The Executive Yuan approved the draft bill, titled “the Establishment Act of the Research and Development Center for National Languages,” proposed by the Ministry of Culture (MOC) on June 27. The MOC stated that the National Language Research and Development Center will play a pivotal role in preserving, reviving, and developing Taiwan’s national languages through translinguistic and transdisciplinary methods.
Culture Minister Li Yuan said that since the “Development of National Languages Act” came into effect in January 2019, the use and protection of languages in the country has become a pressing issue, especially with several native languages facing the risk of extinction. Therefore, the ministry has been actively promoting the establishment of the center to integrate resources and strengthen the research of national languages, he added.
The MOC noted that the draft includes 32 articles specifying the scope, source of funding, operation, and supervisory mechanisms for the National Language Research and Development Center. The ministry aims to build the center as a base for professional research to safeguard the diversity and integrity of Taiwanese people’s mother languages.