Taiwan
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Location
Taiwan, also known as Republic of China (ROC) is an island located in East Asia off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan and north of the Philippines. The official language is Mandarin.
Culture
Taiwan's culture is a blend of its distinctive Chinese heritage with Western and Japanese influences. There is a strong emphasis on fine arts, folk traditions and popular culture.
Religion
The three major religions in Taiwan are Buddhism and Taoism with much of the population practicing a combination of both. Buddhism is the most commonly practiced religion in Taiwan, with approximately 3.67 million individuals identifying themselves as Buddhists. There are nearly 4,010 Buddhist temples in the Taiwan area. Taoism borrows strongly from folk traditions and is viewed as an indigenous religion. Today, Taoism has about 4.55 million followers in Taiwan.
Christianity has long been influential in Taiwan, and efforts by Christian missionaries in Taiwan continue today. At present, some 593,000 residents of Taiwan are Protestant while another 298,000 are Catholic. There are also five mosques serving 54,000 Muslims in Taiwan.
Many people have religious altars in their homes, and shopkeepers can be seen making offerings in front of their shops during certain days each month.
Confucianism is a philosophy rather than a religion, and Confucian temples are halls to honor Confucius, rather than places of worship. Regardless of their religious affiliations, most people in Taiwan base their moral conduct on Confucian principles.
Values
Most Taiwanese live in urban areas, particularly the Taipei metro area, which is home to 30% of all Taiwanese residents. Most wear western clothing, saving their traditional clothing for specific festivals.
A main tenet of Confucian thought is that “moral cultivation of the individual leads to an orderly family, and consequently, to a harmonious society” therefore, social and familial roles and obligations are strongly emphasized.
Traditional values in Taiwan are maintaining relationships (familial and social), keeping “face,” faithfulness to parents and ancestor worship, having a strong work ethic and proper conduct. Quality of life is more strongly valued in Taiwan than it is in the United States. Like most of Southeast Asia, Taiwan is generally considered to be a collectivist culture, valuing the group over the individual.
Popular activities include traveling to other parts of the world, singing with family and friends, watching TV, and mountain climbing/hiking. Mornings bring about t'ai chi ch'uan advocates who perform these and other exercises in city parks. Young professionals like to frequent bars, restaurants and discos at night.
Healthcare
The predominant form of healthcare in Taiwan is Western medicine, with its emphasis on diagnosis and treatment. For some, however, traditional Chinese medicine is the preferred form of healthcare, with its emphasis on herbal medicines, acupuncture and related treatments.
Hospitals in Taiwan appear similar to those in the United States, in that they are modern with high tech equipment,however, expectations of patient and family members differ. Because of Taiwan's nationalized health insurance system, health care is generally much less expensive than in the United States. However, due to the large population, hospitals and clinics are often crowded and people expect to wait a long time to be seen. In many hospitals, family members are expected to help provide routine personal care for the patient, which is usually taken care of by nursing staff in American hospitals. It is also expected that at least one family member will sleep in the patient's room and, therefore, hospitals provide accommodations for them. Additionally, some hospitals require patients to bring their own bath towels, toilet tissue, soap and other toiletries.
The official language spoken in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, which has been the medium of instruction in the schools for more than five decades. Although Mandarin is widely used, several other languages are commonplace. A large majority of people speak Taiwanese, one of the Southern Fujianese dialects, and many older generations also speak Japanese, as a result of the half-century of Japanese rule. There are several indigenous tribes, each with their own language and the Hakka (Han Chinese) who are concentrated in several counties throughout Taiwan, have their own distinct dialect.
The method of Chinese romanization most commonly used in Taiwan is the Wade-Giles system. In 2002, Taiwan authorities announced adoption of the pinyin system also used in mainland China to replace the Wade-Giles system, but its use is not consistent throughout society, often resulting in two or more romanizations for the same place or person.
Mandarin Phonology
Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world, with nearly a billion native speakers, covering a large area. As a result, there are pronounced regional variations in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. These regional differences are as varied as the differences in the varieties of English found in England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The following description of Mandarin phonology will focus on a standard Mandarin dialect.
Syllables
All words in Mandarin are mono-syllabic and divided into three parts: an initial (onset), a final (rime), and a tone. There are twenty-one initial consonants in Mandarin:
Mandarin Initial Consonant Inventory
The second part of a syllable, the rime, consists of three parts: a main vowel, medial vowel and ending. A medial vowel starts with the sounds i-, u- or iu- followed by the endings, -n, -ng or -r. The following is a list of the main vowels and examples of how the vowel is used in a syllable ending:
Mandarin Syllable-Finals
Tones
Mandarin has four tones; 1st tone high-level, 2nd tone high-rising, 3rd tone low-dipping, and 4th tone high falling Mandarin also has a so-called “neutral tone,” which refers to the absence of tonal contour on certain unstressed syllables.
The following four words demonstrate each of the four tones:
1. 媽(mā)“mother”
2. 麻(má)“hemp”
3. 馬(mǎ)“horse”
4. 罵(mà)“admonish”
Education
The current education system in Taiwan is comprised of basic education, intermediate education, advanced education and returning education. Basic education includes kindergartens, national primary and national middle schools. Intermediate education includes vocational schools and senior high schools. Advanced education includes junior colleges, universities and graduate schools. Returning education refers to schools for continuing education and supplementary schools.
Since the implementation of 'The Special Education Act' of 1997, which stipulates that “the length of schooling, curriculum, teaching materials, and pedagogy shall be flexible so as to meet the needs of those students requiring special attention, including gifted students and those with physical or mental handicaps” substantial progress has been made in Taiwan. Complete special education is provided by all levels of schools for students with physical and mental disabilities.
A 9-year public educational system has been in effect since 1979. Six years of elementary school and 3 years of junior high are compulsory for all children. About 93.5% of junior high graduates continue their studies in either a senior high or vocational school. Taiwan has an extensive higher education system with more than 150 institutions of higher learning. Each year, over 100,000 students attempt to enter higher education institutes; about 75% of the candidates are admitted to a college or university. Opportunities for graduate education are expanding in Taiwan, but many students travel abroad for advanced education. In FY 2006, over 16,000 U.S. student visas were issued to Taiwan passport holders.
Implications for the SLP
Helpful Phrases in Mandarin for the SLPTreating a client who is a native Mandarin speaker or from a Taiwanese background may have several implications for the Speech Language Pathologist. In order to provide intervention that is culturally sensitive and appropriate, it may be important to consider the cultural values of this population, the unique aspects of their language and the expectations they may have in regard to healthcare.