台灣原住民族語言研究史及其評估

Abstract

本文透過1930年代以來的學術累積與時代變遷，回顧台灣原住民族語言的研究史，同時評估整體的研究成果，預測未來的研究趨勢。台灣原住民族語言的研究，奠基於日本時代昭和時期，以語言學者小川尚義的貢獻最為卓著。1935年，小川尚義與淺井惠倫合著的《原語による台湾高砂族伝説集》（台灣高砂族原語傳說集），運用現代語言學方法進行實地調查，成為日後研究原住民族語言的經典之作。其後，西方的語言學者和傳教人員相繼投入研究行列，台灣原住民族語言在整個南島語系的地位，也逐漸受到矚目。1970年代以後，當代語言學者開始關注原住民族語言，然而，直到1990年代以後，研究量才呈現大幅成長，其中以語法研究居多。本族的語言專家則於此時嶄露頭角，透過詞典的編寫、聖經的翻譯、教材的研發，為原住民族語言研究增添色彩，同時在族語書面化的歷程中，展現強韌的族語活力。\\r回顧原住民族語言研究的歷程，研究者的背景愈趨多元，呈現不同的特色與貢獻。展望未來，有關原住民族語言的發展，例如：原住民族語言的書面化和現代化，以及瀕危的民族語言如何復振等議題，不但是語言學研究的新面向，更將成為民族學研究的重要趨勢。 By means of academic achievements and changes of time, this article reviews the history of the research on Taiwanese aboriginal languages beginning in the 1930s and evaluates the overall performance of the research, predicting the trends of the research in the future. The research on Taiwanese aboriginal languages took root during the Showa period. Ogawa Naoyoshi (小川尚義), a linguist, made the most outstanding contributions. The Collection of Legends of Taiwanese Aborigines Taken Down in Their Own Languages (原語による台湾高砂族伝説集) by Ogawa Naoyoshi and Asai Erin (浅井恵倫), which was published in 1935, applied the modern linguistic approach in conducting field surveys. The book then became a classic for researchers on Taiwanese aboriginal languages. Afterwards, Western linguists and clergy people played a part in the research in succession. During that time, the status of the languages in the whole Austronesian language family began increasingly to draw attention. In the 1970s, contemporary linguists started to take notice of Taiwanese aboriginal languages. However, it was not until the 1990s that the quantity of the research got a boost. Researches on grammar were the majority. The expert at one’s own native language began to stand out during that time. By compiling dictionaries, translating the Bible and developing materials for ethnic language teaching, they’ve broadened the research on Taiwanese aboriginal languages. Meanwhile, they’ve made their ethnic languages demonstrate resilient vitality in the process of literating the languages. In retrospect of the process of the research on Taiwanese aboriginal languages, we can see the features of the researches and the contributions of the researchers are quite different as the diversity of the backgrounds of the researchers has been growing bigger. To look into the future, the issues related to the development of Taiwanese aboriginal languages, such as those of literation and modernization of the languages, and how to revitalize the languages which are endangered not only are new research aspects for linguists, but would become one of the main trends for ethnologists to pay attention to, as well.