# Sirayaic languages

Sirayaic languages is one of the sub-branches of the Formosan branch, under the Austronesian languages family. Both Blust (1999) and Li (2010) considers Proto-Siraya belongs to East Formosan languages, along with Kavalanic and Amis languages.
The Proto-Siraya language is the reconstructed ancestor of the Siraiyac branch. Proto-Siraya includes at least three languages: Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao. Li claimed Proto-Siraya might have split from the other East Formosan languages around 3,500 years ago, and began to develop nowadays Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao 3,000 years ago.

## Classification

Raleigh Farrell (1971) believes there were at least five indigenous peoples in the south-western plain of Taiwan at that time:
* Sirayaic
** Siraya
** Tevorang-Taivuan
** Takaraian (now classified as Makatao)
** Pangsoia-Dolatok (now classified as Makatao)
** Longkiau (now classified as Makatao)
Based on the latest corpora, Li (2010) attempted two classification trees for Sirayaic languages:
| Tree based on the number of phonological innovations | Tree based on the relative chronology of sound changes |
| Sirayaic Taivoan Siraya–Makatao Siraya Makatao | Sirayaic Siraya Taivoan–Makatao Taivoan Makatao |

## Reconstruction

Adelaar published his reconstruction of Proto-Siraya phonology in 2014:
Proto-Siraya Consonants (Adelaar, 2014) :
| | Labial | Labial | Alveolar | Alveolar | Palatal | Palatal | Velar | Velar | Glottal | Glottal |
| Unvoiced stop | p | p | t | t | | | k | k | | |
| Voiced stop | b | b | d | d | | | | | | |
| Nasal | m | m | n | n | | | ŋ | ŋ | | |
| Unvoiced spirants | | | s | s | | | | | h | h |
| Voiced spirants | v | v | ð | ð | | | ɣ | ɣ | | |
| Lateral | | | r, ł | r, ł | | | | | | |
| Semivowels | w | w | | | y | y | | |
Proto-Siraya Vowels (Adelaar, 2014) :
| Height | Height | Front | Front | Central | Central | Back | Back |
| Close | Close | i | i | | | u | u |
| Mid | Mid | | | ə | ə | | |
| Open | Open | | | a | a |

### Sound changes

Based on the comparison of the available corpora, Adelaar (2014) proposed a summary of sound correspondences between Proto-Austronesian and Proto-Siraya, comapared with Siraya or Taivoan in the 17th century, accompanied with the other three East Formosan languages, Basay, Kavalan, and Amis, proposed by Li (2004):
| Proto-Austronesian | Proto-Siraya | Siraya (UM) | Siraya or Taivoan (Gospel) | Basay | Kavalan | Amis |
| *p | *p | p | p | p | p | p |
| *t, *C | *t | t | t | t | t | t |
| *c | -- | | | | | |
| *k | *k | k | k | k, h /_a | k, q | k |
| *q | Ø | | | Ø | Ø | Q |
| *b | *b | b/v | b/v | b | b | f |
| *d | *ð | s/d, -s-, -s | d/r, -r-, -r/d | | | |
| *-D | -- | | | r, l | z | d |
| *z | *d | d | d | r, l | z | d |
| *j | *n | n | n | n | n | n |
| *g | -- | | | | | |
| *m | *m | m | m | m | m | m |
| *n | *n | n | n | n | n | n |
| *ñ | ?*n | n | n | n | n | d |
| *ŋ | *ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ | ŋ |
| *h | Ø | | | Ø | Ø | h, ? |
| *S | *s | Ø, -s- | Ø, -h- | s | s | s |
| *s | *s | s/h-, -s/h/x-, -x | s/h-, -s/h/x-, -Ø | c | s | c |
| *R | *x | x | h/Ø-, -h/Ø-, -x | r, l | r, l, R | l |
| *l | *r | r | r | c | r, l, R | l |
| *r | -- | | | | | |
| *N | *ł | l | l | n | n | d |
| *w | *w, *u | w | w | w | w | v |
| *y | *y | y | y | y | y | y |
| *a | *a | a | a | a | a, i / *q | a |
| *ə | *ə | Ø | Ø | | | |
| *i | *i | i, -i/e | i, -i/e | i | i | i |
| *u | *u | u | u/aw-, -u-, -u/aw | u | u | u |

### Comparison chart

Below is a chart comparing list of numbers of 1–10 in Sirayaic languages, including different dialects of Siraya, Taivoan, and Makatao language, spoken from Tainan to Pingtung in southwestern Taiwan, and from Hualien to Taitung in eastern Taiwan:
| Austronesian List of Numbers 1-10 | Austronesian List of Numbers 1-10 | Dialects | Autonym | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Proto-Austronesian | Proto-Austronesian | | | *əsa *isa | *duSa | *təlu | *Səpat | *lima | *ənəm | *pitu | *walu | *Siwa | *(sa-)puluq |
| Proto-Siraya | Proto-Siraya | | | *saat | *ðusa | *turu | *səpat | *rǐma | *nəm | *pitu | *kuixpa | *ma-tuda | *saat ki tian |
| 17th century | Siraya | Utrecht | -- | saat | sa-soa | tu-turo | pa-xpat | ri-rima | ni-nam | pi-pito | kuxipat | matuda | keteang |
| 17th century | Siraya (arguably) | Gospel | -- | saat | ruha | turu | xpat | rima | nom | pitu | kuixpa | matuda | kitian |
| 20th century | Siraya | Kongana | Siraiya | sasaat | duha | turu | tapat | tu-rima | tu-num | pitu | pipa | kuda | keteng |
| 20th century | Siraya (arguably) | Moatao | Siraiya | isa | rusa | tao | usipat | hima | lomu | pitu | vao | siva | masu |
| 20th century | Taivoan | Suannsamna | -- | sa'a | zua | to'o | sipat gaspa | urima | urumu | upitu | uwaru | hsiya | -- |
| 20th century | Taivoan | Siaolin | Taibowan | tsaha saka | ruha luha | tohu | paha' limta | hima | lom lanlan | kito | kipa | matuha matsuha | kaipien kaitian |
| 20th century | Taivoan | Dazhuang | Taivoan Taiburan | tsatsa'a | raruha | tato'o | tapat | tarima | tanum | tyausen | rapako | ravasen | kaiten |
| 20th century | Makatao | Laopi | Makatao | saka | bailung | kutung | lumta | rima | langalan | kimseng | kalasin | kabaitya | kaiten |
| 20th century | Makatao | Kanapo | -- | na-saad | ra-ruha | ra-ruma | ra-sipat | ra-lima | ra-hurum | ra-pito | ra-haru | ra-siwa | ra-kaitian |
| 20th century | Makatao | Bankim | -- | saat | laluha | taturu | hapat | lalima | anum | papitu | -- | tuda | saatitin |