Formosa languages

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Formosa languages

Spoken in

Taiwan
Linguistic
classification

Austronesian languages

  • Formosa languages
Language codes
ISO 639 -1

fox

The Formosa languages (also Formosan or Taiwan languages ) are the languages ​​of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan . Recognized by the Republic of China on Taiwan , the native people of Taiwan make up 2% of the island's population. However, many indigenous people can no longer speak their native language fluently because of the political and cultural predominance of standard Chinese. This language change led to the linguistic death of an estimated 10 languages ​​of the former 26 languages. Another four or five languages ​​are on the verge of extinction, and others are threatened languages .

The native languages ​​of Taiwan are of great importance for historical linguistics as Taiwan is the original home of all Austronesian languages. According to language expert Robert Blust , the Formosa languages ​​make up nine of the ten branches of the Austronesian languages. while the tenth branch contains around 1,200 non-Taiwanese Malayo-Polynesian languages . Although some linguists disagree with Blust's theory, the consensus remains that the Austronesian languages ​​find their ancestry in Taiwan. This theory has recently been supported by further population genetic studies.

Four views on the Formosa languages

Four different views on the Formosa languages ​​have emerged among linguists:

The Formosa languages ​​as a branch of the "Eastern languages"

Traditionally, linguistics divides the language family of the South Islands along the Wallace Line into two branches: The eastern languages ​​of the South Islands ( 東部 南島 語  /  東部 南岛 语 , Dōngbùnándǎoy  „-" Oceanic languages ​​of the South Islands ") and the western languages ​​of the South Islands ( 西部 南島語  /  西部 南岛 语 , Xībùnándǎoyǔ  - "Hesperonesian languages", which includes all other languages ​​except the Oceanic). Dyen and Shigeru Tsuchida considered the Formosa language family to be closely related to the eastern languages ​​of the South Islands. This branch of language therefore has no special position.

The Formosa languages ​​as the "northern language family of the South Islands"

André-Georges Haudricourt calls the Formosa languages ​​the "northern language family of the South Islands" ( 北部 南島 語  /  北部 南岛 语 , Běibùnándǎoyǔ ), since from his point of view Taiwan belongs to the Malay Archipelago , and divides them into the "Taiwanese languages ​​of the South Islands" ( 台灣 南島 語  /  台湾 南岛 语 , Táiwānnándǎoyǔ ), the "Eastern languages ​​of the South Islands" ( 東部 南島 語  /  東部 南岛 语 , Dōngbùdǎoyǔ ) and the "Western languages ​​of the South Islands" ( 西部 南島 語  /  西部 南岛 语 , Xībùdǎoyǔ ).

The Formosa languages ​​as the first branch of the "language family of the South Islands"

Dahl considers the Formosa languages ​​to be closest to the Proto-Austronesian languages ​​and classifies them as a branch of these languages. On this basis, Blust goes a step further and divides the Formosa languages ​​into four sub-branches: the Tàiyǎ languages ​​( 泰雅 語 群  /  泰雅 语 群 ), the Páiwān languages ​​( 排 灣 語 群  /  排 湾 语 群 ), the Zōu languages ​​( 鄒 語 群  /  邹 语 群 ) and the Malayo-Polynesian languages. The Formosa languages ​​therefore belonged to three clear groups. The rest could not be precisely divided.

According to this, some linguists divided the Formosa language family into two language branches: the first is the Formosa language family, the second the Malayo-Polynesian languages. These were published in the 2004 edition of Ethnologue: Languages ​​of the Worldalso shown in detail. Of the 1262 languages, 23 were assigned to the Formosa language branch, all other 1239 to the Malayo-Polynesian language branch.

Synthesis of Blust and Bellwood

More and more linguists attach increasing relevance to the Formosa language family. Research has shown that Taiwan is one of the origins of the Austronesian languages, if not the only one, as Blust and Bellwood claim. The most recent and relevant book Ethnologue: Languages ​​of the World (2005b) divides the Formosa language into three branches: Tàiyǎ languages ​​( 泰雅 語 群  /  泰雅 语 群 ), Páiwān languages ​​( 排 灣 語 群  /  排 湾 语 群 ) and Zōu languages ​​( 鄒 語 群  /  邹 语 群 ).

Displacement by standard Chinese

All Formosa languages ​​are steadily being replaced by the culturally dominant standard Chinese . In the past few decades, the Taiwanese government has initiated the reintroduction of the mother tongues, which had previously been legally superseded by standard Chinese, in schools.

List of languages

The presumed spread of the Formosan languages ​​before the beginning of the Chinese colonization in the 17th century. The division into different groups varies.

→ Main article: Austronesian languages

It is often difficult to find a clear distinction between dialect and language, which creates disagreements and disagreements among experts about the Formosa languages. Accordingly, there is a great deal of ambiguity about the extinction and cultural assimilation of various Formosan tribes, which makes linguistic studies difficult. A list of various Formosa languages ​​is given below, but for the reasons given should not be regarded as complete.

