Redeem the glory of speaking mother language
Hakka Affairs Council Minister Yung-De Lee and National Central University President Jing-Yang Jou in a group photo with other guest experts at the conference.
National Central University (NCU) and the Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) hosted the International Conference on Revitalization of the Hakka Language and Minority Language. 11 experts with grass-root experience and academic excellence from Finland, Belgium, Germany, UK, France, Spain, and Japan were invited to participate and share their valuable knowledge.
HAC Minister Yung-De Lee said, with this year coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Taiwan Hakka Movement, the conference was held in hope of reviving minority groups’ languages in Taiwan with the help of the experts’ experiences. He added that a language bears a unique hallmark of a culture, making it an important mean to gain insight into a country or people. However, with the advancement of translation technologies, fewer people are using their mother tongue. He encourages the public to embrace their natal tongues and bridge the language gaps.
NCU President Jing-Yang Jou added, College of Hakka Studies has dedicated to Hakkaacademic research, talent training and culture promotion. In alliance with the newly amended Hakka Basic Act, it has committed to reviving the Hakka language, establishing research database, and nurturing Hakka teachers and talents. Jou shared his personal anecdote of when he served for the conscripted service in Kaohsiung: locals were less responsive when he tried to ask for directions in Standard Mandarin, but after he started talking to them in Taiwanese Hokkien（Taiwanese Southern Min）, he was received with great enthusiasm. The president explains that his story was a testament to how mother tongue brings people closer, as it is an essential element in building one’s cultural identity.
