deaf community in Indonesia. Recognized as an official language, Bisindo plays a crucial role in facilitating communication for individuals with hearing impairments across the archipelago. Bisindo incorporates regional signs, reflecting the diverse cultures and languages found in Indonesia. This characteristic allows it to adapt and evolve, making it relevant to various communities while maintaining a cohesive linguistic identity. On the other hand, SIBI, or "Sistem Isyarat Bahasa Indonesia," is a system of Indonesian sign language that was developed to standardize communication among the deaf community in Indonesia. It was introduced to facilitate education and communication for deaf individuals, especially in formal settings. To simplify them, SIBI is the standard language and Bisindo is the colloquial language. I chose to learn Bisindo because this is what they use in daily life. Luck...

Penang Hokkien language: The sister language of my native language

With John Ong from the Penang Hokkien Podcast 庇能福建 Penang Hokkien is a unique dialect spoken primarily in Penang, Malaysia. It's a vibrant blend of Hokkien, a Chinese language, with strong influences from Malay, English, and other local languages. Like many other dialects, Penang Hokkien faces the challenge of declining use among younger generations who increasingly favor Mandarin and English. As a Medan Hokkien person, I understand Penang Hokkien almost without effort. Medan Hokkien and Penang Hokkien share a common root in the Hokkien language, originating from Fujian, China. Both dialects exhibit significant influence from the surrounding languages, like Dutch and Indonesian in Medan, and English and Malay in Penang.

Learn a Language Through Your Hobby

Learning a language is easier when you use things you already love. Turning your hobby into language practice makes studying fun and real. Find hobby materials in the target language Read blogs, magazines, or books in the language. Watch YouTube tutorials and short videos about your hobby. Join groups and talk with others Find Facebook groups, Reddit communities, or Discord channels for your hobby in the target language. Comment, ask simple questions, and use voice messages to practice speaking. Practice every day, in small steps Set a goal: learn 8-12 new words each week. Spend 10–20 minutes daily reading, listening, or speaking about your hobby. Use study tools with real content Make flashcards (Anki, Quizlet) with pictures of items and phrases. Watch videos with subtitles in the target language, then try without subtitles. Start small, keep it fun, and your hobby will guide your language progress.

Usefulness of Southeast Asian Languages in Taiwan

Taiwan has become a hub for Southeast Asian workers, students, and businesses. Languages such as Vietnamese, Tagalog, Indonesian, and Thai are increasingly important in daily life and in the job market. Workforce Many migrant workers in Taiwan come from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. This creates demand for communication in these languages in industries like manufacturing, caregiving, and construction. Government Policy Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy promotes closer ties with Southeast Asia. The Ministry of Education has run language programs since 2017, teaching over 30,000 students Indonesian, Thai, Malay, Burmese, and Vietnamese languages. These classes now include professional vocabulary for business and trade. Job Market Demand Job postings in Taiwan show clear demand for Southeast Asian language skills. For example: Philippine Airlines in Taipei hires customer service staff fluent in Tagalog. Translation, customer service, and trade companies list vacancies re...

South African languages in Taiwan: Afrikaans, Zulu, Tswana, Tsonga

Taiwan’s linguistic landscape is famously diverse, shaped by Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and Indigenous Austronesian tongues. Yet, in recent years, a small but notable presence of South African languages has emerged, carried by expatriates, students, and professionals. Afrikaans started in South Africa in the 1600s among Dutch settlers. It is similar to Dutch but easier in grammar. It also took words from Malay, Portuguese, and African languages. Today, it is spoken by about 7 million people in South Africa and Namibia. Zulu is the most spoken home language in South Africa. It is part of the Bantu family and uses click sounds. There are over 8 million native speakers in South Africa. Tswana (also called Setswana) is mainly spoken in Botswana, where it is the national language, and also in South Africa. It belongs to the Sotho-Tswana group of Bantu languages. It is spoken by around 4.5 million people in Botswana and South Africa. Tsonga (or Xitsonga) is spoken in southern Mozamb...

Henghwa language: A distinctive Min dialect

Henghwa, also known as Hockchew, is a fascinating Min Chinese dialect primarily spoken in the Henghua region of Fujian province, China. It is one of the many dialects within the Min language group, which is known for its linguistic diversity and complexity. Henghwa is particularly notable for its unique phonetics and tonal characteristics, which can be quite different from other Min dialects such as Hokkien and Teochew. The dialect is spoken by approximately one million people, both in China and among overseas Chinese communities, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. I find this language different from any Chinese language I know. It certainly poses a higher difficulty for me to learn, even compared to the most difficult Chinese language I have learned, like Shanghainese.

Getting to Know the Georgian Language

Georgian is the main language of Georgia, between Europe and Asia. Around 3.7 million people speak Georgian as their first language. It is part of the Kartvelian language family and is not related to Indo-European languages like English or Russian. Unique alphabet and writing Georgian uses its own script called Mkhedruli. It has 33 letters and is written left to right. The letters look round and are easy to learn with practice. Sound and grammar Georgian has many consonants and clear vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). It uses a system of verb agreement with the subject and the object. Verbs can show a lot of information in one word. Nouns do not have grammatical gender. Where is it used? Spoken mainly in Georgia and small Georgian communities in Turkey, Russia, Iran, and elsewhere. It is the official language of Georgia, used in media, education, and government.

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