This chapter provides an updated examination of the syntactic properties of Formosan languages with a selection of topics that one typically expects to find. After an overview of the constituent order in these languages, it concisely discusses the unusual Philippine-type voice system that characterizes all languages except Rukai; issues related to argument structure, such as the status of the subject, case marking, and pronominal systems; word classes; and some unusual phenomena related to complex predicates.
This chapter supplements previous reports in Mandarin on the state of art of Formosan linguistics from 1990 until 2022 by discussing modern advances in historical linguistics, morphosyntactic comparisons, descriptive studies, new developments in cognitive linguistics, and formal linguistics. It also calls attention to research to be done, by pointing out subfields of Formosan linguistics that have so far not received the attention that they deserve. A summary of major milestones is given on this period characterized by a profusion of academic work on Formosan languages.
This chapter presents an overview of the documentation of Formosan languages from the early 17th century until 1895, when Taiwan was ceded to Japan. Two languages, Siraya and Favorlang, were documented during the Dutch period; no records are left by the Spanish of Basay. In 1683, Taiwan was integrated into the Qing Empire, and the only linguistic materials remaining from this period are 170 land contracts in Siraya. In the 19th century, word lists and comparative notes began to appear and be published mostly by Westerners.
Bunun, spoken by the fourth largest population located in a region traversing most of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range from Nantou in the north to Taitung in the southeast, subsumes five dialects divided into three groups: Takibakha and Takituduh make up the Northern branch, Takivatan and Takbanuaz constitute the Central branch and Isbukun represents the Southern branch. This chapter offers a contrastive study of these five dialects with an emphasis on Isbukun and Takivatan, by examining Bunun phonology, word formation, word classes, and major syntactic structures.
This handbook aims at offering a systematic and comprehensive coverage of the indigenous languages of Taiwan and contains 60 chapters, 19 maps, and an index. The present chapter provides an overview of the whole handbook by starting with a presentation of the linguistic setting of Taiwan; outlining the goals and structure of the handbook; and presenting the decisions that underlie the editing of this volume, including consistent terminology, homogenization of glosses, and orthography.