I’ve just realised I didn’t really answer SJC Ma’s point above (from six months ago – sorry!). I think perhaps you’re right, I might well be reading more into it than is there. Joe Hung’s China Post articles about language always appear riddled with inaccuracy to me, and that seemed like another example within this piece.

Johan: A very fair point. As you often observe on your blog, the MoE has for eight years consistently failed to implement a strong native language policy, despite this being a supposed objective of the DPP government.

But isn’t it fair to say that the MOE had 8 years to implement a more effective form of native language education. And exactly now that they have been voted out of power, they want to “finalize the program” for such education. Losers.

Any initiative for native language education at selected schools will probably have to happen at grassroots levels, with financial help of private businesses and interest groups. If successful, it will be hard for a future nationalist-dominated MOE to ignore it.

Tailingua Response: “This is strange, because Minnan is the name used both by nationalists in Taiwan, usually in the form of Mǐnnányǔ 閩南語, and the government and media of China, who usually render it as Mǐnnánhuà 闽南话. It’s not a new coinage, nor is it something one would expect the China Post to be opposed to.”

Are you reading something into that paragraph that just isn’t there? Despite whatever problems exist in the rest of the article, this paragraph appears to be fairly benign. It is simply explaining the meaning of the term “Taiwan Minnan language”. To foreigners new to the island, such a paragraph explaining the term may indeed be very helpful. They’ve heard of Mandarin, they’ve heard of Taiwanese, but perhaps they’ve never heard of the “Taiwan Minnan language”.

Adding the modifier Taiwan in front of Minnan is indeed fairly new usage. Previously, if people didn’t use Minnan, they would simply call it Taiwanese or Taiyu/Taiwanhua.