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[[OOC
:I want to spin further off this sái-post to elaborate on the "appropriation" non-argument. Here, I want to whatab- I mean, focus on a certain other ethnolinguistic group in Fujian that often goes under the radar in this kind of "discourse". 1/ https://twitter.com/Tao_Collective/status/1357743593444831233
:I want to spin further off this sái-post to elaborate on the "appropriation" non-argument. Here, I want to whatab- I mean, focus on a certain other ethnolinguistic group in Fujian that often goes under the radar in this kind of "discourse". 1/ https://twitter.com/Tao_Collective/status/1357743593444831233
Tag: @quoyu_romatsy @ArthropodFrog @clairetiunn @catielila
As many already know, when people say "Hokkien" in the SEA Huaren diaspora, what usually comes to mind is Zhang-Quan-Xia speakers called Holo/Hoklo. That would lead one to believe that Xiamen was the capital of Fujian. 2/
As many already know, when people say "Hokkien" in the SEA Huaren diaspora, what usually comes to mind is Zhang-Quan-Xia speakers called Holo/Hoklo. That would lead one to believe that Xiamen was the capital of Fujian. 2/
Except it isn't.
Fuzhou, which actually shares a character with Fujian (which influenced which, IDK), is the actual capital. The people there speak Eastern Min, AKA Foochow, which is unintelligible with Southern Min.
It's also spoken in Matsu, but that's not the point. 3/
Fuzhou, which actually shares a character with Fujian (which influenced which, IDK), is the actual capital. The people there speak Eastern Min, AKA Foochow, which is unintelligible with Southern Min.
It's also spoken in Matsu, but that's not the point. 3/
In the US, especially on the east coast around Chinatowns, the largest (and growing) population from Fujian is actually from Fuzhou, not the south. When other Chinese (and adjacent) in the US are talking about "people from Fujian", they're invariably talking about Fuzhou. 4/
I mean, it's the most logical understanding, especially for Americans who engage with Chinese culture superficially. Fujian 福建, Fuzhou 福州. Simple enough, I'd hope.
Which brings me back to identity and "appropriation". 5/
Which brings me back to identity and "appropriation". 5/
When Americans refer to "Fujian", are they "erasing" Minnan speakers? When SEA refers to "Hokkien", are they "erasing" Foochow speakers?
To speak nothing else on Puxian, Minbei, or any other distinct variety in the province. 6/
To speak nothing else on Puxian, Minbei, or any other distinct variety in the province. 6/
Ultimately, this leads back to the Taiwanese question, as it always does. When TWese call the local lingua franca Taiuan-ue, not referring to Fujian at all, it would be preposterous to say they were erasing the language and identity of Fuzhou, who still stand on their own. 7/
So why should it be true for Minnan speakers in China or SEA? Yes, they're still closely related and intelligible with TWese, while Foochow isn't. But you still have your own speech and identity, even after government suppression and assimilation efforts, don't you? 9/
In the end, when we say "Taiwanese language", nobody's identity outside of Taiwan is being erased, least of all when Taiwan doesn't refer to Fujian/Hokkien at all. 福建 can mean 閩南 in SEA and 閩東 in USA, because context is everything. 10/
You can argue for erasure of non-Holo ethnicities in Taiwan, but it has to come from a position of good faith that's not predicated on undermining Taiwanese sovereignty. We've been over this before. And I'm not going to launch on another spiel on this anytime soon. 11/
But outside Taiwan? Just stay Hokkien lah. Nobody telling you "be Minnan or else you're hurting Fuzhou" one. Don't kena tulan so much ah. #LetTaiwanBeTaiwan.
새해 *福* 많이 받으세요. 12/End.]]
새해 *福* 많이 받으세요. 12/End.]]