The Policy of Designated National Language Hakka as a Regional Language: Learning from Ontario’s Experience in Canada
Pao-Chien Wang
Abstract
In Taiwan, Article 3 of the Hakka Basic Act stipulates the Hakka language is a national language and the state should protect people’s rights to study, access to the public services, and access to the media using the Hakka language. Article 4 establishes the Hakka language as a regional language. In Canada’s Ontario Province, in order to protect the French minority, French designated areas were set up and an agency was designated in accordance with the French Language Services Act. This essay employs the research method of literature review to explore the language right based on the civil rights, as well as to discuss Ontario’s language policy experiences. The essay finds that (1) Ontario’s French designated institution not only protects the language rights of the francophone, but also serves as a pillar of communication and identity in the French community. (2) The people’s language rights, protected by article 3 of the Hakka Basic Act, should have the same level in each city; however, the “Regulations on Hakka Language as Regional Language” are applicable in the Major Hakka Cultural Areas. It may damage the language rights of Hakka people who live in “non-” Major Hakka Cultural Areas. The essay suggests that (1) Taiwan establish a regional language institution, which designates parts of townships/cities as using Hakka language in such areas and establish a bureaucracy to provide the people with language services for communication needs. (2) Taiwan strengthen the protection of people’s language rights while taking into consideration the diversity of the national languages. Toward that end, one to three members of National Human Rights Commission of the Control Yuan should focus on the issues of national languages.
Keywords: Ontario; national language; regional language; language ombudsman