Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Northern Amis, Nataoran, Natawran, Tauran, Sprache von Formosa, Nataoran Amis, 南勢阿美語, 撒奇萊雅語, 北部阿美語
CLASSIFICATION		Austronesian, East Formosan, Central East Formosan
ORTHOGRAPHY		roman scripts
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		ais
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Ridaw Nataoran Sakizaya Cikosowan Kaliyawan Pokpok
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		The so-called Northern Amis is a cover term for Nataoran Amis and Sakizaya. Scholars have different opinions regarding the status of Sakizaya. Some people consider it a dialect of Northern Amis whereas some scholars propose that Sakizaya should be regarded as an independent language. This language entry may contain both information on Sakizaya as a dialect and as an independent language.

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Information from: “Personal communication on Sakizaya” . Melissa Shih-hui Lin (2014)

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~500-600
Native speakers worldwide
CHILDREN
~100-150
YOUNG ADULTS
~100-150
OLDER ADULTS
~200
ELDERS
~100

DATE OF INFO: 2010-2011

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

The Sakizaya people who live in the cities generally don't teach children their heritage language. As for people who still live in the Sakizaya tribes, only parents who strongly identify themselves as the Sazakiya pass down the heritage language. Sakizaya is only predominantly used in the traditional ceremonies.

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

positive

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

yes

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

yes

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Mandarin; Taiwanese Southern Min; Nataoran Amis; Japanese

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

The local government has provided funds for developing teaching materials as preparation for language revitalization. But no comprehension research work has been funded and carried out. Also Sakizaya had been taught in National Dong Hwa University (東華大學) for two years during 2008-2009. Those who can speak Sakizaya are also fluent in Nataoran Amis.

Scripts (Writing system)

roman scripts

Competing Orthographies

Japanese kana

More on Orthography

Native speakers in general have no literacy in their own language.

PLACES: Hualien, Taiwan

LOCATION DESCRIPTION

Hualien city (花蓮市國福里、民意里、國慶里、主權里); Hsincheng Township (花蓮縣新城鄉北埔村), Shoufung Township (花蓮縣壽豐鄉月眉村、水璉村), Fungpin Township (花蓮縣豐濱鄉磯崎村、新社村、中興村), Ruisui Township (花蓮縣瑞穗鄉舞鶴村、瑞北村) and Fuli Township (花蓮縣富里鄉豐南村)

?
Native speakers worldwide
CHILDREN
0
YOUNG ADULTS
0
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
A few elderly speakers of the Sakizaya dialect

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
More on Orthography: No literacy in this language.

PLACES: Taiwan

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Villages in the Hualien 花蓮 area in central eastern coastal Taiwan

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
(2000 S. Wurm)

PLACES: Taiwan

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
20
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Taiwan

		3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing	Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub			20		10-99										Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Taiwan		24.0088,121.5898
	October 13		2014	Personal communication on Sakizaya							Melissa Shih-hui Lin	Melissa Shih-hui Lin (林蒔慧). 2014. Personal Communication on Sakizaya. October 13.		~200	~100-150	~500-600	2010-2011	100-999		~100	all	Mandarin; Taiwanese Southern Min; Nataoran Amis; Japanese	yes	positive	The local government has provided funds for developing teaching materials as preparation for language revitalization. But no comprehension research work has been funded and carried out. Also Sakizaya had been taught in National Dong Hwa University (東華大學) for two years during 2008-2009. Those who can speak Sakizaya are also fluent in Nataoran Amis.	yes	all	Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	11	The Sakizaya people who live in the cities generally don't teach children their heritage language. As for people who still live in the Sakizaya tribes, only parents who strongly identify themselves as the Sazakiya pass down the heritage language. Sakizaya is only predominantly used in the traditional ceremonies.	14	14	Hualien, Taiwan	Hualien city (花蓮市國福里、民意里、國慶里、主權里); Hsincheng Township (花蓮縣新城鄉北埔村), Shoufung Township (花蓮縣壽豐鄉月眉村、水璉村), Fungpin Township (花蓮縣豐濱鄉磯崎村、新社村、中興村), Ruisui Township (花蓮縣瑞穗鄉舞鶴村、瑞北村) and Fuli Township (花蓮縣富里鄉豐南村)
070071197X	3	1	2007	Australia and the Pacific	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	424-557		Routledge	Abingdon		Stephen A Wurm	Wurm, Stephen A. 2007. Australia and the Pacific. In Christopher Moseley, Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, 1 edn., 424-557. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 070071197X	ll_pub		0	?			A few elderly speakers of the Sakizaya dialect			Amis, Chinese											Taiwan	Villages in the Hualien 花蓮 area in central eastern coastal Taiwan
				World Oral Literature Project						http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.				5		1-9										Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub			5		1-9	(2000 S. Wurm)									Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Taiwan

Sakizaya

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~500-600

?

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

20

Discussion

Sakizaya

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~500-600

?

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

20

Discussion

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