台灣資深西方神職人員華語文能力的五C

The 5Cs of Senior Western Missionaries’Chinese-Language Abilities in Taiwan

本文結合性別研究與對外華語文教學領域的5C (communities, connections, culture, comparison, and communication)，對比剖析資深西方天主教、基督教男女神職人員學習與展現的華語文能力，大多數女學生語文學習展現成果超逾男學生，但理工科技或自然科學學習展現成果遜於男學生，此現象幾乎灌見於全球，依此推論資深西方女性天主教神職人員學習與展現的華語文能力理應高過男性，然而，深入訪視對比卻發現適得其反，資深西方天主教神父修士於其專業的宗教儀式中最終展現的華語文(尤其開口說中文的)能力遠勝過資深西方天主教修女，主要原因在於天主教傳統男主外女主內神父才能主導告解、彌撒、受洗、婚喪禮、畢業典禮、重大節慶典禮等宗教儀式的性別分工。

This article integrates gender studies with the 5Cs framework—communities, connections, culture, comparison, and communication—within the research field of foreign and second language education. It aims to comparatively analyze the language learning outcomes, intelligibility, and competence in Chinese and English among senior Western Catholic sisters, female Christian priests, Catholic friars, and Catholic fathers in Taiwan. Although exceptions certainly exist, it is widely observed that female learners generally outperform their male counterparts in language learning. In contrast, male students often excel in academic disciplines related to the natural sciences, technology, and engineering. For instance, liberal arts colleges that emphasize language and linguistics typically enroll more female than male students, despite not identifying as women’s institutions. Conversely, institutions focusing on science and technology often have higher male enrollment, though they are not explicitly categorized as men’s universities. Based on these globally recognized patterns, one might expect senior Western Catholic sisters and female Christian priests in Taiwan to demonstrate stronger Chinese language abilities—particularly in religious contexts—than their male counterparts. However, empirical observations suggest the opposite. Catholic friars and fathers in Taiwan tend to develop higher levels of Chinese language proficiency. This can largely be attributed to their more frequent and extensive engagement in religious activities such as hearing confessions, leading Mass, conducting funerals, officiating weddings, and other pastoral duties. These responsibilities provide them with consistent opportunities for real-world language use, especially in formal and ritualistic registers of religious Chinese. In contrast, Catholic sisters, while often possessing strong listening comprehension in Chinese—particularly in liturgical or religious settings—are generally not permitted to perform the same duties. According to traditional gender roles within the Catholic Church, they are excluded from conducting confession sessions, leading Mass, or officiating sacramental ceremonies. As a result, their exposure to high-level spoken or written religious Chinese is significantly limited. Additionally, some Catholic sisters were assigned to longterm TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) positions in Taiwan. In such roles, they used English as the primary language of instruction and communication in their professional environments for extended periods. Consequently, their opportunities to maintain or further develop their English language proficiency often exceeded those available for advancing their Chinese language skills.
This article combines gender studies and the belief of the 5Cs (communities, connections, culture, comparison, and communication) in the research field of teaching languages as a foreign language or second language to comparatively analyze senior Western Catholic sisters, female Christian priests, Catholic friars, and Catholic fathers’learning outcome, intelligibility, and competence in Sino-English languages in Taiwan. It is almost universally seen phenomenon that female learners’language learning outcomes seem to be better than those of their male counterparts, while most male students outshine their female counterparts in terms of academic subjects related to natural science, technology, and engineering. Given these globally acknowledged circumstances, senior Western Catholic sisters and female Christian priests should show more amazing Chinese language abilities, especially in religious contexts, than their male counterparts in Taiwan; however, the truth is contradictory to the above-mentioned assumption. Senior Western Catholic friars and fathers eventually have stronger Chinese-languages abilities than do their female counterparts in Taiwan, thanks to frequent and large number of practice and real-world contacts of the men, including Catholic confession sessions, mass, leading funerals, officiating wedding ceremonies, and so on. Although Catholic sisters might have good listening comprehension of Chinese languages, especially in religious settings, in Taiwan, they lack equal opportunities to speak, write, and read the elegant and high-browed level of religious Chinese because Catholic churches disallow Catholic sisters from managing confession sessions, leading mass, hosting funerals, and officiating weddings according to traditional-style division of labor in patriarchal societies.