| Siraya | |
|---|---|
| Siraiya | |
| Native to | Taiwan |
| Region | Southwestern, around present-dayTainan |
| Extinct | end of 19th century; revitalization movement |
| Revival | 2020s |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | fos |
| Glottolog | sira1267 Sirayaicnucl1578 Siraya |
| ELP | Siraya |
| Linguasphere | 30-FAA-b |
 (pink) Siraya | |
| Coordinates:22°58′N120°18′E / 22.967°N 120.300°E /22.967; 120.300 | |
Siraya is aFormosan language spoken until the end of the 19th century by the indigenousSiraya people ofTaiwan, derived fromProto-Siraya. Some scholars believeTaivoan andMakatao are two dialects of Siraya, but now more evidence shows that they should be classified as separate languages.
Several Siraya communities have been involved in a Sirayan cultural andlanguage revitalization movement for more than a decade. Through linguistic research and language teaching, the natives are 'awaking' their ancestors mother tongue that has been 'dormant' for a century. Today a group of Siraya children inSinhua District ofTainan particularly in Kou-pei and Chiou Chen Lin area are able to speak and sing in the Siraya language.[1]
The Sirayaic languages were previously thought to include three languages or dialects:
However, more and more evidences have shown that Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao are three different languages, rather than three dialects:
In "De Dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia" written by the Dutch colonizers during 1629–1662, it was clearly said that when the Dutch people would like to speak to the chieftain of Cannacannavo (Kanakanavu), they needed to translate fromDutch to Sinckan (Siraya), from Sinckan toTarroequan (possibly aPaiwan or aRukai language), from Tarroequan toTaivoan, and from Taivoan toCannacannavo.[2][3]
"...... in Cannacannavo: Aloelavaos tot welcken de vertolckinge in Sinccans, Tarrocquans en Tevorangs geschiede, weder voor een jaer aengenomen" — "De Dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia", pp.6–8
A comparison of numerals of Siraya, Taivoan (Tevorangh dialect), and Makatao (Kanapo dialect) withProto-Austronesian language show the difference among the three Austronesian languages in southwestern Taiwan in the early 20th century:[4][5]
| PAn | Siraya (UM) | Siraya (Gospel) | Siraya (Kongana) | Taivoan (Tevorangh) | Makatao (Kanapo) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | *asa | sa-sat | saat | sasaat | tsaha | na-saad |
| 2 | *duSa | sa-soa | ruha | duha | ruha | ra-ruha |
| 3 | *telu | tu-turo | turu | turu | tuhu | ra-ruma |
| 4 | *Sepat | pa-xpat | xpat | tapat | paha' | ra-sipat |
| 5 | *lima | ri-rima | rima | tu-rima | hima | ra-lima |
| 6 | *enem | ni-nam | nom | tu-num | lom | ra-hurum |
| 7 | *pitu | pi-pito | pitu | pitu | kito | ra-pito |
| 8 | *walu | kuxipat | kuixpa | pipa | kipa | ra-haru |
| 9 | *Siwa | matuda | matuda | kuda | matuha | ra-siwa |
| 10 | *puluq | keteang | kitian | keteng | kaipien | ra-kaitian |
In 2009,Li (2009) further proved the relationship among the three languages, based on the latest linguistic observations below:[6]
| Siraya | Taivoan | Makatao | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound change (1) | r | Ø~h | r | < *l |
| Sound change (2) | l | l | n | < *N |
| Sound change (3) | s | r, d | r, d | < *D, *d |
| Sound change (4) | -k- -g- | Ø Ø | -k- ---- | < *k < *S |
| Morphological change (suffices for future tense) | -ali | -ah | -ani |
Based on the discovery, Li attempted two classification trees:[6]
1.Tree based on the number of phonological innovations
2.Tree based on the relative chronology of sound changes
Li (2009) considers the second tree (the one containing the Taivoan–Makatao group) to be the somewhat more likely one.[6]
Lee (2015) regards that, when Siraya was alingua franca among at least eight indigenous communities in southwestern Taiwan plain,Taivoan people from Tevorangh, who has been proved to have their own language in "De Dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia", might still need the translation service from Wanli, a neighbor community that shared common hunting field and also a militarily alliance with Tevorangh.[3]
The Siraya language entered the historical record in the early 17th century when traders from theDutch East India Company, expelled frommainland China and Chinese waters, set up a stronghold on Taiwan atFort Zeelandia, which was in the Siraya-speaking area. During the period ofDutch rule in Taiwan,Calvinist missionaries used Siraya andBabuza (also known asFavorlang) as contact languages. A translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew into Siraya (174 pages of Siraya and Dutch text, Gravius 1661)[8][9] and a catechism in Siraya (288 pages of Siraya and Dutch text, Gravius 1662)[10] were published, and have been subsequently republished.[11] The Dutch colony was driven out in 1661 byMing loyalist refugees from China, and Taiwan was subsequently incorporated into theQing Empire. During the period ofQing Dynasty rule, use of Siraya receded, but some Siraya language materials survive in the form of Siraya land contracts with Chinese translations, known as theSinckan Manuscripts. The last records were lists of words made in the early 19th century.
