Not sure if I’ve posted in the right place… but here goes…I’ve wanted to learn Taiwanese 台語 for a long time. I recently completed the CELTA course and had hoped that I could teach English in Taiwan whilst learning Taiwanese. Unfortunately, I found out during the job hunt, that i don’t have the right passport to teach EFL legally (I’m Singaporean). Needless to say, I was - and still am - hugely disappointed.
Anyway, seeing that my chances of being in Taiwan for extended periods of time are slim, is it still possible for me to learn Taiwanese effectively?
So far, I’ve been learning the language via websites like http://www.fyan8.com/minnan/taiyu.htm, http://www.mina.ks.edu.tw/ and Taiwanese songs. However, I find that I’ve reached a point where i need somebody to model the language and correct my mistakes.
You’re in Singapore??? Half the Chinese-speaking population of Singapore over 30 speak Taiwanese It’s Hokkien or Min-nan Yu. The version you guys speak there is a little closer to pure Fujianese, but it’s still close enough to Taiwanese Taiwanese that most Taiwanese people think it’s easier to speak Taiyu to a Singaporean/Malaysian than Mandarin! An Indian friend of mine from Singapore’s dad speaks fluent Hokkein, just because he learnt it around the temples apparently
If you learn Hokkein, you can pick up Taiwanese fairly easy.
Otherwise, look for a Taiwanese national living in Singapore and see if they’d be willing to tutor you.
I’m actually of Hokkien descent. My grandparents are from Fujian Province.
I know some basic Hokkien to be able to hold simple conversations with my grandma. What I would like to learn are proper pronunciation, the different tones, the rules behind them, etc. I think I’ve been mangling the language all this time I’ve been speaking it (or trying to speak it)
Well, hopefully I’ll find somebody who’s willing to teach me :discodance:
You should try to buy the Maryknoll materials. They supposedly have some online materials as well. Their textbooks have clear explanations of the pronunciation etc.
@Feiren
Very nice link ty! Have you heard of Bodman’s Spoken Amoy Hokkien? Do you know which is better, Maryknoll’s or Bodman’s resources? (Amoy Hokkien is the variety spoken in Xiamen, which is where many of our forefathers came from)
@Tsuki
Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away when i was still a teeny tiny tot. My grandma’s 93 and has to ask my name every 5 minutes. I visit her often, but understandably, the range of things we talk about is quite limited. Now I regret not being serious about learning my mother tongue
I’d say our local Hokkien has its nuances. It sounds different from Taiwanese, but I think they are mutually intelligible to speakers. We do borrow from other languages such as Malay, so there’s definitely a difference in lexical items.
[quote=“lardandweed”]@Feiren
Very nice link ty! Have you heard of Bodman’s Spoken Amoy Hokkien? Do you know which is better, Maryknoll’s or Bodman’s resources? (Amoy Hokkien is the variety spoken in Xiamen, which is where many of our forefathers came from)[/quote]
I have the Bodman books, plus the Taiwanese dialogue extension book, but I’d recommend the Maryknoll books over Bodman.
Yep, and Taiwanese has a lot of lexical influence from Japanese, and increasingly also from Mandarin. Mrs Taffy (she being from Zhanghua, central Taiwan) works with Singaporeans and while the two sides have a chuckle at each other’s odd vocabulary and pronunciation, there are no huge obstacles to communication.
There are a few resources that you may find useful available at my website (click the banner below to get there).
It’s Hokkien or Min-nan Yu. The version you guys speak there is a little closer to pure Fujianese, but it’s still close enough to Taiwanese Taiwanese that most Taiwanese people think it’s easier to speak Taiyu to a Singaporean/Malaysian than Mandarin! An Indian friend of mine from Singapore’s dad speaks fluent Hokkein, just because he learnt it around the temples apparently 
