Saturday, September 27, 2008

Formosan languages

The Formosan languages are the languages of the of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are , another four are , and several others are to some degree .

The aboriginal languages of Taiwan have significance in historical linguistics, since in all likelihood Taiwan was the place of origin of the entire family. According to linguist Robert Blust 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 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 government started an aboriginal reappreciation program that included the reintroduction of Formosan first language in Taiwanese schools. However, the results of this initiative have been disappointing.

List of languages


''For classification, see .''


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 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


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Extinct languages


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* Hoanya
* Ketagalan
* Makatao
* Popora
* Siraya
* Taivoan
* Taokas

Further reading


*Tsuchida, S. . ''Kanakanavu texts ''. .
*Zeitoun, E. . ''Nominalization in Formosan languages''. Taipei: Institute of Linguistics , Academia Sinica.
*Mackay, G. L. . ''Chinese-Romanized dictionary of the Formosan vernacular''. Shanghai: Printed at the Presbyterian Mission Press.
*Happart, G., & Hedhurst, W. H. . ''Dictionary of the Favorlang dialect of the Formosan language''. Batavia: printed at Parapattan.

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