| Siraya | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Taiwan |
| Region | Southwestern, around present-day Tainan, from Peimen to Hengchun to Tapu. |
| Coordinates | |
| Native speakers | (prev. extinct; revitalization movement) (date missing) |
| Language family |
Austronesian
|
| Dialects |
Taivoan
Makatao
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | fos |
|
(pink) Siraya
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Siraya is a Formosan language spoken until the end of the 19th century by the indigenous Siraya people of Taiwan. Dialects of Siraya included Taivoa and Makatao.
Several modern day Siraya communities in Taiwan have been involved in a Sirayan cultural and language revitalization movement for more than a decade. Through linguistic research and language teaching, the natives are 'awaking' their mother tongue that has been 'dormant' for a century. Today a group of Siraya children in the Shinhua township particularly in Kou-pei and Chiou Chen Lin area are able to speak and sing in the Siraya language.[1]
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The Siraya language entered the historical record in the early 17th century when traders from the Dutch East India Company, expelled from mainland China and Chinese waters, set up a stronghold on Taiwan at Fort Zeelandia, which was in the Siraya-speaking area. During the period of Dutch rule in Taiwan, Calvinist missionaries used Siraya and Babuza (also known as Favorlang) as contact languages. A translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew into Siraya (174 pages of Siraya and Dutch text, Gravius 1661)[2] and a catechism in Siraya (288 pages of Siraya and Dutch text, Gravius 1662)[3] were published, and have been subsequently republished.[4] The Dutch colony was driven out in 1661 by Ming loyalist refugees from China, and Taiwan was subsequently incorporated into the Qing Empire. During the period of Qing Dynasty rule, use of Siraya receded, but some Siraya language materials survive in the form of Siraya land contracts with Chinese translations, known as the Sinckan Manuscripts. The last records were lists of words made in the early 19th century.
The Tainan Ping-pu Siraya Association is compiling the first modern-day Siraya glossary. Publication is scheduled for November 2008.
The phonological system of Siraya is speculated by Adelaar (1997) to have the following phonemes.
Consonants (18-20 total)
b d nḡ[5]
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).
| Type of Pronoun |
Free | Actor or Possessive |
Topic | Oblique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1s. | ĭau | -(m)au | -koh | ĭau-an |
| 2s. | ĭmhu | -(m)uhu, -(m)oho | -kow | ĭmhu-an |
| 3s. | teni | tĭn | teni | tĭni-än (tĭni-an) |
| 1p. (incl.) | ĭmĭtta | -(m)ĭtta, -(m)eta | -kĭtta | ĭmittä-n |
| 1p. (excl.) | ĭmi-an | -(m)ian, -(m)iän | -kame | mian-än (mian-an) |
| 2p. | ĭmumi | -(m)umi | (-)kamu | ĭmumi-än (ĭmumi-an) |
| 3p. | ta neini | nein | neini | neini-än (neini-an) |
The list of function words below is sourced from Adelaar (1997).
Demontratives
Interrogatives
Negation markers
Other words
The following list of Siraya verb affixes is from Adelaar (1997).
See also Proto-Austronesian language for a list of Proto-Austronesian verbal affixes.
Like Bunun and many other Formosan languages, Siraya has a rich set of verbal classifier prefixes.
Siraya has a base ten numeral system with the following forms:[4]
| 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 |
Raman-jan ka ito-tounnoun kow ki vullu-vullum;
- The Lord's Prayer
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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