In observance of International Mother Language Day, the Ministry of Culture collaborated with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP), and Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) to host the 2023 National Language and Culture Festival (世界母語日—國家語言生活節) at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park on Feb. 18 and 19.
The press conference was attended by Minister of Culture Shih Che, Deputy Minister of Education Lin Ming-yu (林明裕), HAC Deputy Minister Fan Tso-ming (范佐銘), CIP Education and Culture Department director Yang Cheng-pin (楊正斌), former Presidential Office senior advisor Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), as well as associations, professionals, and experts who are dedicated to promoting native-language use and revitalization.
Minister Shih pointed out that in Taiwan, society has come to recognize that the term "national language" encompasses not just one language, but multiple languages that require careful preservation, revitalization, and promotion. He suggested that language names should include either the names of places or "Taiwan," so as to better represent the diverse range of languages found in Taiwan and their unique characteristics; as well as signify the advancement of the whole nation.
Deputy Minister Lin stated that as part of a national language-development bill launched by the MOE, this year, the government has decided to introduce compulsory weekly classes in "national languages" for junior and high school students. Moreover, to strengthen the use of native languages, he looks forward to promoting the use of these languages in designated strongholds, such as Changhua's Taiwanese Language Creative Park (Tâi gí-bûn Tshòng-i Hn̂g-khu, 台語文創意園區).
According to the MOC, the themes of the festival are native languages, liveliness and communication. To bring these themes to life, the festival featured a series of activities, including interdisciplinary lectures and interactive experiences.