Saisiyat language
Encyclopedia
Saisiyat is the language of the Saisiyat, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan
(see Taiwanese aborigines
). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian
family. It has approximately 4,750 speakers.
regions in the mountains (Wufeng-hsiang, Hsinchu
, Nanchuang-hsiang, Miaoli
).
There are two main dialects of Saisiyat.
Kulon, an extinct Formosan language, is closely related to Saisiyat but is considered by Taiwanese linguist Paul Jen-kuei Li
to be a separate language.
instead, and few children speak Saisiyat. Hakka Chinese speakers, Atayal speakers and Saisiyat speakers live more or less together. Many Saisiyat are able to speak Saisiyat, Hakka, Atayal, Mandarin, and, sometimes, Min Nan
as well. Although Saisiyat has a relatively large number of speakers, the language is endangered
.
(Hsieh & Huang 2006:91). Pazeh
and Thao
, also Northern Formosan languages
, are the only other Formosan languages
that allow for SVO constructions.
Saisiyat's case-marking system distinguishes between personal and common nouns (Hsieh & Huang 2006:93).
Saisiyat verbs can be nominalized in the following ways.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(see Taiwanese aborigines
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 myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian
Austronesian languages
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia that are spoken by about 386 million people. It is on par with Indo-European, Niger-Congo, Afroasiatic and Uralic as one of the...
family. It has approximately 4,750 speakers.
Distribution
The language area of Saisiyat is small, situated in the northwest of the country between the Hakka Chinese and AtayalAtayal language
The Atayal language is spoken by the Atayal people of Taiwan. Squliq and C’uli’ are two major dialects...
regions in the mountains (Wufeng-hsiang, Hsinchu
Hsinchu
Hsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
, Nanchuang-hsiang, Miaoli
Miaoli
Miaoli may refer to:*Miaoli County , a county located in central Taiwan, Republic of China*Miaoli City , the seat of Miaoli County*Miaoli, Zhengzhou , town in Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China...
).
There are two main dialects of Saisiyat.
- Ta'ai (Taai)
- Tungho
Kulon, an extinct Formosan language, is closely related to Saisiyat but is considered by Taiwanese linguist Paul Jen-kuei Li
Paul Jen-kuei Li
Paul Jen-kuei Li is a research fellow at the Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. Li is a leading specialist on Formosan languages, and has published dictionaries on the Pazih and Kavalan languages.-References:...
to be a separate language.
Usage
Today, one thousand Saisiyat people do not use the Saisiyat language. Many young people use Hakka or AtayalAtayal language
The Atayal language is spoken by the Atayal people of Taiwan. Squliq and C’uli’ are two major dialects...
instead, and few children speak Saisiyat. Hakka Chinese speakers, Atayal speakers and Saisiyat speakers live more or less together. Many Saisiyat are able to speak Saisiyat, Hakka, Atayal, Mandarin, and, sometimes, Min Nan
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
as well. Although Saisiyat has a relatively large number of speakers, the language is endangered
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
.
Syntax
Although it also allows for verb-initial constructions, Saisiyat is a strongly subject-initial language (i.e., SVO), and is shifting to an accusative language, while it still has many features of split ergativitySplit ergativity
Split ergativity is shown by languages that have a partly ergative behaviour, but employ another syntax or morphology — usually accusative — in some contexts...
(Hsieh & Huang 2006:91). Pazeh
Pazeh language
Pazeh is the language of the Pazeh, a Taiwanese aboriginal people). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. Kulun was a dialect. There was only one remaining native speaker of Pazeh proper, 96-year-old Pan Jin-yu. Since her death, however, the language is extinct...
and Thao
Thao language
Thao , also known as Sao, 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 living in Dehua village , all but one of whom were over the age of sixty...
, also Northern Formosan languages
Northern Formosan languages
The Northern Formosan languages is a proposed grouping of Formosan languages that includes the Atayalic languages, the Western Plains languages , and the Northwest Formosan languages .The Northern Formosan subgroup was first proposed by Paul Jen-kuei Li in 1985...
, are the only other Formosan languages
Formosan languages
The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples 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...
that allow for SVO constructions.
Saisiyat's case-marking system distinguishes between personal and common nouns (Hsieh & Huang 2006:93).
| Type of Noun |
Nominative | Accusative | Genitive | Dative | Possessive | Locative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Ø, hi | hi | ni | 'an-a | 'ini' | kan, kala |
| Common | Ø, ka | ka | noka | 'an noka-a | no | ray |
Pronouns
Saisiyat has an elaborate pronominal system (Hsieh & Huang 2006:93).| Type of Pronoun |
Nominative | Accusative | Genitive | Dative | Possessive | Locative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1s. | yako/yao | yakin/iyakin | ma'an | 'iniman | 'amana'a | kanman |
| 2s. | So'o | 'iso'on | niSo | 'iniSo | 'anso'o'a | kanSo |
| 3s. | sia | hisia | nisia | inisia | 'ansiaa | kansia |
| 1p. (incl.) | 'ita | 'inimita | mita' | 'inimita' | 'anmita'a | kan'ita |
| 1p. (excl.) | yami | 'iniya'om | niya'om | 'iniya'om | 'anya'oma | kanyami |
| 2p. | moyo | 'inimon | nimon | 'inimon | 'anmoyoa | kanmoyo |
| 3p. | lasia | hilasia | nasia | 'inilasia | 'anlasiaa | kanlasia |
Verbs
The following are verbal prefixes in Saisiyat (Hsieh & Huang 2006:93).| Type of Focus | I | II |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Focus (AF) | m-, -om-, ma-, Ø | Ø |
| Patient Focus (PF) | -en | -i |
| Locative Focus (LF) | -an | — |
| Referential Focus (RF) | si-, sik- | -ani |
Saisiyat verbs can be nominalized in the following ways.
| Lexical nominalization | Syntactic nominalization | Temporal/Aspectual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent | ka-ma-V | ka-pa-V | Habitual, Future |
| Patient | ka-V-en, V-in- | ka-V-en, V-in- | Future (for ka-V-en), Perfective (for V-in-) |
| Location | ka-V-an | ka-V-an | Future |
| Instrument | ka-V, Ca-V (reduplication) | ka-V, Ca-V (reduplication) | Future |