The Proto-Siraya language is the reconstructed ancestor of the Siraiyac branch. Proto-Siraya includes at least three languages: Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao. Li claimed Proto-Siraya might have split from the other East Formosan languages around 3,500 years ago, and began to develop nowadays Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao 3,000 years ago.[2]
Classification
Raleigh Farrell (1971) believes there were at least five indigenous peoples in the south-western plain of Taiwan at that time:[3]
Based on the comparison of the available corpora, Adelaar (2014) proposed a summary of sound correspondences between Proto-Austronesian and Proto-Siraya,[4] comapared with Siraya or Taivoan in the 17th century, accompanied with the other three East Formosan languages, Basay, Kavalan, and Amis, proposed by Li (2004):[5]
Proto-Austronesian
Proto-Siraya
Siraya (UM)
Siraya or Taivoan (Gospel)
Basay
Kavalan
Amis
*p
*p
p
p
p
p
p
*t, *C
*t
t
t
t
t
t
*c
--
*k
*k
k
k
k, h /_a
k, q
k
*q
Ø
Ø
Ø
Q
*b
*b
b/v
b/v
b
b
f
*d
*ð
s/d, -s-, -s
d/r, -r-, -r/d
*-D
--
r, l
z
d
*z
*d
d
d
r, l
z
d
*j
*n
n
n
n
n
n
*g
--
*m
*m
m
m
m
m
m
*n
*n
n
n
n
n
n
*ñ
?*n
n
n
n
n
d
*ŋ
*ŋ
ŋ
ŋ
ŋ
ŋ
ŋ
*h
Ø
Ø
Ø
h, ?
*S
*s
Ø, -s-
Ø, -h-
s
s
s
*s
*s
s/h-, -s/h/x-, -x
s/h-, -s/h/x-, -Ø
c
s
c
*R
*x
x
h/Ø-, -h/Ø-, -x
r, l
r, l, R
l
*l
*r
r
r
c
r, l, R
l
*r
--
*N
*ł
l
l
n
n
d
*w
*w, *u
w
w
w
w
v
*y
*y
y
y
y
y
y
*a
*a
a
a
a
a, i / *q
a
*ə
*ə
Ø
Ø
*i
*i
i, -i/e
i, -i/e
i
i
i
*u
*u
u
u/aw-, -u-, -u/aw
u
u
u
Comparison chart
Below is a chart comparing list of numbers of 1–10 in Sirayaic languages, including different dialects of Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao language, spoken from Tainan to Pingtung in southwestern Taiwan, and from Hualien to Taitung in eastern Taiwan:[6]
^Including vocabulary attested in Siaolin (小林) and Alikuan (阿里關), as the Taivoan people emigrated from Alikuan to Siaolin only in the late 19th century and have had very close relationship with each other. Both of the communities belong to Tevorangh-Taivoan.
^Attested in Dazhuang (大庄), a community in Hualien, founded by mainly Taivoan people immigrated from Siaolin and Laulong, and also by some Makatao people and very few Siraya people in the 19th century.
^Investigated in Marun or Laopi (老埤) in the early 20th century, a Makatao community located in nowadays Neipu, Pingtung.
^Investigated and recorded in Kanapo (加蚋埔) in the early 20th century, a Makatao community located in nowadays Gaoshu, Pingtung.
^Investigated in Bankim (萬金), a Makatao community located in nowadays Wanluan, Pingtung, in the late 19th century by Steere.
References
^Blust, Robert (1985). "The Austronesian Homeland: A Linguistic Perspective". Asian Perspectives. 26: 46067.
^Ferrell, Raleigh (1971). "Aboriginal peoples of the Southwestern Taiwan plains". Bulletin of the Institute of Ethnology. 32: 217–235.
^ abAdelaar, Alexander (2014). Proto Siraya Phonology: A Reconstruction. Cahiers de Linguistique Asie Orientale.
^Li, Paul Jen-kuei (2004). Origins of the East Formosans: Basay, Kavalan, Amis, and Siraya. Taipei: Academia Sinica.
^Tsuchida, Shigeru; Yamada, Yukihiro; Moriguchi, Ysunekazu (1991). Linguistic materials of the Formosan sinicized populations I: Siraya and Basai. Tokyo: The University of Tokyo, Department of Linguistics.
