ABSTRACT
Taiwan (ex-Formosa), a large island of about 36,000 square kilometres located off the south-eastern coast of China, has aroused great interest among scientists from different disciplines whose study focuses on the history of settlement of East Asia and Oceania. The population of Taiwan was 22 million people in 2004, distributed among a large variety of populations. Among them, the Chinese, who for the most part migrated to the island in the 17th century after short-term occupations by the Portuguese (1544-82), Dutch (1624-62) and Spanish (1626-42), currently represent almost 98 per cent of its inhabitants. The main Chinese groups in Taiwan speak southeast Chinese dialects: the Minnan dialect (about 70 per cent) and the Hakka dialect (about 15 per cent). A further 12 per cent correspond to Han people who migrated from the mainland after World War II and are typically speakers of Mandarin, although most other Chinese dialects are also represented. Besides the Chinese, the island is also inhabited by aboriginal peoples who now represent about 2 per cent of the population. Twelve ‘tribes’, speaking distinctive Austronesian languages, some subdivided into dialects, are officially recognized (Map 13.I): the Ami, Atayal, Bunun, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiat, Thao, Tsou and Sedik (including the Taroko), plus the Yami in Lan-Yu (‘Orchid’) Island. The Yami are not linguistically Formosan, but speak an Austronesian language within Batanic, a Northern Philippine group. Geographically, these populations are located on the east coast and in the mountains in the centre of the island. Twelve additional Formosan languages: Babuza, Basay, Hoanya, Ketagalan, Kulon, Luilang, Pazeh, Papora, Qauqaut, Siraya, Taokas and Trobiawan are extinct or on the verge of extinction (Pazeh). Most were spoken on the western and northern coasts of the island, the focal points of Chinese settlement.
