Title

Language Awareness and Ethnic Boundaries in the Baosheng Dadi Cult of Southern Taoyuan Hakka Communities

Author

Chen Hsiao-chi

Genre

Article  

Pages

115-154

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

language awareness, ethnic boundaries, Hokkien-Hakka language contact, Baosheng dadi 保生大帝 cult, distribution of Hailu 海陸 Hakka, formation of faith communities

Abstract

    Language serves as a visible marker of ethnicity and a key element in constructing communal boundaries within folk belief systems. This study investigates how linguistic differences and bilingual competence influence religious practices and the organization of ritual communities from the perspective of ethnic language awareness. By examining the Hokkien-Hakka linguistic backgrounds present in the Baosheng dadi 保生大帝 cult and the divinatory slip (yaoqian 藥籤) culture in southern Taoyuan’s Hakka villages, this paper elucidates the linguistic characteristics of their belief, the distribution of language groups among devotees, the spatial configuration of language boundaries, and the shaping of ethnic identity. In folk religious settings, language markers can render ethnic boundaries either distinct or flexible. For instance, the use of Hailu 海陸 Hakka in Guanyin 觀音 and Xinwu 新 屋 distinguishes these areas from southern Xinwu and northern Taoyuan’s Hoklo- speaking settlements. Furthermore, differences between “pure Hakka speakers” and “mixed Hokkien-Hakka speakers” among worshippers have led to a division into two subgroups of the Baosheng dadi faith community. Local language use and awareness not only foster communal cohesion but can also drive subgroup differentiation within ritual circles—especially in regions characterized by long-standing Hokkien-Hakka contact.