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The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples
Taiwanese aborigines

Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myth, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8000 years before major Han Chinese immigration began in the 17th century ....
 of Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
. Taiwanese aborigines (those who recognized by the governtment) currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift
Language shift

Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language....
. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are extinct
Extinct language

An extinct language is a language which no longer has any speakers .Extinct languages may be contrasted with Language death: no longer spoken as a main language....
, another four (perhaps five) are moribund, and several others are to some degree endangered.

The aboriginal languages of Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
 have significance in historical linguistics
Historical linguistics

Historical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages;...
, since in all likelihood Taiwan was the place of origin of the entire Austronesian language
Austronesian languages

The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia....
 family.






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The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples
Taiwanese aborigines

Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myth, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8000 years before major Han Chinese immigration began in the 17th century ....
 of Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
. Taiwanese aborigines (those who recognized by the governtment) currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift
Language shift

Language shift, sometimes referred to as language transfer or language replacement or assimilation, is the progressive process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language....
. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are extinct
Extinct language

An extinct language is a language which no longer has any speakers .Extinct languages may be contrasted with Language death: no longer spoken as a main language....
, another four (perhaps five) are moribund, and several others are to some degree endangered.

The aboriginal languages of Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
 have significance in historical linguistics
Historical linguistics

Historical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages;...
, since in all likelihood Taiwan was the place of origin of the entire Austronesian language
Austronesian languages

The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia....
 family. According to linguist Robert Blust
Robert Blust

Robert A. Blust is a prominent linguist in several areas, including historical linguistics, lexicography and ethnology. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in California....
  the Formosan languages form nine of the ten principal branches of the Austronesian language family, while the one remaining principal branch contains nearly 1,200 Malayo-Polynesian languages
Malayo-Polynesian languages

The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 351 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia....
 found outside of Taiwan. Although linguists disagree with some details of Blust's analysis, a broad consensus has coalesced around the conclusion that the Austronesian languages originated in Taiwan. This theory has been strengthened by recent studies in human population genetics.

Recent history

All Formosan languages are slowly being replaced by the culturally dominant Mandarin Chinese. In recent decades the Republic of China
Republic of China

The Republic of China , also known as Nationalist China is a country in East Asia that has evolved from a single-party state with full global recognition into a multi-party democratic state with Political status of Taiwan....
 government started an aboriginal reappreciation program that included the reintroduction of Formosan first language
First language

A first language is the language a human being learns from birth. A person's first language is a basis for sociolinguistic identity....
 in Taiwanese schools. However, the results of this initiative have been disappointing.

List of languages

For classification, see Austronesian languages
Austronesian languages

The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia....
.

It is often difficult to decide where to draw the boundary between a language and a dialect, causing some minor disagreement among scholars regarding the inventory of Formosan languages. There is even more uncertainty regarding many extinct or assimilated

Cultural assimilation

Cultural assimilation is when an individual or individuals adopts some or all aspects of a dominant culture . Cultural assimilation is a process of socialization....
 Formosan tribes, since our knowledge of these is often sketchy at best. Frequently cited examples of Formosan languages are given below, but the list should not be considered exhaustive.

Living languages

  • Atayal
    Atayal language

    The Atayal language is spoken by the Atayal people people of Taiwan. Squliq and C?uli? are two major dialects.There is an Atayal-English dictionary by S?ren Egerod dictionary of the language, and certain grammar books of Atayatal ....
  • Bunun
    Bunun language

    The Bunun language is spoken by the Bunun people of Taiwan. It belongs to the Formosan languages, a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, and is subdivided in five dialects: Isbukun, Takbunuaz, Takivatan, Takibaka and Takituduh....
     (high dialect diversity)
  • Amis
    Amis language

    Amis is the Formosan language of the Amis or Ami people, a tribe of indigenous people along the east coast of Taiwan . It is spoken from Hualien City in the north to Taitung City in the south, with another population near the southern end of the island, though the northern varieties are sometimes considered a separate language....
     (high dialect diversity, sometimes considered separate languages)
  • Kanakanabu
    Kanakanabu language

    Kanakanabu is the language of the Kanakanabu, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages family....
     (moribund)
  • Kavalan
    Kavalan language

