| − | }}Taiwan's official language and medium of instruction is ''Guóyǔ'', a form of Northern Mandarin. Northern Mandarin is also standard on the mainland, but in a slightly different form called ''Pǔtōnghuà''. However, most Taiwanese speak one of the southern Fujianese languages, Minnan, also known as Taiwanese, as their first language. Recently there has been a growing use of Taiwanese in the broadcast media. The Hakka, who are concentrated in several counties throughout Taiwan, have their own distinct language. As a result of more than half a century of Japanese rule, many older people can also speak Japanese. In 2002, Taiwan authorities announced adoption of a variant of the pinyin system of romanization used in China. Minnan, Hakka, and Mandarin are all part of the Chinese language family. Japanese is not. | + | }}Taiwan's official language and medium of instruction is ''Guóyǔ'', a form of Northern Mandarin. Northern Mandarin is the native language of northern China, including Beijing. Most Taiwanese speak Minnan, or Taiwanese, as their first language. Minnan is also spoken in southern Fujian. Recently there has been a growing use of Taiwanese in the broadcast media. The Hakka, who are concentrated in several counties throughout Taiwan, have their own distinct language. As a result of more than half a century of Japanese rule, many older people can also speak Japanese. In 2002, Taiwan authorities announced adoption of a variant of the pinyin system of romanization used in China. Minnan, Hakka, and Mandarin are all part of the Chinese language family. Japanese is not. |