The Tainan Pe-po Siraya Culture Association published a modern-day Siraya glossary in 2008, authored by Edgar Macapili.[12] A paper published in 2021 reports on a translation of the Gospel of St. John that had recently been identified by the author in theRoyal Danish Library.[13]
The phonological system of Siraya is speculated by Adelaar (1997) to have the followingphonemes.
Consonants (18–20 total)
b d nḡ[note 6]
p t k
m n ng
l, r
v z
c
[f] s x h
w y
Vowels (7 total)
Diphthongs (6 total)
Palatalization also occurs in many words.
Siraya auxiliaries constitute an open class and are placed at the head of the verb phrase (Adelaar 1997).
The Siraya personal pronouns below are from Adelaar (1997).
| Free | Actor or Possessive | Topic | Oblique | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | singular | ĭau | -(m)au | -koh | ĭau-an | |
| plural | excl. | ĭmi-an | -(m)ian, -(m)iän | -kame | mian-än (mian-an) | |
| incl. | ĭmĭtta | -(m)ĭtta, -(m)eta | -kĭtta | ĭmittä-n | ||
| 2nd person | singular | ĭmhu | -(m)uhu, -(m)oho | -kow | ĭmhu-an | |
| plural | ĭmumi | -(m)umi | (-)kamu | ĭmumi-än (ĭmumi-an) | ||
| 3rd person | singular | teni | tĭn | teni | tĭni-än (tĭni-an) | |
| plural | ta neini | nein | neini | neini-än (neini-an) | ||
The list of function words below is sourced from Adelaar (1997).
Demonstratives
Interrogatives
Negation markers
Other words
The following list of Siraya verb affixes is from Adelaar (1997).
See alsoProto-Austronesian language for a list of Proto-Austronesian verbal affixes.
LikeBunun and many otherFormosan languages, Siraya has a rich set of verbal classifier prefixes.
Siraya has a base tennumeral system with the following forms:[11]
| Cardinal | Ordinal | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | saat, sa-saat | nawnamu |
| 2 | ruha, ru-ruha | ka-ra-ruha |
| 3 | turu, tu-turu | ka-ta-turu |
| 4 | xpat, pa-xpat | ka-axpat |
| 5 | rima, ri-rima | ka-ri-rima |
| 6 | nom, nə-nəm | ka-annəm |
| 7 | pĭttu, pĭ-pĭttu | ka-pa-pĭttu |
| 8 | kuixpa | ka-kuixpa |
| 9 | matuda | ka-matuda, ka-ma-matuda |
| 10 | saat kĭttiän | ka-sasaat kĭttiän |
| Examples of higher numerals | ||
| 12 | saat kĭttiän äb ki ruha | |
| 14 | saat kĭttiän äb ki pat | |
| 30 | turu kĭttiän | |
| 60 | nənnəm kĭttiän | |
| 99 | matuda kĭttiän äb ki matuda | |
| 100 | saat ka-ätux-an | |
| 4,000 | xpat ka-tunnun-an | |
| 5,000 | lima ka-tunnun-an |
- The Lord's Prayer
Raman-jan ka ito-tounnoun kow ki vullu-vullum;
Pakou-titik-auh ta nanang-oho,
Pa-irou-au ta pei-sasou-an- oho,
Paamt-au ta kamoei-en-hou, mama tou tounnoun ki vullum, k'ma-hynna tou Naei
Ph'ei -kame wae'i k'atta ki paoul-ian ka mamsing.
Atta-ral-a ki kaeu-itting-en-hou ymiaen-an, mama ka attaral-kame ta ymiaen ki kaeu-itting-'niaen
Ka inei-kame dmyllough tou repung-an, ra haoumi-ei-kame ki littou.
Ka a'mouhou ta pei-sasou-an, ta pei-lpoug-han, ta keirang-en ki kidi tou yhkaquan myd-darynnough,
Amen
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