ABSTRACT
It is difficult to overestimate either the role of the Aboriginal languages of Taiwan in Austronesian linguistics or their impact on various models of prehistoric movements in Southeast Asia. Therefore in this paper I will concentrate on two issues:
whether the Formosan languages form a single genetic subgroup within the Austronesian family or whether they constitute several primary branches of Austronesian;
whether Taiwan and its languages play a special role in ancient migrations of early Austronesian speakers.
