Introduction to Taiwanese Vocabulary: Difference between revisions

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Modern Taiwanese has words coming from [[Sioxngkor Harnguo|Old Chinese]] (ca. 0 BCE/CE) as well as the [[Toong|Tang Dynasty]] (ca. 618-907). However, it is still not natural for many people to write modern Taiwanese with [[Harnji|Han characters]]. Until the late 19th century, educated Taiwanese speakers wrote solely in [[Bungieen-buun|literary Chinese]]. Where Han characters have been used to record spoken Taiwanese, they are not always etymological or genetic; the borrowing of similar-sounding or similar-meaning characters is a common practice. The lack of a written standard and the difficulty in learning the relatively complicated [[Harnji]] posed a great barrier to written record of Taiwanese speech.
Modern Taiwanese has words coming from [[Sioxngkor Harnguo|Old Chinese]] (ca. 0 BCE/CE) as well as the [[Toong|Tang Dynasty]] (ca. 618-907). However, it is still not natural for many people to write modern Taiwanese with [[Harnji|Han characters]]. Until the late 19th century, educated Taiwanese speakers wrote solely in [[Bungieen-buun|literary Chinese]]. Where Han characters have been used to record spoken Taiwanese, they are not always etymological or genetic; the borrowing of similar-sounding or similar-meaning characters is a common practice. The lack of a written standard and the difficulty in learning the relatively complicated [[Harnji]] posed a great barrier to written record of Taiwanese speech.


A system of writing Taiwanese using Latin characters called [[POJ]], meaning "vernacular writing", was developed in the 19th century. The indigenous [[Taioaan Kitog Tviwlør Kaohoe|Presbyterian Church in Taiwan]] has been active in promoting the language since the late 19th century. In 1945, Professor [[Liim Keahioong]], formerly of the Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan, pioneered a system based on POJ called the Taiwanese Modern Spelling System (TMSS). TMSS has evolved into [[Modern Taiwanese Language]] (MTL), also known as Modern Literal Taiwanese (MLT). This page uses MTL to write Taiwanese.
A system of writing Taiwanese using Latin characters called [[POJ]], meaning "vernacular writing", was developed in the 19th century. The indigenous [[Taioaan Kitog Tviwlør Kaohoe|Presbyterian Church in Taiwan]] has been active in promoting the language since the late 19th century. In 1945, Professor [[Liim Keahioong]], formerly of the Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan, pioneered a system based on POJ called the Taiwanese Modern Spelling System (TMSS). TMSS has evolved into [[Modern Taiwanese Language]] (MTL), also known as Modern Literal Taiwanese (MLT). This wiki uses MTL to write Taiwanese.


==Common Phrases==
==Common Phrases==
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;[[Lie hør]][http://learntaiwanese.org/Beginner's%20Guide%20to%20Taiwanese_files/Lie%20hør.ogg !] : Hello!
;[[Lie hør]][http://learntaiwanese.org/Beginner's%20Guide%20to%20Taiwanese_files/Lie%20hør.ogg !] : Hello!
;{{tts|[[Ciaqpar]]`bøe?|ciaqparboe{}} : Hello. (Literally, "have you eaten your fill?")
;{{tts|[[Ciaqpar]]`bøe?|ciaqparboe{}} : Hello. (Literally, "have you eaten your fill?")
;{{tts|[[Bøexbae]]!}} :Not bad.  
;{{tts|[[Bexbae]]!}} :Not bad.  
;{{tts|[[Kafmsia]]!}} :Thank you.
;{{tts|[[Kafmsia]]!}} :Thank you.
;{{tts|[[Mxbiern-khehkhix]]!}} :You're welcome. / That's OK.
;{{tts|[[Mxbiern-khehkhix]]!}} :You're welcome. / That's OK.
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===Han Chinese===
===Han Chinese===
Modern linguistic studies (by Robert L. Cheng and Chin-An Li, for example) estimate that most (75% to 90%) Taiwanese words have cognates in other Han Chinese languages. False friends do exist; for example, '''{{tts|zao}}''' ({{wt|走}}) means "to run" in Taiwanese, whereas the Mandarin cognate, ''zǒu'', means "to walk". Moreover, cognates may have different lexical categories; for example, the morpheme '''{{tts|[[phvi]]}}''' ({{wt|鼻}}) means not only "nose" (a noun, as in Mandarin ''bí'') but also "to smell" (a verb, unlike Mandarin).
Modern linguistic studies (by Robert L. Cheng and Chin-An Li, for example) estimate that most (75% to 90%) Taiwanese words have cognates in other Han Chinese languages. False friends do exist; for example, '''{{tts|[[zao]]}}''' ({{wt|走}}) means "to run" in Taiwanese, whereas the Mandarin cognate, ''zǒu'', means "to walk". Moreover, cognates may have different lexical categories; for example, the morpheme '''{{tts|[[phvi]]}}''' ({{wt|鼻}}) means not only "nose" (a noun, as in Mandarin ''bí'') but also "to smell" (a verb, unlike Mandarin).


{{Ten common Harnji}}
{{Ten common Harnji}}
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| '''{{tts|[[bihluq]]}}''' || from [[Hølaan-oe|Dutch]] ''{{wt|bier}}'' via Japanese
| '''{{tts|[[bihluq]]}}''' || from [[Hølaan-oe|Dutch]] ''{{wt|bier}}'' via Japanese
|-
|-
| '''{{tts|[[kaq]]}}''' || from Dutch ''{{wt|akker}}'' (acre)
| '''{{tts|[[kaq (tan'ui)|kaq]]}}''' || from Dutch ''{{wt|akker}}'' (acre)
|-
|-
| '''{{tts|[[pak]]}}''' || from Dutch ''{{wt|pachten}}'' (to lease)
| '''{{tts|[[pak]]}}''' || from Dutch ''{{wt|pachten}}'' (to lease)
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