some effort, particularly beginning in 2011, to teach Vietnamese as a heritage language to children of Vietnamese immigrants. European languages Dutch: Dutch was taught to the residents of the island during the Dutch colonial rule of Taiwan. After the withdrawal of Dutch presence in Taiwan, the use of the language disappeared. Spanish: Spanish was mainly spoken by the northern part of the island during the establishment of a Spanish colony in Formosa until 1642. Many of the countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan are Spanish-speaking. English: English is widely taught as a foreign language, with some large private schools providing English instruction. Taiwan's government proposed to make English an official language and to provide for English to become a second language by 2030. See also Taiwanese Aborigines Han Taiwanese — Hoklo Taiwanese, Hakka Taiwanese Formosan languages Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hakka Taiwanese Mandarin References Citations Sources Further reading External links Yuán zhù mínzú yǔyán xiànshàng cídiǎn 原住民族語言線上詞典 – "Aboriginal language online dictionary" website of the Indigenous Languages Research and Development Foundation Zú yǔ E lèyuán 族語E樂園 – Indigenous language educational site maintained by Taiwan's Council of Indigenous Peoples T.A.I.W.A.N. – Taiwan-Austronesion Indigenous Words and Narrations – English counterpart of Zú yǔ E lèyuán