Taiwanese language
- noun
- The Taiwanese language uses different pronunciation and vocabulary from Mandarin.
Examples
-
Some schools offer courses in the Taiwanese language to preserve local culture.
-
Many people in southern Taiwan speak Taiwanese language at home with their families.
-
The Taiwanese language is rich in cultural expressions.
-
Many people in Taiwan speak the Taiwanese language fluently.
-
Many people in southern Taiwan speak Taiwanese language at home with their families.
-
Some schools offer courses in the Taiwanese language to preserve local culture.
-
The Taiwanese language uses different pronunciation and vocabulary from Mandarin.
Synonyms
1
7.9
A Chinese language spoken in Taiwan and parts of southern China
1
9.9
A Chinese dialect spoken in Xiamen and by Chinese communities in Southeast Asia
1
9.9
A Chinese language spoken in Fujian province and by many overseas communities, also called Hokkien
A group of Chinese dialects spoken mainly in Fujian province and by Chinese abroad, also called Hokkien or Minnan
A Chinese dialect spoken in Fujian province and by Chinese people abroad
A Chinese language spoken in southern Fujian and Taiwan
A group of Chinese dialects that people speak in Fujian province, for example Hokkien
A form of Chinese spoken in Fujian province and by people who moved to other countries
A form of Chinese people speak in Fujian province and nearby areas, also called Hokkien or Min Nan
A group of Chinese dialects spoken in Fujian and southeast China
A group of Chinese dialects spoken mainly in Fujian, like Hokkien and Teochew
A group of Chinese languages spoken mainly in Fujian province and nearby parts of southeast China
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'Taiwanese' (related to Taiwan) + 'language' (a named spoken system) yields 'a language associated with Taiwan', which a B1 learner who knows both words can infer. This follows a common adjective+noun pattern found cross-linguistically, so the expression is transparently understood even if the learner does not know the specific variety name (Hokkien/Minnan).
Etymology
The name Taiwanese language comes from the speech of people who moved from southern China to Taiwan many years ago. Those settlers kept their own speech, called 'Hokkien' or 'Minnan', so today Taiwanese language means this local language that is different from Mandarin.