Promulgated on Jan. 9, 2019, the Development of National Languages Act makes it clear that “national language as referred to in this Act shall mean the natural languages and sign languages used by the different ethnic groups in Taiwan” and that “all national languages shall be equal; nationals using a national language shall not be discriminated against or face restrictions.”
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said the government is determined to integrate resources from across ministries to facilitate the sustainable development of Taiwan’s national languages.
Noting that our mother tongues have reached a critical moment for survival, Premier Su said it is necessary to actively promote the use of national languages in daily life, be it in households or in communities, so as to protect language rights in the country.
As MOC pointed out, except for Taiwanese Mandarin, native languages including Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese indigenous languages, Taiwanese Hakka, Matsu dialect, and Taiwanese sign language are all in crisis, facing a huge language gap between generations.
In the past, HAC, CIP, and MOE were usually responsible for the government’s language-related affairs. This resulted in the lack of resources for Taiwan’s national languages that were not recognized by law.
Hence, MOC integrated the language-related affairs and funding needs of CIP, HAC and MOE, and the four jointly proposed the “Overall Development Plan of Promoting National Languages,” hoping to promote inter-ministerial cooperation to implement the daily use, preservation, transmission, and sustainable development of Taiwan’s native languages.