Taiwanese Mandarin

Taiwanese Mandarin (zh-tpw|t=台灣國語|p=Táiwān Guóyǔ|w=T'ai²-wan¹ Kuo²-yü³; also 台灣華語, Táiwān Huáyǔ) is the dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in Taiwan.

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. It 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 Kuomintang's Republic of China, Mandarin was introduced as the official language and made compulsory in schools. (From 1895 to 1945, Japanese was the official language and taught in schools.) Since then, Mandarin has been established as a "lingua franca" among the various groups in Taiwan: the majority Minnan-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 acrolectal 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" (普通话 "Pǔtōnghuà") (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" (國語 "Guóyǔ").

Variant official pronunciations

There are a few [http://www.zhongwen.com/x/guopu.htm differences] in official pronunciations, mainly in tone, between "Guoyu" and "Putonghua".

The following is a partial list of such differences:

Loan words

= From English =

* The term "machi" ( Pinyin: májí) is borrowed from the English term "match", and is used to describe items or people which complement each other.
**Note: has become popular in the PRC as well.
*The English term "hamburger" has been adopted in many Chinese speaking communities. In Taiwan, the preferred form is (Pinyin: hànbǎo) rather than (Pinyin: hànbǎobāo).
**Note: 漢堡 has become popular in the PRC as well.
*The term "Fensi 粉絲" is borrowed from the English term "fans", and is used to describe fans or people who idolize a superstar.
**Note: 粉絲 has become popular in the PRC as well.

From Taiwanese

* The terms " _zh. 阿公 "agōng" and " _zh. 阿嬤 "amà" are more commonly heard than the standard Mandarin _zh. 爺爺 "yéye" (paternal grandfather), _zh. 外公 "wàigōng" (maternal grandfather), _zh. 奶奶 "nǎinai" (paternal grandmother) and _zh. 外婆 "wàipó" (maternal grandmother).
* Some local foods usually are referred to using their Taiwanese names. These include:
| _zh. 惡霸
| _zh. 喜歡
| _zh. 害羞
| _zh. 落空
| _zh. 不乾脆
| description for food -- soft and pliable (like mochi cakes)
-
LKK
| old and senile
-
_zh. 落跑
| to run away; to flee; to escape
-
_zh. 趴趴走
| to rush about or around
-
_zh. 歹勢
| I beg your pardon; I am sorry; Excuse me.
-
_zh. 速配
| to be well suited to each other
-
-
_zh. 代誌
| an event; a matter; an affair
-
_zh. 凍未條
| ¹can not bear something
| _zh. 當選
| _zh. 腦筋有問題
| _zh. 出軌
| _zh. 司機
| _zh. 悶悶不樂

Technical terms

! English
-
_zh. 部落格 (bùluògé)
_zh. 计算机 (jìsuànjī)
Optical disc
-
_zh. 滑鼠 (huáshǔ)
_zh. 出租车 (chūzūchē)
Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU)
-
_zh. 雷射 (léishè)
_zh. 录像机 (lùxiàngjī)
software
-
_zh. 伺服器 (sìfú qì)
_zh. 互联网 (hùliánwǎng)
computer printer
-
_zh. 硬碟 (yìngdié)
_zh. 显示器 (xiǎnshìqì)
database
-
_zh. 資訊 (zīxùn)
_zh. 操作系统 (cāozuò xìtǒng)! English
-
(chuí shǒu kě dé)
(yī cù ér jiù)
.

Words specific to living in Taiwan

Notes

References

* [http://www.chinese-course.com Taiwanese Mandarin Online Course]
* [http://www.zhongwen.com Zhongwen.com]
* Tseng, Hsin-I. (2003). The syntax structures of contemporary Taiwanese Mandarin [當代台灣國語的句法結構] . Unpublished master's thesis, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei.
* [http://www.fareast.com.tw 台灣話大詞典　(Tâi-ôan-ōe tōa-sû-tián), ISBN 9573240785]
* cite web
url = http://203.64.42.21/iug/ungian/SoannTeng/chil/taihoa.asp
title = On-line Taiwanese/Mandarin Dictionary (Tai-gi hôa-gí sòaⁿ-téng sû-tián)
language = Taiwanese/Mandarin/English