Living languages

  • Atayal ( 泰雅 語  /  泰雅 语 , Tàiyǎyǔ )
  • Bunun ( 布 農 語  /  布 农 语 , Bùnóngyǔ ; large differences in dialects)
  • Amis ( 阿美 語  /  阿美 语 , Āměiyǔ ; large differences in dialects, sometimes categorized as different languages)
  • Kanakanavu ( 卡 那 卡 那 富 語  /  卡 那 卡 那 富 语 , Kǎnàkǎnàfùyǔ ; dying out)
  • Kavalan ( 噶 瑪蘭 語  /  噶 玛兰 语 , Gámǎlányǔ ; categorized as extinct in some sources, but categorized as a living language in other sources)
  • Paiwan ( 排 灣 語  /  排 湾 语 , Páiwānyǔ )
  • Saisiyat ( 賽 夏 語  /  赛 夏 语 , Sàixiàyǔ )
  • Puyuma ( 卑南 語  /  卑南 语 , Bēinányǔ )
  • Rukai ( 魯凱 語  /  鲁凯 语 , Lǔkǎiyǔ ; big differences in dialects)
  • Saaroa ( 沙阿魯阿 語  /  沙阿鲁阿 语 , Shāālǔāzōuyǔ ; dying out)
  • Seediq ( 賽德克 語  /  赛德克 语 , Sàidékèyǔ ; also Truku)
  • Tao (also Yami)
  • Thao ( 邵 語  /  邵 语 , Shàoyǔ ; dying out)
  • Tsou ( 鄒 語  /  邹 语 , Zōuyǔ )

Dead languages

  • Babuza ( 貓 霧 捒 語  /  猫 雾 捒 语 , Māowùsùyǔ ; also 法 佛朗 語  /  法 佛朗 语 , Fǎfólǎngyǔ )
  • Basay ( 巴 賽 語  /  巴 赛 语 , Bāsàiyǔ )
  • Hoanya ( 洪雅 語  /  洪雅 语 , Hóngyǎyǔ )
  • Ketagalan ( 凱達格蘭 語  /  凯达格兰 语 , Kǎidágélányǔ )
  • Makatao
  • Pazeh ( 巴 宰 語  /  巴 宰 语 , Bāzǎiyǔ ; extinct in 2010)
  • Popora
  • Siraya ( 西拉雅 語  /  西拉雅 语 , Xīlāyǎyǔ )
  • Taivoan
  • Taokas ( 道 卡斯 語  /  道 卡斯 语 , Dàokǎsīyǔ )

literature

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

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Tribes in Taiwan . ( Memento of the original from March 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Council of Indigenous Peoples, Executive Yuan  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apc.gov.tw
  2. ^ A b Elizabeth Zeitoun, Ching-Hua Yu: The Formosan Language Archive: Linguistic Analysis and Language Processing . (PDF; 384 kB) In: Computational Linguistics and Chinese Language Processing . Volume 10, No. 2, June 2005, pp. 167-200
  3. ↑ a b Paul Jen-kuei Li, Shigeru Tsuchida: Kavalan Dictionary «噶 瑪蘭 語 詞典». Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica Monograph Series No.A19. Academia Sinica, Taipei 2006 [In press]
  4. ^ R. Blust: Subgrouping, circularity and extinction: some issues in Austronesian comparative linguistics , written at Taipei. In: E. Zeitoun, PJK Li: Selected papers from the Eighth International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, Academia Sinica, 1999
  5. ^ Jared M. Diamond: Taiwan's gift to the world . (PDF) In: Nature , Volume 403, February 2000, pp. 709-710
  6. ↑ James J. Fox: Current Developments in Comparative Austronesian Studies . (PDF) Paper prepared for Symposium Austronesia Pascasarjana Linguististik dan Kajian Budaya. Universitas Udayana, Bali 19. – 20. August 2004.
  7. ↑ JA Trejaut, T Kivisild, JH Loo, CL Lee, CL He et al .: Traces of archaic mitochondrial lineages persist in Austronesian-speaking Formosan populations. (PDF; 476 kB) In: PLoS Biol 3 (8), 2005, e247.
  8. ^ PA Underhill et al .: Maori origins, Y-chromosome haplotypes and implications for human history in the Pacific . Human Mutation, Volume 17, Issue 4, pp. 271-280. doi : 10.1002 / humu.23 , PMID 11295824 .
  9. ^ CC Chu et al .: Diversity of HLA among Taiwan's indigenous tribes and the Ivatans in the Philippines . In: Tissue Antigens , Volume 58, Number 1, July 2001, pp. 9-18 (10).
  10. ^ Hui-chi Lee: A Survey of Language Ability, Language Use and Language Attitudes of Young Aborigines in Taiwan. In: Charlotte Hoffmann, Jehannes Ytsma (Ed.): Trilingualism in Family, School, and Community . Multilingual Matters, Clevedon / Buffalo 2004, ISBN 1-85359-693-0 , pp. 101-117.
  11. ↑ Greg. Huteson: Sociolinguistic survey report for the Tona and Maga dialects of the Rukai Language . (PDF; 1.0 MB) SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2003-012, SIL International: Dallas TX 2003