'Strive for Taiwanese' Touring Exhibition Launches to Encourage Mother Tongue Co-learning

(CNA, Taipei, 21st, by reporter Chao Ching-yu) The Ministry of Culture's "Strive for Taiwanese (piànn Tâi-gí) Touring Exhibition," part of its project to foster Taiwanese-speaking families, launched today at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. This year, the project has added a "Community Promotion Category," allowing people aged 18 and over to form teams with friends to co-learn their mother tongue. At the press conference, Li Yuan delivered his speech in Taiwanese, stating that Taiwanese is not his mother tongue. He recalled that in his childhood, his entire class spoke Taiwanese except for him. He later learned by listening to Taiwanese songs like "Mom, Please Take Care of Yourself Too," "Mom, I'm Also Very Healthy," and "Hometown at Dusk." "The very first Taiwanese word I ever learned was 'mother,'" he said. Li Yuan expressed that languages are meant to be spoken. "Recently, Taiwanese picture books or novels have won top awards, not because they are in Taiwanese, but because many stories, when told in Taiwanese, can get closer to the truth." Li Yuan shared his experience producing the 8 PM drama series "The Gangster Teacher," noting, "The Taiwanese vocabulary used in it was elegant; this is my affection for the Taiwanese language." The Ministry of Culture has been promoting the "Fostering Taiwanese-speaking Families Project" since November 2024, encouraging the speaking of Taiwanese through family co-learning and daily life practice. This year, the addition of the "Community Promotion Category" allows adults aged 18 and over to freely form teams, extending mother tongue co-learning from the family to friends, peers, and neighborhood communities, thereby expanding the contexts and demographics for Taiwanese language use. This year also sees optimization of the challenge mechanism and digital services, including a new system where learning points can be carried over to the next year and integration of the LINE official account function. After linking their accounts, users can download Taiwanese lifestyle stickers "Ah-muí-á, Ah-tí-á" created by illustrator "Dàtóu'ér," and check their point progress and project information with a single click, enhancing the convenience and sustainability of long-term mother tongue learning. Attendees at today's exhibition opening ceremony included Chou Ching-yu, chairwoman of the Advancement of Education and Culture Foundation; Fang Yao-chien, distinguished professor at National Taichung University of Education's Department of Taiwanese Languages and Literature; Lin Hsiu-che, professor emeritus at National Chengchi University's Department of Ethnology; Chen Feng-huei, CEO of the Li Chiang-khue Taiwanese Literature Foundation; and Corn Chen, author of the picture book "If I Were a Postman." Influencer Jui, who gained popularity with his brother Jui and Tung-Tzu for a Taiwanese opera video, shared that they couldn't speak Taiwanese before but joined a Taiwanese theater group. "Sometimes telling jokes can also improve your Taiwanese, and you get better and better," he said. Ginger from the band Sorry Youth, who composes entirely in Taiwanese, said, "Singing in Taiwanese is great companionship." Dong Li-xuan, chairman of the Taiwanese Language Path Association, stated that the family is the starting point for language inheritance, and adding the community ensures that speaking Taiwanese is not a solitary endeavor. The first stop of the "Strive for Taiwanese (piànn Tâi-gí) Touring Exhibition" is at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.