南桃園客庄保生大帝信仰的語言意識與族群邊界

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

語言是族群的外顯標誌，亦是民間信仰中形構社群邊界的重要依據。本文從族群語言意識的視角，探討「語言差異」與「雙語能力」如何影響信仰實踐與祭祀組織。我們藉由分析南桃園客庄保生大帝信仰活動中的閩客語言背景，具體說明該信仰的語言特徵、信眾語群分布、語言邊界的地理位置，以及族群認同的形塑過程。在民間宗教場域中，語言標記使族群邊界時而清晰、時而鬆動。觀音、新屋通行海陸腔客語，構成區別於新屋南端與北桃園閩南聚落的語言地景，因信眾間「語言純客」與「語言半閩半客」的差異，祭祀圈內分化為兩個小群體。地方的語言使用與語言意識有助於凝聚信眾，亦可能使祭祀圈出現因語言差異所驅動的次群體分化，尤以閩客長期互動地區為甚。

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 Hoklospeaking 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.