Public Perceptions of Language Education in Taiwan: English in a Multilingual Context

Language policy in Taiwan has been a focus of the government since the days of the Kuomintang (KMT) dictatorship, when languages other than Mandarin were ruthlessly suppressed. After democratization, local languages were allowed again, but soon English became Taiwan’s top language education priority. However, not all Taiwanese agree with the decision to prioritize English. Despite claims that English is important for economic and diplomatic reasons, my survey found that most Taiwanese did not support English education when it threatened local Taiwanese languages. The survey also found that despite a significant amount of debate in academic literature about the role of native English speakers as teachers in foreign classrooms, few Taiwanese have ever had a native English speaker as a teacher. This suggests that despite rhetoric emphasizing the value of foreign English speakers, improving the performance of local English teachers should be prioritized