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
31 core words in Rukai
Water
acilai
/aˈtsilai/
Fire
apoy
/aˈpoi/
Sun
vai
/vai/
Moon
dramare
/ɖamarə/
Star
tariaw
/taɾiaw/
Mother
kainā
/kaiˈnaː/
Father
amā
/aˈmaː/
I
kunaku
/kunaku/
You
kusu
/kusu/
Name
ngadhalj
/ŋaðaɭ/
Eye
maca
/ˈmatsa/
Hand
alima
/aˈlima/
Heart
atay
/aˈtai/
Love
ababai
/aˈbabai/
Tree
cəkələ
/tsəkələ/
House
daane
/daːne/
Dog
takanaw
/taˈkanau/
Cat
ngiyaw
/ŋiˈjau/
Eat
waane
/ˈwaːne/
Drink
otobi
/oˈtobi/
One
itha
/iˈθa/
Two
drusa
/ɖusa/
Hello
sabaw
/saˈbau/
Thank you
masalu
/maˈsalu/
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 | Paiwan | Pukapukan | Wallisian | Coastal Kadazan | East Futunan | Puyuma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | acilai /aˈtsilai/ | zaljum /zaɭum/ | wai /wai/ | vai /vai/ | waig /waiɡ/ | vai /vai/ | enay /enai/ |
| Fire | apoy /aˈpoi/ | sapuy /sapui/ | awi /ˈawi/ | afi /aˈfi/ | tapui /taˈpui/ | afi /ˈafi/ | apuy /apui/ |
| Sun | vai /vai/ | qadaw /qadaw/ | la /la/ | laʻā /laˈʔaː/ | tadau /taˈdau/ | la'ā /laˈʔaː/ | kadaw /kadaw/ |
| Moon | dramare /ɖamarə/ | qiljas /qiɭas/ | malama /maˈlama/ | māhina /maːˈhina/ | vuhan /ˈvuhan/ | māsina /maːˈsina/ | bulan /buɭan/ |
| Star | tariaw /taɾiaw/ | vituqan /vituqan/ | wetū /wetuː/ | fetuʻu /fetuʔu/ | tombituon /tombituon/ | fetu'u /feˈtuʔu/ | vituwan /vituwan/ |
| Mother | kainā /kaiˈnaː/ | kina /kina/ | mama /ˈmama/ | faʻē /faˈʔeː/ | tina /ˈtina/ | tinana /tiˈnana/ | ina /ina/ |
| Father | amā /aˈmaː/ | kama /kama/ | matua /maˈtua/ | tāmai /taːˈmai/ | tama /ˈtama/ | tamana /taˈmana/ | ama /ama/ |
| I | kunaku /kunaku/ | tiaken /tiakən/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | zou /zou/ | au /au/ | kuiku /kuiku/ |
| You | kusu /kusu/ | sun /sun/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | ika /ika/ | koe /ˈkoe/ | yu /ju/ |
| Name | ngadhalj /ŋaðaɭ/ | ngadan /ŋadan/ | ingoa /iŋoa/ | higoa /hiŋoa/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | igoa /iˈŋoa/ | ngadan /ŋadan/ |
| Eye | maca /ˈmatsa/ | maca /matsa/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mato /ˈmato/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | alima /aˈlima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /ˈlima/ | nima /ˈnima/ | longon /ˈloŋon/ | lima /ˈlima/ | lima /lima/ |
| Heart | atay /aˈtai/ | varung /vaɾuŋ/ | loto /ˈloto/ | mafu /ˈmafu/ | kosingan /koˈsiŋan/ | mafu /ˈmafu/ | kalumetan /kalumetan/ |
| Love | ababai /aˈbabai/ | nasaqaqa /nasaqaqa/ | aloa /aˈloa/ | ʻofa /ˈʔofa/ | ohunod /oˈhunod/ | alofa /aˈlofa/ | ulaw /ulaw/ |
| Tree | cəkələ /tsəkələ/ | kasiw /kasiw/ | lākau /laːˈkau/ | ʻakau /ʔaˈkau/ | kayu /ˈkaju/ | la'akau /laʔaˈkau/ | kawi /kawi/ |
| House | daane /daːne/ | umaq /umaq/ | wale /ˈwale/ | fale /ˈfale/ | walai /waˈlai/ | fale /ˈfale/ | ruma /ɾuma/ |
| Dog | takanaw /taˈkanau/ | vatu /vatu/ | kulī /kuˈliː/ | kulī /kuˈliː/ | tasu /ˈtasu/ | kulī /kuˈliː/ | suwan /suwan/ |
| Cat | ngiyaw /ŋiˈjau/ | ngiaw /ŋiaw/ | pusi /ˈpusi/ | pusi /ˈpusi/ | tusing /ˈtusiŋ/ | pūsi /ˈpuːsi/ | kating /katiŋ/ |
| Eat | waane /ˈwaːne/ | keman /kəman/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | mangakan /maˈŋakan/ | kai /kai/ | kuman /kuman/ |
| Drink | otobi /oˈtobi/ | temekel /təməkəl/ | inu /ˈinu/ | inu /ˈinu/ | monginum /moˈŋinum/ | inu /ˈinu/ | enpa /enpa/ |
| One | itha /iˈθa/ | ita /ita/ | tayi /ˈtaji/ | tahi /ˈtahi/ | iso /ˈiso/ | tasi /ˈtasi/ | sa /sa/ |
| Two | drusa /ɖusa/ | drusa /ɖusa/ | lua /lua/ | lua /lua/ | duvo /duvo/ | lua /ˈlua/ | zua /ʐua/ |
| Hello | sabaw /saˈbau/ | masalu /masalu/ | kia orana /kia oˈɾana/ | mālō te maʻuli /maːloː te maˈʔuli/ | kopivosian /kopiˈvosian/ | mālō /maːˈloː/ | marayas /maɾajas/ |
| Thank you | masalu /maˈsalu/ | masalu /masalu/ | meitaki /meiˈtaki/ | mālō /maːˈloː/ | pounsikou /pounˈsikou/ | mālō /maːˈloː/ | kasapakan /kasapakan/ |
| Good | manangi /maˈnaŋi/ | nguanguaq /ŋuaŋuaq/ | lelei /leˈlei/ | lelei /leˈlei/ | avasi /aˈvasi/ | mālie /maːˈlie/ | mauruway /mauɾuwai/ |
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