Language, Culture and Identity: Romanization in Taiwan and Its Implications

Abstract

Language is seldom merely a tool for communication. It is often marred with political forces and evolves with a society's social and historical particularities. Taiwan's case in particular demonstrates the intricate relationship between language and politics due to its colonial past, the Nationalist government's tendentious cultural policy, and its multi-ethnic nature. This paper examines the multi-layered politics embedded in Taiwan's various Romanization schemes and practices throughout the twentieth century. It will first offer an overview of the Romanization schemes introduced in Taiwan and then select three cases as examples to illustrate the relationship between language and interethnic exchange in different stages of modern Taiwanese history. The primary case study will be Cai Peihuo's (1889-1983) Romanization project, whereas the ruling parties' Romanization proposals in post-war Taiwan and the Romanized transliteration in Taiwan's aboriginal literature will be discussed as additional examples. This paper identifies a number of different ways in which Romanization has been utilized: as a tool to eliminate illiteracy, as a means of being in line with the international pinyin practice, and as an attempt to write in one's tribal languages. Finally, it will discuss the implications as exemplified by the three cases in point.