Formosan languages
Language Code No . of dialects
Amis ami 5
Atayal tay 6
Bunun bnn 5
Kanakanabu xnb 1
Kavalan ckv 1
Paiwan pwn 4
Puyuma pyu 4
Rukai dru 6
Saaroa sxr 1
Saisiyat xsy 1
Sakizaya szy 1
Seediq trv 3
Thao ssf 1
Truku 1
Tsou tsu 1
Yami tao 1
List of languages -- Living languages
The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, all of which are Austronesian. The Taiwanese aborigines recognized by the government are about 2.3% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language because of centuries of language shift. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are extinct, another four (perhaps five) are moribund, and all others are to some degree endangered. The aboriginal languages of Taiwan have significance in historical linguistics since, in all likelihood, Taiwan was the place of origin of the entire Austronesian language family. According to linguist Robert Blust, the Formosan languages form nine of the ten principal branches of the Austronesian language family, while the one remaining principal branch contains nearly 1,200 Malayo-Polynesian languages found outside Taiwan. Although some other linguists disagree with some details of Blust's analysis, a broad consensus has coalesced around the conclusion that the Austronesian languages originated in Taiwan. The theory has been strengthened by recent studies in human population genetics, supporting also the matrilineal nature of the migration.