ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates an online debate from 2020–2021 on whether PRC loanwords should be used in Taiwan Mandarin. The discourse regarding linguistic purism was examined to see how Taiwanese millennials' language ideologies related to their national identity. The analysis shows that the anti-puristic millennials were not concerned about the loanwords because they confidently treated China as another foreign country and embraced Taiwan's liberal values. In contrast, the puristic discourse views PRC loanwords as a tactic of China to assimilate or invade Taiwan, which suggests that this group uses Taiwan Mandarin to index their Taiwanese identity. For both groups, the online debate became a space to construct and express Taiwanese identity. I argue that the debate can be considered a grassroots online movement that raises awareness of Chinese influence, and marks the first time for millennials to articulate the cultural differences between China and Taiwan.
