Handbook of Romanized Taiwanese & Hokkien

By David L. Chen

Book Overview

Taiwanese and Amoy Hokkien are languages that developed as hybrids of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou dialects both in the City of Xiamen (Amoy) and in Taiwan. Hokkien, along with the related Teochew language, are amongst the most widely spoken Chinese languages overseas along with Standard Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, and Shanghainese. There is a limiting belief that Taiwanese and Hokkien are just spoken an not written, and that language can only be passed down orally. Most language learning resources available target Mandarin speakers and some target English speakers. However, many forms of Taiwanese Romanization exist and create confusion and discouragement to people wanting to learn the language. Also most books that discuss phonetics and tones in Taiwanese and Hokkien languages target Mandarin speakers literate in traditional Chinese characters. The Handbook of Romanized Taiwanese & Hokkien is for English speakers and acts as a guide that discusses the phonetic and tone structure of Taiwanese Hokkien vocabulary and five of the most common forms of Taiwanese Romanization. With several Taiwanese language instruction books available, this book covers basics on reading and pronunciation of Taiwanese Romanization regardless of which Romanization is being used. This book does not replace learning Taiwanese through conversations and interactions with people, but is a guide for teachers, parents, and students to enhance their learning of Taiwanese and as a teaching tool to pass down to next generations. This book focuses more on Taiwanese and Amoy Hokkien but provides a basic foundation in phonetics and tones that can be applied to other Hokkien dialects.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1503541053
• ISBN13: 9781503541054
• Release Date: March 2015
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp
• Length: 118 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"