臺灣南島語言瀕危狀況研究：抽樣調查之結果

A Study on the Endangerment of Formosan Languages: Results of a Sampling Survey

本研究採用聯合國教科文組織「語言活力與瀕危」中關鍵的指標一到指標三來研判九個臺灣南島語言活力。考量鉅視結構的人口規模因素，將這九個族群分成中型族群、小型族群，以及微小型族群。在2013年6月至2014年10月間，取得1,879份有效問卷。本研究提供了重要的九個臺灣南島語言保存的量化資料，特別是16歲（含）以上族語使用者推估人口與所占百分比、老中青年齡層族語使用者推估人口數與所占人口百分比，以及族語活力等級。族語活力大致上與族群人口規模成正相關。然而人口規模和族語活力指數並非有完美的對應。卡那卡那富、拉阿魯哇、邵、賽夏和卑南這五者表現相當不樂觀，低於預期許多；而僅有一千多人的噶瑪蘭卻有近似中族族群的優質表現。在1960年之後，隨著臺灣原住民社會變遷，導致族群隔離性大大降低，族人在日常生活中大量改用華語，導致族語與其他臺灣本土語言快速流失。

This study adopts the key endangerment indexes 1 to 3 built by UNESCO's“Language Vitality and Language Endangerment”to examine and judge the vitality indexes for nine indigenous languages of Taiwan (also known as Formosan languages). Between June 2013 and October 2014, 1,879 valid questionnaires were gathered. This study provides important quantitative data, especially the estimated populations and percentages of the heritage language speakers aged 16 and above, and the vitality levels of these languages in question. The language vitality of Kanakanavu, Hla’alua, Thao, Saisiyat and Puyuma was not optimistic and much lower than expected; while Kavalan, a small ethnic group with only a little more than 1,000 people, had similar vitality to the medium-sized ethnic groups. After 1960, the compartmentalization of Taiwan’s ethnic groups has greatly reduced along with the dramatic changes of Taiwan’s aboriginal society. A large number of Formosan indigenous peoples have switched to using Mandarin Chinese in their daily life, resulting in the rapid loss of their heritage languages.