New French Book Celebrates Taiwan’s Language and Culture Through Unique Words

Taipei: A new French-language book titled "80 mots de Taïwan" (80 Words of Taiwan) tells the story of Taiwan through 80 of the island state's most distinctive words, with the author praising Taiwan as a culturally diverse society where multiple languages are spoken. Published on May 7 by L'Asiathèque, the book -- written by Aurélien Rossanino, a French national living in Taiwan -- introduces terms unique to contemporary Taiwan, selected from Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, and Indigenous languages. According to Focus Taiwan, examples include "Tai-Man," meaning Taiwanese manga, and "adju," meaning sister in the Paiwan language. The book also explores how Japanese and English have influenced Taiwan's vocabulary and includes terms related to its democracy, aimed at helping French readers better understand Taiwanese history according to its author. Rossanino described the book as "more of a literary work than a dictionary," saying it focuses on telling the stories of modern Taiwanese people through the words, rather than simply defining them. He said in a recent interview with CNA that while Taiwan is gaining attention in French media, most French-language books about the country remain academic or geared toward tourists. His goal, he said, is to present contemporary Taiwanese society through a lens that highlights its humor, modernity and "underground" culture. "My main job is to interview people and make sure their voices are heard, so I can present what Taiwanese people actually see," he said. As the host of a music-themed podcast and an independent journalist, Rossanino said he has met many Taiwanese artists in the fields of music, art and culture. They showed him how humorous and creative Taiwanese people are with language, inspiring his fascination with Taiwan's linguistic culture. Another major inspiration was Emily Y. Wu and other political journalists at the Taiwan-based podcast Ghost Island Media, who encouraged him to include Taiwan's democratic history in his work, Rossanino said. Recalling the making of t he book, he said that to gain better knowledge of Taiwan's Indigenous cultures, he accepted an invitation from singer Sauljaljui of the Paiwan tribe to visit her hand-built home deep in the mountains of Mudan Township, Pingtung County. Mudan Township is known as a historic battleground where Taiwan's Indigenous tribes once fought against Japanese soldiers in 1874. Describing the area as "a different world compared to Taipei," Rossanino said that writing the book gave him the privilege of visiting such a historically significant place, a rare experience for someone from an ordinary rural village in southern France. In the interview, he also paid tribute to French musician Arnaud Lechat, who lived in Taiwan for 30 years and played a key role in the book before he died in 2024. "I hope he is satisfied with the book in heaven," he said. When asked about his thoughts on Taiwan, he expressed optimism about its ongoing development of both infrastructure and national identity, applauding Taiwan for "heading in a mor e beautiful direction." "I want to present Taiwan in 2025 -- a modern nation that keeps moving forward," he said.