As a Taiwanese-American who never learned Chinese or Taiwanese while growing up, the Taiwanese language has been a great source of mystery to me. The mere thought of tackling a language with seven tones makes me quake in fear, and the fact that my father never knows what I’m trying to say (even when I’m only repeating the phrase he just said) is equally demotivating. Thankfully, Bite-size Taiwanese is here to help!
Launched in 2019, Bite-size Taiwanese is the project of Phil Lin, Alan Chen, and Phín-tsì Kí. Acting as the face—or voice—of the podcast, creator Lin and audio editor Chen co-host the podcast series, while Kí is responsible for designing the curriculum. All three members of Bite-size Taiwanese talk about the joy of discovering Taiwanese as adults and the importance of using Taiwanese to connect with Taiwanese culture; Bite-size Taiwanese, while catering specifically to English-speaking learners, rides on the wave of increasing interest around preserving Taiwanese.
Why would Taiwanese need to be preserved? Although the video below does a brilliant job of explaining the history of and the stigma surrounding Taiwanese, the brief explanation is that it’s due to government policies put into place when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) took over Taiwan after World War II.
Taiwanese (also known as Taigi or 台語) originates from the Southern Min dialect of Chinese, which then mixed with Japanese and cultural influences to create a variant of Hokkien that is unique to Taiwan. Because Taiwanese does not have a writing system of its own, it’s often considered a dialect rather than a language. However, as Kí notes in his presentation for TACL’s Taiwan Fest, Taiwanese is not mutually intelligible with Chinese and it’s classified as a national language in Taiwan.
At the time that the KMT came to Taiwan, Mandarin was a foreign language to the people of Taiwan, but many knew Japanese due to their years living under Japanese rule. Therefore, to enforce Mandarin as the national language and counteract the influence of Japan in Taiwan, the KMT forbid the usage of Japanese, Taiwanese, Hakka, and indigenous languages in schools. Any students who were caught violating this rule were forced to wear a sign that said “I love speaking Mandarin” around their necks. Naturally, many children developed an aversion to speaking Taiwanese as a result.
Despite the KMT’s efforts to eradicate Taiwanese, interest in preserving Taiwanese and other indigenous languages flourished in the 2000s. This led Taiwan to pass the Indigenous Languages Development Act in 2017 and the National Languages Development Act in 2018. Similar to the protection efforts that came before it, Bite-size Taiwanese continues the trend of celebrating Taiwanese by spreading the language to a wider audience.
By allowing the listener to choose from three different series, Bite-size Taiwanese makes it easy for learners of any level to jump straight into learning. In the Newbie Level, the two hosts introduce some simple phrases for people who don’t have any prior knowledge of Taiwanese. The slow pace Lin and Chen set as they repeat each phrase is an absolute godsend for someone like me who’s practically tone-deaf!
In contrast to the Newbie Level, the Elementary Level assumes that the listener knows some Taiwanese already. Instead of teaching phrases, the focus is on explaining the grammar and culture associated with some common phrases. With help from the Elementary Level, the listener can begin to create their own sentences and learn more about when to use certain words or phrases.
The last series is called Pronounce it like a Pro, and—as the name suggests—it targets pronunciation and common problem areas for English speakers. Throughout the 10-episode series, Lin and Chen go more in-depth into tones, nasal sounds, and dialects. This series of episodes is a perfect supplement for anyone who struggles with tones (me) or needs more listening practice (also me).
And, if you’re a visual learner then have no fear! In addition to lengthy written explanations posted underneath each podcast, Bite-size Taiwanese also has a workbook available for sale. Each chapter features a lesson review, a list of vocabulary, exercises, and an answer key. Additionally, Bite-size Taiwanese has also released a vocabulary builder, which explains new vocabulary in the context of Taiwan’s culture and history.
Full of Taiwanese history and clearly presented, Bite-size Taiwanese is the perfect introduction to Taiwanese for even the most timid learner. Maybe someday, when someone asks me “Can you speak Taiwanese?” I’ll be able to answer confidently, “Guá ē-hiáu!”
(Featured Image by Bite-size Taiwanese via Bite-size Taiwanese)
Taiwan Culture Corner 
This is such a cool project! The linguistic history of Taiwan is so interesting–I didn’t realise a) how Taiwanese came into existence, b) how many different languages exist in Taiwan’s history. It’s really heartening to see people stepping up to not only preserve but also teach Taiwanese to the next generation. Kám-siā! This was a really informative post!
LikeLike