語言鮮少僅是溝通的工具，它常與政治因素相勾連，也隨著一個社群的特殊社會歷史情狀而發展。由於臺灣的殖民歷史、國民黨政府的文化政策，及其社會的多族群本質，臺灣為一個能呈現語言與政治之間複雜關係的佳例。本文探討二十世紀曾於臺灣提出或頒佈的羅馬拼音方案背後蘊含之重層政治。論文首先回顧臺灣的不同羅馬拼音方案，然後挑選三個在不同時期施行的羅馬拼音方案來闡述語言與跨族群交流間之關係。主要探究的例子為蔡培火（1889-1983）的羅馬拼音方案，輔以戰後臺灣國民黨與民進黨的羅馬拼音政策，及臺灣原住民文學中的羅馬字音譯書寫。本文指出羅馬拼音在臺灣的三種不同使用方式：即作為剷除文盲的工具、與國際拼音法接軌的手段，以及族語書寫的嘗試，也釐析上述三個羅馬拼音案例中的意涵。

Language is seldom merely a tool for communication. It is often marred with political forces and evolves with a society's social and historical particularities. Taiwan's case in particular demonstrates the intricate relationship between language and politics due to its colonial past, the Nationalist government's tendentious cultural policy, and its multi-ethnic nature. This paper examines the multi-layered politics embedded in Taiwan's various Romanization schemes and practices throughout the twentieth century. It will first offer an overview of the Romanization schemes introduced in Taiwan and then select three cases as examples to illustrate the relationship between language and interethnic exchange in different stages of modern Taiwanese history. The primary case study will be Cai Peihuo's (1889-1983) Romanization project, whereas the ruling parties' Romanization proposals in post-war Taiwan and the Romanized transliteration in Taiwan's aboriginal literature will be discussed as additional examples. This paper identifies a number of different ways in which Romanization has been utilized: as a tool to eliminate illiteracy, as a means of being in line with the international pinyin practice, and as an attempt to write in one's tribal languages. Finally, it will discuss the implications as exemplified by the three cases in point.