Sirayaic languages

Sirayaic languages is one of the sub-branches of the Formosan branch, under the Austronesian languages family. Both Blust (1999) and Li (2010) considers Proto-Siraya belongs to East Formosan languages, along with Kavalanic and Amis languages.^[1][2]

Sirayaic
Geographic distribution	Southern Taiwan
Linguistic classification	Austronesian East Formosan Sirayaic
Subdivisions	Siraya Taivoan–Makatao
Language codes
Glottolog	sira1267
(pink) Sirayaic

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]

• Sirayaic
  • Siraya
  • Tevorang-Taivuan
  • Takaraian (now classified as Makatao)
  • Pangsoia-Dolatok (now classified as Makatao)
  • Longkiau (now classified as Makatao)

Based on the latest corpora, Li (2010) attempted two classification trees^[2] for Sirayaic languages:

Tree based on the number of phonological innovations	Tree based on the relative chronology of sound changes
Sirayaic Taivoan Siraya–Makatao Siraya Makatao	Sirayaic Siraya Taivoan–Makatao Taivoan Makatao

Reconstruction

Adelaar published his reconstruction of Proto-Siraya phonology in 2014:^[4]

Proto-Siraya Consonants (Adelaar, 2014)

	Labial		Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Glottal
Unvoiced stop	p		t				k
Voiced stop	b		d
Nasal	m		n				ŋ
Unvoiced spirants			s						h
Voiced spirants	v		ð				ɣ
Lateral			r, ł
Semivowels	w				y

Proto-Siraya Vowels (Adelaar, 2014)

Height		Front		Central		Back
Close		i				u
Mid				ə
Open				a

Sound changes

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]

Austronesian List of Numbers 1-10		Dialects	Autonym	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Proto-Austronesian				*əsa *isa	*duSa	*təlu	*Səpat	*lima	*ənəm	*pitu	*walu	*Siwa	*(sa-)puluq
Proto-Siraya				*saat	*ðusa	*turu	*səpat	*rǐma	*nəm	*pitu	*kuixpa	*ma-tuda	*saat ki tian
17th century	Siraya	Utrecht[note 1]	--	saat	sa-soa	tu-turo	pa-xpat	ri-rima	ni-nam	pi-pito	kuxipat	matuda	keteang
	Siraya (arguably)	Gospel[note 2]	--	saat	ruha	turu	xpat	rima	nom	pitu	kuixpa	matuda	kitian
20th century	Siraya	Kongana[note 3]	Siraiya	sasaat	duha	turu	tapat	tu-rima	tu-num	pitu	pipa	kuda	keteng
	Siraya (arguably)	Moatao[note 4]	Siraiya	isa	rusa	tao	usipat	hima	lomu	pitu	vao	siva	masu
	Taivoan	Suannsamna[note 5]	--	sa'a	zua	to'o	sipat gaspa	urima	urumu	upitu	uwaru	hsiya	--
	Taivoan	Siaolin[note 6]	Taibowan	tsaha saka	ruha luha	tohu	paha' limta	hima	lom lanlan	kito	kipa	matuha matsuha	kaipien kaitian
	Taivoan	Dazhuang[note 7]	Taivoan Taiburan	tsatsa'a	raruha	tato'o	tapat	tarima	tanum	tyausen	rapako	ravasen	kaiten
	Makatao	Laopi[note 8]	Makatao	saka	bailung	kutung	lumta	rima	langalan	kimseng	kalasin	kabaitya	kaiten
	Makatao	Kanapo[note 9]	--	na-saad	ra-ruha	ra-ruma	ra-sipat	ra-lima	ra-hurum	ra-pito	ra-haru	ra-siwa	ra-kaitian
	Makatao	Bankim[note 10]	--	saat	laluha	taturu	hapat	lalima	anum	papitu	--	tuda	saatitin

Notes

1. Attested in the Utrecht Manuscripts written in the 17th century.
2. Attested in the Gospel of St. Matthew in the 17th century, which Li (2010) regards as Taivoan language along with Moatao dialect, rather than Siraya.
3. Attested and recorded in Kongana (崗仔林), a Siraya community in nowadays Zuojhen, Tainan.
4. Investigated and recorded by Ino. Kanori in Moatao (麻豆), a Siraya community located in nowadays Madou, Tainan.
5. Investigated by Ino, Kanori in Suannsamna (山杉林), a Sia-urie-Taivoan community located in nowadays Shanlin, Kaohsiung.
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.
7. 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.
8. Investigated in Marun or Laopi (老埤) in the early 20th century, a Makatao community located in nowadays Neipu, Pingtung.
9. Investigated and recorded in Kanapo (加蚋埔) in the early 20th century, a Makatao community located in nowadays Gaoshu, Pingtung.
10. Investigated in Bankim (萬金), a Makatao community located in nowadays Wanluan, Pingtung, in the late 19th century by Steere.