    Kavalan was formerly spoken in the Northeast coast area of Taiwan by the Kavalan people . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages family....
     (listed in some sources as moribund, though further analysis may show otherwise)
  • Paiwan
    Paiwan language

    Paiwan is a native language of Taiwan, spoken by the Paiwan, one tribe of the Taiwanese aborigines. Paiwan is a Formosan languages of the Austronesian languages. The number of speakers is estimated to be 66,000....
  • Pazeh
    Pazeh language

    Pazeh is the language of the Pazeh people, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family....
     (moribund, only one speaker left)
  • Saisiyat
    Saisiyat language

    Saisiyat is the language of the Saisiyat people, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages family....
  • Puyuma
    Puyuma language

    The Puyuma language is the language of the Puyuma people, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages family. Most speakers are older adults....
  • Rukai
    Rukai language

    Rukai is the mother tongue of the Rukai people, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. There are some 10,000 speakers, some monolingual....
     (high dialect diversity)
  • Saaroa
    Saaroa language

    Saaroa is the language of the Saaroa, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages family. In 1990, Saaroa was nearly extinct....
     (moribund)
  • Seediq
    Seediq language

    Seediq is an Austronesian languages spoken in the mountains of Northern Taiwan, also known as Truku language. It is spoken by the Seediq people....
     (AKA Truku)
  • Tao
    Tao language

    The Tao language , also known as Yami , is a Batanic languages spoken by the Tao people of Taiwan who live on Orchid Island, 46 kilometers southeast of the main island of Taiwan....
     (AKA Yami)
  • Thao
    Thao language

    Thao is the language of the Thao people, a tribe of Taiwanese aborigines in the region of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan. In 2000 there were approximately 5 or 6 speakers, all but one of whom were over the age of sixty....
     (moribund)
  • Tsou
    Tsou language

    The Tsou language is the Austronesian language of the Taiwanese aborigines Tsou people....


Extinct languages

  • Babuza
    Babuza language

    Babuza is an extinct languages language of Babuza people, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family....
     (AKA Favorlang)
  • Basay
    Basay language

    Basay was formerly spoken in the plains area of Northern Taiwan by the Basay. The language is most closely related to the East Formosan group. The language is an extinct Formosan language of the Austronesian languages family....
  • Hoanya
    Hoanya

    The Hoanya are a Taiwanese aborigines people who live primarily in Changhua County, Chiayi city, Nantou County, and near Tainan City.Their language, the Hoanya language, is now extinct....
  • Ketagalan
    Ketagalan

    Ketagalan are a Taiwanese aborigines tribe originating in what is now the Taipei Basin. Their language has now become extinct.On March 21 1996, the road in front of the Presidential Building was renamed from "Long Live Chiang Kai-shek" Road to Ketagalan Boulevard by then-mayor of Taipei City, Chen Shui-bian, to commemorate this tribe....
  • Makatao
  • Popora
    Popora

    The Papora are a Taiwanese aborigines people, living primarily in the area around Taichung and the Taiwanese western coastal littoral. During the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty dynasties, the Dutch East India Company traded with the Papora and provide records of life among them....
  • Siraya
    Siraya

    The Siraya were an indigenous people of Taiwan, comprising at least five major subtribes: Mattauw, Soelangh, Baccloangh, Sinckan, and Taivoan....
  • Taivoan
  • Taokas


Further reading

  • Tsuchida, S. (2003). Kanakanavu texts (Austronesian Formosan). [Osaka?: Endangered Languages of the Pacific Rim].
  • Zeitoun, E. (2002). Nominalization in Formosan languages. Taipei: Institute of Linguistics (Preparatory Office), Academia Sinica.
  • Mackay, G. L. (1893). Chinese-Romanized dictionary of the Formosan vernacular. Shanghai: Printed at the Presbyterian Mission Press.
  • Happart, G., & Hedhurst, W. H. (1840). Dictionary of the Favorlang dialect of the Formosan language. Batavia: printed at Parapattan.


See also

  • Tsou language
    Tsou language

    The Tsou language is the Austronesian language of the Taiwanese aborigines Tsou people....
     for an example of the unusual phonotactics of the Formosan languages
  • Sinckan writing
  • Naming customs of Taiwanese aborigines


External links

  • Map: (PDF)