| Taiwanese Mandarin |
Article Index for Taiwanese |
Website Links For Taiwanese |
Information AboutTaiwanese Mandarin |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TAIWANESE MANDARIN | |
| languages of taiwan | |
| mandarin linguistics | |
| taiwanese culture | |
| chinese language | |
| chinese dialects | |
| tonal languages | |
|
The official Standard Mandarin of the Republic Of China , known in Taiwan as 國語 (''Guóyǔ'', ''Kuo-yü''), is based on the phonology of the Beijing Dialect and the grammar of Vernacular Chinese is almost identical to the standard of Mandarin used in the People's Republic Of China , known in Mainland China as ''Pǔtōnghuà'' (普通话); the differences between the two are mainly due to the separation of the two sides since 1949 as well as the Period Of Japanese Rule from 1895 to 1945 . However, Mandarin as spoken informally in Taiwan has some notable differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation with Standard Mandarin , which have arisen by virtue of contact with native Taiwanese ( Amoy Min Nan ) speakers. USAGE In 1945 when the island of Taiwan came under the control of the -speaking Hoklo (Hokkien), the Hakka who have their own Spoken Language , Mainlanders whose native tongue may be any Chinese variant in mainland China, and the Indigenous Taiwanese who speak Indigenous languages. Until the 1980s the Kuomintang administration heavily promoted the use of Standard Mandarin and discouraged the use of Taiwanese and other vernaculars, even portraying them as inferior. Mandarin was the only sanctioned language for use in the media. This produced a backlash in the 1990s. Although some more extreme supporters of Taiwan Independence tend to be opposed to standard Mandarin in favor of Taiwanese, efforts to replace standard Mandarin either with Taiwanese or with a multi-lingual standard have remained stalled. Today, Mandarin is taught by immersion starting in elementary school. After the second grade, the entire educational system is in Mandarin, except for local language classes that have been taught for a few hours each week starting in the mid-1990s. Taiwanese Mandarin (as with Singlish and many other situations of a Creole Speech Community ) is spoken at different levels according to the social class and situation of the speakers. Formal occasions call for the Acrotectal level of ''Guoyu'', which in practice differs little from ''Putonghua''. Less formal situations often result in the Basilect form, which has more uniquely Taiwanese features. Bilingual Taiwanese speakers often Code-switch between Mandarin and Taiwanese, sometimes in the same sentence. Mandarin is spoken fluently by almost the entire Taiwanese population, except for some elderly people who were educated under Japanese rule. In the capital Taipei , where there is a high concentration of Mainlanders whose native language is not Taiwanese, Mandarin is used in greater frequency than in southern and rural Taiwan. DIFFERENCES FROM STANDARD MANDARIN Pronunciation There are two categories of pronunciation differences. The first is of characters that have an official pronunciation that differs from ''Putonghua'' (this mainly means a difference in Tone rather than vowels or consonants). The second is more general, with differences being unofficial and arising through the influence of Taiwanese on ''Guoyu''. Variant official pronunciations There are a few differences in official pronunciations, mainly in Tone , between ''Guoyu'' and ''Putonghua''. A full list is available at http://www.zhongwen.com/x/guopu.htm. The following is a partial list of such differences, with Putonghua pronunciation first and Guoyu pronunciation second:
Taiwanese-influenced In Acrolect al Taiwanese Mandarin:
In Basilect al Taiwanese Mandarin, sounds that do not occur in Taiwanese are replaced by sounds from that language. These variations from Standard Mandarin are similar to the variations of Mandarin spoken in southern China. Using the Hanyu Pinyin system, the following sound changes take place (going from ''Putonghua'' to Taiwanese Mandarin followed with an example):
Grammar The ''Putonghua'' construct (have or not have) is not used in Taiwanese Mandarin. For example: (lit. "you have a car or not have?") is not often found in Taiwanese Mandarin, where the preferred usage would be the alternative ''Putonghua'' construction (lit. "you have or not have a car?"). Both phrases have the same meaning of "Do you have a car?" In some contexts, the construction involving is often used where the sentence final particle would normally be used to denote Perfect Aspect . For instance, a Taiwanese person would say "" to mean "Have you eaten?" whereas the preferred ''Putonghua'' is "". This is due to the influence of Taiwanese grammar which uses in a similar fashion. Difference between Taiwanese Mandarin and Chinese Mandarin Some terms have different meanings in Taiwan and mainland China. Often there are alternative unambiguous terms which can be understood by both sides. For instance:
Some terms can be understood by both sides to mean the same thing; however, their preferred usage differ.
Vocabulary Vocabulary differences can be divided into four categories – Loan Words , technological words, Idiom s, and words specific to living in Taiwan. Because of the limited transfer of information between mainland China and Taiwan after the Chinese civil war, many things that were invented after this split have different names in ''Guoyu'' and ''Putonghua''. Additionally, many terms were adopted from Japanese both as a result of its close proximity as well as Taiwan's status as a Japanese Colony in the first half of the 20th century. Loan words = From English
= From Taiwanese
|