Favorlang language explained
| Favorlang |
| States: | Taiwan |
| Familycolor: | Austronesian |
| Fam2: | Western Plains Formosan |
| Fam3: | Central |
| Iso3: | bzg |
| Linglist: | bzg |
| Iso3comment: | (with Babuza) |
| Glotto: | favo1235 |
| Notice: | IPA |
| Era: | documented mid-17th century |
Favorlang is an extinct Formosan language closely related to Babuza.
Although Favorlang is considered by Taiwanese linguist Paul Jen-kuei Li to be a separate language, it is nevertheless very closely related to Babuza. In fact, the name Favorlang is derived from Babuza. Alternatively, Favorlang may also have represented a dialect of Babuza at an earlier stage, since Favorlang was documented in the mid-17th century, while Babuza was documented only around the turn of the 20th century by Japanese linguists.
Phonology
Favorlang has gone through the following sound changes. Except for the *t, *s, *Z > pronounced as //t// merger, all of these sound changes are shared by the five Western Plains languages Taokas, Babuza, Papora, Hoanya, and Thao.
- Merger of PAn *n and *ŋ as pronounced as //n//
- Merger of *t, *s, *Z as pronounced as //t//
- Merger of *N and *S1 as pronounced as //s//
- Complete loss of *k, *q, *H
- Partial loss of *R, *j, including the loss of final *-y and *-w
- *s (in initial and medial positions) > pronounced as //t//
Sources
Favorlang data sources are:
- Book: Happart, Gilbertus . Woorden boek der Favorlangsche Taal . 1650 . nl . Favorlang Vocabulary . Gilbertus Happart. Later translated into English:
- 5 sermons and various prayers, questions, and answers on Christianity by (1647–1651), a Dutch pastor
- Word lists collected by Naoyoshi Ogawa in the early 1900s (unpublished manuscripts dated 1900, 1901, and 1930; others are undated)
- Notebooks 1, 2, 3, and 5, now kept by ILCAA (Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa) and TUFS (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) – call number "OA052"
- Notebook 4, now kept at the Anthropological Institute, Nanzan University – call number "v. 1-2-1"
Syntax
Case markers include:
- ja 'nominative marker'
- ta 'personal name marker'
- o, no 'oblique (genitive and accusative, common noun)'
- i 'oblique (personal noun)'
- de 'locative'
- i 'directional'
Agent-focus verbal affixes include:
- Agent-focus
- -um- ~ -umm- (after consonant-initial verb stems) or um- ~ umm- (before vowel-initial verb stem except i-)
- -im-, -em- (lexically conditioned)
- m-
- p-
- Past tense (AF)
- -in-umm-, in-umm
- m-in-
- -in-
- Future tense (AF)
- Reduplication of the first stem syllable
- Imperative (AF)
Non-agent-focus verbal affixes are:
- -an 'locative focus'
- -en, -in, -n 'patient focus'
- ipa- ... -a 'imperative (non-agent-focus)'
- -in-, in- 'past tense (non-agent-focus)'
- ino- 'future tense (non-agent-focus)'
When -in- and -umm- appear together in a word, -in- usually precedes -um- ~ -umm-, as in Ilokano, Bontok, and some Dusunic languages in Sabah (Rungus Dusun and Kimaragang Dusun). Occasionally, -umm- precedes -in- in several Favorlang lexical forms, but this is not very common.
Pronouns
All of the following personal pronouns are free forms. All genitive pronouns end with -a.
Neutral!c=02| Genitive | c=03 | Nominative/Accusative |
|---|
| 1s. | c=01 | ka-ina | c=02 | na-a | c=03 | ina |
|---|
| 2s. | c=01 | ijonoë | c=02 | joa, oa | c=03 | ijo |
|---|
| 3s. | c=01 | icho | c=02 | choa | c=03 | icho |
|---|
| 1p. (incl.) | c=01 | torro | c=02 | torroa | c=03 | – |
|---|
| 1p. (excl.) | c=01 | namono | c=02 | namoa | c=03 | namo |
|---|
| 2p. | c=01 | imonoë | c=02 | imoa | c=03 | imo |
|---|
| 3p. | c=01 | aicho-es dechonoë | c=02 | choa | c=03 | decho | |
|---|
Examples
| Favorlang | Translation |
|---|
| Namoa tamau tamasea paga de boesum, ipa-dass-a joa naan. | Our father, which art in Heaven, let Thy Name be praised! |
| Ka-ina paga ta Jehova oa Deosoe, tamasea pina-ijor ijo.... | I am the Lord, thy God, who led thee.... | |
- The Lord's Prayer[1]
Namoa tamau tamasea paḡa de boesum, <br>
Ipádassa joa naan.<br>
Ipáṣaija joa chachimit o ai.<br>
Ipa-i-jorr'o oa airab maibas de boesum, masini de ta channumma.<br>
Epé-e namo-no pia-dai torro uppo ma-atsikap.<br>
Ṣo-o abó-e namo tataap o kakossi namoa, <br>
maibas channumma namo mabo tamasea parapies i namo.<br>
Hai pásabas i namo, ṣo-o barra'i namo innai rapies ai.<br>
Inau joa micho chachimit o ai, ṣo-o barr'o ai, ṣo-o adas ai, taulaulan,<br>
Amen.
Bibliography
- Book: Li, Paul Jen-kuei . English-Favorlang Vocabulary . 2003 . Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa . 4872978536 . Ogawa . Naoyoshi . Tokyo . 1–13 . Introduction: Notes on Favorlang, an Extinct Formosan language . registration.
- Book: Li, Paul Jen-kuei . Text Analysis of Favorlang . Academia Sinica . 2019 . 978-986-05-8008-2 . Language and Linguistics Monograph Series 61 . Taipei . en.
- Book: Ogawa, Naoyoshi . English-Favorlang vocabulary . 2003 . Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa . Tokyo . 4872978536 . registration .
- Marsh . Mikell Alan . 1977 . Favorlang-Pazeh-Saisiat: A Putative Formosan Subgroup . Ph.D. dissertation . Washington State University . 224303389.
Notes and References
- Book: The Articles of Christian Instruction in Favorlang-Formosan, Dutch and English, from Vertrecht's Manuscript of 1650 . 1896 . Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. . Campbell . William . William Campbell (missionary) . London . 63842595 . 24180153M.
