TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s biggest language challenge is making Taiwanese, Indigenous languages, Hakka, sign language, Matsu, Kinmenese, and other national languages part of daily life, Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) said Sunday.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the National Languages Development Convention, Li said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s (黃仁勳) recent comments urging children to speak Taiwanese had drawn public attention. He said the remarks reminded people that protecting and passing on languages is not only a cultural or education issue, but a task for society as a whole.
“Language revival can happen only when more people care about their own languages, use them, and feel connected to them,” Li said.
Each language must be treated with dignity before it can be passed on in a healthy way, he added.
Li said the main goal is to help the next generation hear, learn, and use different languages naturally. That means bringing languages into homes, schools, communities, and the media, he said.
He also said Kinmenese has been approved by the Cabinet as a national language, following calls from Kinmen residents for official recognition.
CNA reported that the culture ministry will use suggestions from the convention in Taiwan’s second national language development report. It is also working with the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Hakka Affairs Council, and education ministry on a national language development plan for 2027-2031.
The plan has been sent to the Cabinet for review. Li said the government hopes to work with local governments, families, schools, and communities over the next five years to build a multilingual society with equal language rights.
The National Languages Development Convention is a government meeting about how to protect and promote Taiwan’s national languages. It brings together officials and civic groups to discuss the needs of different language communities.
