Translated Answers:

1. I never "learned" Taiwanese because it is my native language. Since I was small, I spoke to my parents and grandmother in Taiwanese. I continued to speak Taiwanese until I began to go to school and learn Mandarin (國語).

2. Nowadays, I only speak Taiwanese with my family. Even so, it's partly in Taiwanese and partly in Mandarin. In public, I only speak Taiwanese to a few of my good friends.

3. I think we should speak in dialect to children more because it is a part of culture. A language embodies a culture; if the language is lost, then the culture is too.

Additional Question: For a long time, Mandarin (國語) was seen as the primary language [in Taiwan]. However in recent years, Taiwanese has become popular again. What experience or opinions do you have on this phenomenon?

4. Taiwanese is already a language that is about to disappear. During Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) rule [of Taiwan] (1950-1975),  people were forced to use Mandarin (國語); [Chiang Kai-shek] used every kind of policy to ensure that people can only use Mandarin. In the end, it created a phenomenon in which people who spoke Taiwanese were discriminated against. This caused the number of people who were willing to speak Taiwanese to decrease [over the years]. Although the resurgence of Taiwanese in Taiwan is a good thing, I'm afraid it's already too late. How much longer can this dialect exist for? [I] am not too optimistic! For example, my Taiwanese is not bad; however, if you were to ask [me] to use (formal/literary) Taiwanese to read "Thoughts on a Still Night" (靜夜思), this kind of formal language is very difficult. You could say that this language is on the border of becoming extinct. (Colloquial Taiwanese and formal/literary Taiwanese are very different)

Non-Translated Answers*:

1. 我沒有 "學" 過台語， 因為它是我的母語， 我小時候在家裡都跟父母，祖母說台語， 一直到開始上學以後才學的 "國語"。

2. 現在只有跟家人，會說台語但是會國語和台語一起， 在外面只有跟一些台灣人的好朋友才會說台語。

3. 我認為應該多跟小孩說方言， 因為那是文化的一部分， 一個語言代表著一個文化， 這個語言消失了， 文化也沒有了。

4. 台語已經是一個快要消失的語言了，因為蔣介石政權到台灣以後強迫台灣人都要使用 “中文/國語”， 用盡各種政策迫使大家只能使用 “國語”， 最後在台灣造成 ”說台語“ 會被歧視的現象， 這些都讓願意說台語的人越來越少。現在台​​語在台灣再次盛行雖然是個好的現象，但恐怕太晚了。 這個語言還能存在多久？ 老師不太樂觀！比方說，老師的台語還算是不錯的了，但是要老師用台語 （正式的， 書面語） 讀 《靜夜思》 這種正式的文章還是很困難， 所以這個語言可以說瀕臨滅絕了。 （平常說話用的台語和正式讀文章的台語還是有很大不同的）。

1. I never learned it formally, I just grew up speaking it.

2. Usually only with friends and family. If I meet someone who also happens to speak Cantonese, I would speak it with them too.

3. I think we should; it's something that has been passed down by our ancestors. Cantonese people (唐人) should learn how to speak Cantonese (唐話) because it is a part of our culture. Other languages, such as Mandarin, can be learned and used later in life, but the most important thing is that we respect our ancestors and culture [by learning Cantonese].

1. Both my parents are from Teochew (潮州). It was the language I grew up speaking.

2. I don't use it much nowadays; only when I talk to my sister on the phone. Even then it's not a lot.

3. I think we should or else these languages will get lost. I think we should try to teach children dialects, but it depends on if the children want to learn them; children nowadays don't really have any interest to learn them.

Additional Question: You mentioned that you don't speak Teochew anymore, why is that? Why do you think children aren't learning dialect anymore?

4. My husband and his family are all Cantonese. I moved to a place that was predominately Vietnamese. There weren't many opportunities to speak Teochew. In America, everyone speaks English; not many people speak or teach Teochew/Cantonese. [Chinese-American] children think that studying [Mandarin] Chinese in general is already hard, learning dialects is out of the question.

Yes: 58.3%

• Yunnan, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Wenzhounese, Fuzhounese, Hubei Dialect, Nanjing, Taizhou

No: 41.7%

• Family spoke a dialect other than Mandarin: 80%

Average response: 4.5

Notable responses:

Rarely. Nezha had a character speaking a dialect (actually idk if it was a dialect or just an accent). But it makes the language sound more interesting than just Mandarin Chinese. - 王艾瑄

Dialects are typically used to portray distinct communities of people, different from those of the main characters - 楊晨

I typically don’t hear a lot of films or media with a lot of dialect. - 方怡琳

All responses describe learning their dialect from family (parents and grandparents).

Average response: 3.71

All responses indicated that dialects were only used with family, and many also specified that they were only used with older-generations of their family.

Follow-up Question: What language(s) do you speak to your family in?

All responses included dialect as well as another language (usually Mandarin or English). Note that none of the respondents indicated that they speak to their families exclusively in dialect.

Yes: 85.7%

No: 14.3%

Yes: 85.7%

No: 14.3%

Yes: 8.3%

No: 83.3%

Other: 8.3%

Notable response:

I think it’s a sometimes. There are some instances where communication has been hard due to dialects. My grandma only knows how to speak Fuzhuonese and not mandarin. However I could only speak mandarin and not Fuzhuonese, which caused a lot of communication problems. But if everyone was to know mandarin as a standard language there is no issue. - 方怡琳

Notable Responses:

It’s kind of disappointing and sad because dialects really define your culture, specifically where you’re from and it allows for tighter connections for people who speak similar dialects. - 王艾瑄

It’s bound to happen because people change and languages change with people. Most young people don’t speak dialects anymore so probably only the rural areas of China will be able to understand dialects. This also means that there may not be written forms because people in rural areas tend to be older and not have education. - 王可奇

I’d say the disappearance of many dialects in China is a loss, not just linguistically, but culturally and emotionally. Each and every dialect contains centuries of history and local identity, so when it fades a piece of that regions identity goes with it. While mandarin does help with national communication, it shouldn’t come at the cost of local dialects. - 王可薇

Well people are getting more lazy to learn it so it's going to keep disappearing. It is what it is. - 明佩詩

I think kids should be encouraged to learn their respective dialects instead of defaulting to just learning Mandarin. - 李子琪

Yes: 100%

No: 0%

Most responses expressed a cultural importance that dialects have. Some notable responses:

People should continue to use dialects in China because they preserve cultural identity and strengthen connections between generations. Dialects reflect the unique history and traditions of different regions, helping maintain cultural diversity. They also foster a sense of community and belonging among local speakers. By using dialects, people help resist cultural homogenization and keep regional heritage alive. - 王可薇

Yes, dialects are an important part of cultural identity and important to those who use them. Some people also speak mainly in dialect, so it is important for them to use it. - 王欣然

Yes, people should be able to have a culture of their own within the country. The country is vast and each area is different. There can be different cultures and dialects can contribute to the unique culture. - 方怡琳

Participants were asked to choose one of the following: Communication, Cultural identity, Heritage

Communication: 25%

Cultural Identity: 58.3%

Heritage: 16.7%