A group of nongovernmental organizations has been tasked with spearheading efforts to preserve the languages of Taiwan’s 16 officially recognized indigenous tribes, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples.
Unveiled Feb. 20 in New Taipei City on the eve of International Mother Language Day, the NGOs are each responsible for one indigenous tongue. They will receive government funding to launch instructor training programs, produce teaching materials and strengthen use of the languages in areas spanning competitions, festivals and radio programs.
The organizations are also working with the CIP to map out development plans in accordance with each language’s risk of falling out of use. Participating groups include Taitung County Orchid Island Catholic Culture Research and Development Association for the Tao language; Taiwan Indigenous Language Development Society for Paiwan; and Yofayof no Palofasaray to Sowal no Pangcah i Taiwan for Amis.
CIP Minister Icyang Parod said that empowering these organizations to drive revitalization efforts will ensure that the unique preservation needs of each language are met. Selection of the groups also underscores the government’s commitment to implementing the Indigenous Languages Development Act and protecting the nation’s linguistic diversity, he added.
Taking effect in June 2017, the legislation designates indigenous tongues as national languages and outlines a host of measures to preserve them and advance their use. Icyang said that the law was a key factor in Taiwan’s excellent score of 93 out of 100, a two-point year-on-year increase, in the 2018 Freedom in the World report published by U.S.-based Freedom House.
According to the CIP, a total of 152 personnel specializing in indigenous dialects have been recruited by local government agencies like township offices since the law was enacted. Other measures include the establishment of indigenous language learning centers at seven universities, as well as the launch of a project to enlist fluent tribepeople as teachers for critically endangered languages such as Hla’alua, Kanakanavu, Kavalan and Thao.
Also under the act, the CIP is preparing to set up an indigenous languages research foundation. This institution is expected to serve as Taiwan’s foremost center for related linguistic studies, certification system development, and dictionary design and publication, the council said.
Indigenous peoples have lived in Taiwan for millenniums. The latest CIP statistics revealed that the population of the country’s 16 officially recognized tribes stands at around 560,000, or 2.3 percent of the total 23.5 million. (CPY-E)
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