Language use and language attitudes among Taiwanese elementary school students in native language instruction programs: A study on language maintenance, language shift, and language planning in Taiwan

This study was an attempt to document the nature and scope of Taiwan's language-maintenance policy with a particular focus on language-in-education policy and its implementation through native language instruction in elementary schools. In particular, the study documented language use patterns of Southern Min and Hakka native speakers, the extent to which they used Mandarin, and the social domains in which Mandarin was used, and finally, the relationship between certain sociocultural and linguistic factors and the students' use of Mandarin at home.;A survey questionnaire was used to collect language-use and language-attitude data from 200 elementary school students who came from homes where Southern Min or Hakka was spoken, and attended native language classes. Among them, 40 students representative of the larger student sample were interviewed. A pilot study with a smaller sample population was also conducted to test the practicability and effectiveness of the survey questionnaire and the interview questions. The results of the language-use survey showed that a significant shift toward Mandarin has taken place among this student population. The Hakka and urban students experienced an even greater shift than their Southern Min and rural counterparts. In spite of this great shift, the majority of the respondents were still bilingual speakers in their native language and Mandarin. The results of the language-attitude survey revealed that most respondents held positive attitudes toward Southern Min and Hakka languages, as well as toward the maintenance of these languages in Taiwan. It was also found that many interviewed students associated Southern Min and Hakka with in-group solidarity and with Taiwan's native culture and traditions.;Based on the results of this and previous empirical studies done in Taiwan, recommendations regarding Southern Min and Hakka program design and implementation were provided for both language planners and language-in-education policy makers.