Paris Language School Offers Elective Course in Taiwanese Taigi

French language and culture institute INALCO is bringing Taiwan to its students thanks to an elective course that is unique in the country.

Transcript

00:00Here in this Paris classroom, a lecture unlike anything you'll find elsewhere in France is underway.

00:08Under the guidance of Pindong County native Liu Jianyue, these students are picking up a piece of Taiwan,

00:13in the form of one of the country's major languages.

00:16Just what to call this language can be a bit contentious.

00:20On the official wall of languages offered, this university, in Aokou, just uses the word Taiwanese,

00:26though others might prefer a range of names, from Taiwanese Dai Yi to Taiwanese Hokkien to Hoklo or Minnan.

00:33But whatever name is used to refer to the language, it is the ancestral tongue of much of Taiwan's population.

00:39And in the five years since this course opened, over 400 students have taken it as an elective course,

00:44as part of a degree in Mandarin Chinese.

00:47For some, the reasons are very personal.

00:56Claire didn't grow up with this language, but hopes studying it will help her better connect with her Taiwanese mother.

01:07Though Taiwanese Tai Yi belongs to the same language family as Mandarin,

01:10even students with the requisite three years will find plenty of fresh challenges.

01:15For one thing, there are around twice as many tones to master as in Mandarin.

01:19And unlike in Mandarin, what you see isn't what you get.

01:22Within words and phrases, tones swap positions according to an intricate set of rules

01:27that come naturally to native speakers, but which learners must master.

01:31Those who take the plunge are rewarded, though.

01:38With the real deal, including, say, some of the pop songs that are a real part of everyday life in Taiwan.

01:44But giving students here this special peek hasn't been simple,

01:47due to sensitivities over anything called Taiwanese, given China's claims to Taiwan.

01:52Instructor Liu Jianyue is proud to give his students a special look into his homeland.

02:17In the halls of this esteemed French Center of Language Learning,

02:35a tongue with close ties to Taiwan takes its place.

02:38Howard Zhang and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.

02:41.

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03:01.