Geographic
distribution Central Taiwan Subdivisions Tsou
Southern Tsouic | Linguistic classification Austronesian
Tsouic | |
 | ||
Glottolog None
tsou1248 (Tsou)
kana1292 (Kanakanavu–Saaroa) | ||
The Tsouic languages (also known as the Central Formosan languages) are three Formosan languages, Tsou proper and the Southern languages Kanakanabu and Saaroa. The Southern Tsouic languages of Kanakanabu and Saaroa have the smallest phonemic inventories out of all the Formosan languages, with each language having only 13 consonants and 4 vowels (Blust 2009:165). These two languages are highly endangered, as many Southern Tsouic speakers are shifting to Bunun and Mandarin Chinese.
Contents
The Proto-Tsouic language was reconstructed by Japanese linguist Shigeru Tsichida in 1976, and is supported by Blust (1999) and Li (2008). However, Chang (2006) and Ross (2009) deny that Tsouic is a valid group; Ross places Southern Tsouic within Nuclear Austronesian (the family of the various proto-Austronesian reconstructions), but the Tsou language as a more divergent branch.
Classification
Sound changes
The following sound changes from Proto-Austronesian occurred in the Tsouic languages (Li 2008:215).