Favorlang language

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.^[1] 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.^[2]

Phonology

Favorlang has gone through the following sound changes. Except for the *t, *s, *Z > /t/ merger, all of these sound changes are shared by the five Western Plains languages Taokas, Babuza, Papora, Hoanya, and Thao.^[3]

1. Merger of PAn *n and *ŋ as /n/
2. Merger of *t, *s, *Z as /t/
3. Merger of *N and *S₁ as /s/
4. Complete loss of *k, *q, *H
5. Partial loss of *R, *j, including the loss of final *-y and *-w
6. *s (in initial and medial positions) > /t/

Sources

Favorlang data sources are:^[4]

• Happart, Gilbertus (1650). Woorden boek der Favorlangsche Taal [Favorlang Vocabulary] (in Dutch).  Later translated into English:
  • Happart, Gilbertus (1840) [1650]. Written at Batavia. Dictionary of the Favorlang dialect of the Formosan language. transl. Medhurst, W. H. Parapattan. 
• 5 sermons and various prayers, questions, and answers on Christianity by Jacobus Vertrecht (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• Word lists collected by Naoyoshi Ogawa in the early 1900s (unpublished manuscripts dated 1900, 1901, and 1930; others are undated)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:^[5]

• 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:^[6]

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)

• -a

Non-agent-focus verbal affixes are:^[6]

• -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.

Examples

• Namoa tamau tamasea paga de boesum, ipa-dass-a joa naan.
  • Our father, which art in Heaven, let Thy Name be praised!^[7]
• Ka-ina paga ta Jehova oa Deosoe, tamasea pina-ijor ijo....
  • I am the Lord, thy God, who led thee....^[7]

The Lord's Prayer^[8]

Namoa tamau tamasea paḡa de boesum,
Ipádassa joa naan.
Ipáṣaija joa chachimit o ai.
Ipa-i-jorr'o oa airab maibas de boesum, masini de ta channumma.
Epé-e namo-no pia-dai torro uppo ma-atsikap.
Ṣo-o abó-e namo tataap o kakossi namoa,
maibas channumma namo mabo tamasea parapies i namo.
Hai pásabas i namo, ṣo-o barra'i namo innai rapies ai.
Inau joa micho chachimit o ai, ṣo-o barr'o ai, ṣo-o adas ai, taulaulan,
Amen.

References

Languages of Taiwan
Austronesian	Formosan Atayalic Atayal Seediq Truku Kankei Rukaic Rukai Northern Formosan Luilang Kulon Saisiyat Pazeh Kaxabu Thao Hoanya Papora Babuza Favorlang Taokas East Formosan Basay Ketagalan Kavalan Qauqaut Sakizaya Amis Siraya Taivuan Makatto Southern Formosan Bunun Puyuma Paiwan Tsouic Tsou Kanakanabu Saaroa Malayo-Polynesian Yami
Sino-Tibetan	Mandarin Taiwanese Mandarin Min Southern Min Taiwanese Hokkien Teochew dialect Eastern Min Fuzhou dialect Matsu dialect Pu-Xian Min Putian dialect Hakka Taiwanese Hakka Sixian dialect Hailu dialect Dabu dialect Raoping dialect Zhao'an dialect
Auxiliary	Taiwanese Sign Language Taiwanese Braille
Other languages	English Filipino Japanese Indonesian Malay Thai Vietnamese

Formosan languages
Rukaic	Rukai
Tsouic	Tsou Kanakanabu Saaroa
Northern Formosan	Atayalic Atayal Seediq Northwest Formosan Saisiyat Pazeh † Kulon † Thao Babuza † Favorlang †
East Formosan	Ketagalan † Basay † Kavalan Amis Siraya †
Southern	Puyuma Paiwan Bunun
Bold indicates languages with more than 1 million speakers ? indicates classification dispute † indicates extinct status