Drekay
Rukai
Austronesian (Formosan, Rukai — own primary branch)
Rukai (Drekay), spoken by ~10K people across the Pingtung, Kaohsiung and Taitung mountains of southern Taiwan, is one of the most divergent Austronesian languages — Glottolog and most Formosanists place it on its own primary branch, coordinate with the rest of the family (i.e. as old a split as Proto-Austronesian itself). It has six recognised dialects (Tanan, Labuan, Budai, Maga, Tona, Mantauran), some so distinct (notably Mantauran) that they are scarcely mutually intelligible. Phonologically it preserves a four-vowel system /i e a u/ (some dialects add /ɨ/) and a uvular /q/, and grammatically uses Austronesian-style focus marking but lacks the full four-way voice system seen in most other Formosan languages, a typological puzzle central to debates on Proto-Austronesian reconstruction.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Rukai
Water
acilai
/aˈt͡silai/
Fire
apoy
/aˈpoi/
Sun
vai
/vai/
Moon
valisi
/vaˈlisi/
Mother
kainā
/kaiˈnaː/
Father
amā
/aˈmaː/
Eat
waane
/ˈwaːne/
Drink
otobi
/oˈtobi/
Love
ababai
/aˈbabai/
Heart
atay
/aˈtai/
Tree
cəkələ
/t͡səkələ/
House
daane
/daːne/
Dog
takanaw
/taˈkanau/
Cat
ngiyaw
/ŋiˈjau/
Hand
alima
/aˈlima/
Eye
maca
/ˈmat͡sa/
Hello
sabaw
/saˈbau/
Thank you
masalu
/maˈsalu/
One
itha
/iˈθa/
Good
manangi
/maˈnaŋi/
Sources
- Li, Paul Jen-kuei (1973) Rukai Structure. Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica Special Publications 64.
- Zeitoun, Elizabeth (2007) A Grammar of Mantauran (Rukai). Language and Linguistics Monograph Series A4-2, Academia Sinica.
- Council of Indigenous Peoples, Taiwan — Rukai (Drekay) orthography & dictionary (2005, rev. 2018).
- Glottolog: Rukai
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Formosan, Rukai — own primary branch) languages
| Meaning | Rukai | Pukapukan | Wallisian | Hawaiian | Coastal Kadazan | Paiwan | Maguindanao |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | acilai /aˈt͡silai/ | wai /wai/ | vai /vai/ | wai /wai/ | waig /waiɡ/ | zaljum /zaɭum/ | ig /ʔiɡ/ |
| Fire | apoy /aˈpoi/ | yayi /ˈjaji/ | afi /aˈfi/ | ahi /ahi/ | tapui /taˈpui/ | sapuy /sapui/ | apoy /ʔaˈpoj/ |
| Sun | vai /vai/ | la /la/ | laʻā /laˈʔaː/ | lā /laː/ | tadau /taˈdau/ | qadaw /qadaw/ | senang /seˈnaŋ/ |
| Moon | valisi /vaˈlisi/ | malama /maˈlama/ | māhina /maːˈhina/ | mahina /mɐˈhina/ | vuhan /ˈvuhan/ | qiljas /qiɭas/ | bulan /buˈlan/ |
| Mother | kainā /kaiˈnaː/ | mama /ˈmama/ | faʻē /faˈʔeː/ | makuahine /makuˈahine/ | tina /ˈtina/ | kina /kina/ | ina /ˈʔina/ |
| Father | amā /aˈmaː/ | matua /maˈtua/ | tāmai /taːˈmai/ | makuakāne /makuaˈkaːne/ | tama /ˈtama/ | kama /kama/ | ama /ˈʔama/ |
| Eat | waane /ˈwaːne/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | ʻai /ʔai/ | mangakan /maˈŋakan/ | keman /kəman/ | kakan /kaˈkan/ |
| Drink | otobi /oˈtobi/ | inu /ˈinu/ | inu /ˈinu/ | inu /inu/ | monginum /moˈŋinum/ | temekel /təməkəl/ | inum /ʔiˈnum/ |
| Love | ababai /aˈbabai/ | aloha /aˈloha/ | ʻofa /ˈʔofa/ | aloha /ɐˈloha/ | ohunod /oˈhunod/ | nasaqaqa /nasaqaqa/ | kalini /kaˈlini/ |
| Heart | atay /aˈtai/ | loto /ˈloto/ | mafu /ˈmafu/ | puʻuwai /puʔuˈwai/ | kosingan /koˈsiŋan/ | varung /vaɾuŋ/ | pusong /puˈsoŋ/ |
| Tree | cəkələ /t͡səkələ/ | lākau /laːˈkau/ | ʻakau /ʔaˈkau/ | lāʻau /laːˈʔau/ | kayu /ˈkaju/ | kasiw /kasiw/ | kayu /kaˈju/ |
| House | daane /daːne/ | wale /ˈwale/ | fale /ˈfale/ | hale /ˈhale/ | walai /waˈlai/ | umaq /umaq/ | walay /waˈlaj/ |
| Dog | takanaw /taˈkanau/ | kulī /kuˈliː/ | kulī /kuˈliː/ | ʻīlio /ʔiːˈlio/ | tasu /ˈtasu/ | vatu /vatu/ | aso /ˈʔaso/ |
| Cat | ngiyaw /ŋiˈjau/ | pusi /ˈpusi/ | pusi /ˈpusi/ | pōpoki /ˈpoːpoki/ | tusing /ˈtusiŋ/ | ngiaw /ŋiaw/ | kuting /kuˈtiŋ/ |
| Hand | alima /aˈlima/ | lima /ˈlima/ | nima /ˈnima/ | lima /ˈlima/ | longon /ˈloŋon/ | lima /lima/ | lima /liˈma/ |
| Eye | maca /ˈmat͡sa/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mata /ˈmata/ | maka /ˈmaka/ | mato /ˈmato/ | maca /matsa/ | mata /maˈta/ |
| Hello | sabaw /saˈbau/ | kia orana /kia oˈɾana/ | mālō te maʻuli /maːloː te maˈʔuli/ | aloha /ɐˈloha/ | kopivosian /kopiˈvosian/ | masalu /masalu/ | assalamu alaikum /assaˈlamu ʔaˈlajkum/ |
| Thank you | masalu /maˈsalu/ | meitaki /meiˈtaki/ | mālō /maːˈloː/ | mahalo /mɐˈhalo/ | pounsikou /pounˈsikou/ | masalu /masalu/ | sukran /ˈsukɾan/ |
| One | itha /iˈθa/ | tayi /ˈtaji/ | tahi /ˈtahi/ | ʻekahi /ʔeˈkahi/ | iso /ˈiso/ | ita /ita/ | isa /ˈʔisa/ |
| Good | manangi /maˈnaŋi/ | lelei /leˈlei/ | lelei /leˈlei/ | maikaʻi /maiˈkaʔi/ | avasi /aˈvasi/ | nguanguaq /ŋuaŋuaq/ | mapiya /maˈpija/ |
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