Japanese Models, Chinese Culture and the Dilemma of Taiwanese Language Reform (Studia Formosiana)

The history of language modernization in East Asia has been discussed in literature covering Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam, but to date the case of Taiwan remained unexplored. The increasing prominence of Taiwan on the international scene necessitates a deeper understanding of its linguistic culture that is equally prone to the sensitivities and current pattern of globalization. Precisely in this context, this study by Ann Heylen examines the history and nature of language modernization in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). Japanese colonization of the island was one of the major currents propelling the discourse on language reform. The colonized elite came to reflect on the state of their spoken and written Chinese languages, and more specifically, the channels by which they adopted contemporaneous models of language. Focus of attention are three language reform movements that emerged throughout the 1920s and 1930s and the arguments each of them presented in selecting a linguistic norm as an appropriate means to counter the Japanese foreign language imposition and its cultural ideology. These three were the Romanized Taiwanese, Mandarin baihuawen and Written Taiwanese movements. How did they emerge in the colonial context? How significant was the influence of the May Fourth movement and model of Chinese language standardization? What were the major arguments for and against the Written Taiwanese movement? To what extent was each movement tolerated or not by the Japanese colonial authorities, and what was the response of society at large? And last but not least: What is their relevance for present day Taiwanese issues on language and culture in identity formation? Cover 1 Titel Page 4 Copyright 5 Table of Contents 6 Body 8 Introduction 8 Chapter 1: Taiwan’s Historico-Linguistic Setting 12 Introduction 12 Patterns of Migration and Development 12 Organization of Qing Culture 14 The Chinese Settlers and their Languages 17 Poetry Societies and the Emergence of a Taiwanese Elite 22 The Making of a Province 24 Conclusion 27 Chapter 2: The Japanese Regime 28 Introduction 28 The Meiji Restoration and Expansionism 28 The Annexation to Colonial Modernity 30 Policies of Japanese Linguistic Colonialism 34 Early Japanese-Chinese Language Accommodation in Education 38 The Asset of Chinese Literacy 45 The Janus-Face of Assimilation 49 Conclusion 52 Chapter 3: The Romanized Taiwanese Movement 54 Introduction 54 Introducing Cai Peihuo 56 Cai Peihuo’s Education and Activism in Tokyo 58 Cai Peihuo’s Vision of Assimilation 63 Systems of Culture and Language 67 The Model of the Orthographic Innovation 71 Generating Support for Romanized Taiwanese 73 The Model in Society: Limited Chances for Social Acceptance 77 Narrating the Pros and Cons of Romanized Taiwanese 82 The Promise of a New Orthography 88 Conclusion 93 Chapter 4: The Mandarin Baihuawen Movement 96 Introduction 96 Educational Reform in the Colony 99 Framing Educational Grievances and Demands 103 Japanese Support 108 Reforming the Shobō 110 Imagining Hanwen as the Cultural Bridge between Japan and China 112 The Ineloquence of the Chinese Literary Language 115 The Two Huangs and the China Experience 118 Turning the Tables of Cultural-Linguistic Superposition 120 The Taiwan Minpao: Consolidating the Local Power Base 125 Getting the Language Right 128 Conflicting Repertoires 132 Learning the Linguistic Code 135 The Spoken Dilemma 138 The Cultural Market 141 Furthering the Educational Debate 144 Conclusion 149 Chapter 5: The Written Taiwanese Movement 152 Introduction 152 The Future of the Taiwanese Language 153 Taiwanese Aspirations 157 The Taiwanese Language under Construction: The Linguistic Debate 160 Selecting the Character-Database 163 Lian Yatang and a Return to Kaozheng Scholarship (wenzixue) 164 Guo Qiusheng: Creating Characters (wenzihua) 167 The Problem of Pronunciation: Balancing the Reading and Colloquial Forms 169 The Discourse on Language and Dialect 171 Attempts toward Codification: Standardizing Pronunciation 174 The Appeal of Mandarin Baihuawen: Purists versus Reformers 176 The Historical Mission of Written Taiwanese 180 Back to the Beginning: The Ideological Significance of Folklore 183 The “Language of Literature” in the 1930s 185 The Japanese Colonial Environment 189 Conclusion 193 Epilogue 196 Bibliography 202 Index 236 The history of language modernization in East Asia has been discussed in literature covering Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, but to date the case Taiwan remained unexplored. The increasing prominence of Taiwan on the international scene necessitates a deeper understanding of its linguistic culture that is equally prone to the sensitivities and current pattern of globalization. Precisely in this context, the study by Ann Heylen examines the history and nature of language modernization in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). Japanese colonization of the island was one of the major currents propelling the discourse on language reform. The colonized elite came to reflect on the state of their spoken and written Chinese languages, and more specifically, the channels by which they adopted contemporaneous models of language. Focus of attention are three language reform movements that emerged throughout the 1920s and 1930s and the arguments each of them presented in selecting a linguistic norm as an appropriate means to counter the Japanese foreign language imposition and its cultural ideology. These three were the Romanized Taiwanese, Mandarin baihuawen and Written Taiwanese movements. How did they emerge in the colonial context? How significant was the influence of the May Fourth movement and model of Chinese language standardization? What were the major arguments for and against the Written Taiwanese movement? To what extent was each movement tolerated or not by the Japanese colonial authorities, and what was the response of society at large? And last but not least: What is their relevance for present day Taiwanese issues on language and culture in identity formation?