Favorlang language

Favorlang is an extinct Formosan language closely related to Babuza.

Favorlang
Native toTaiwan
Extinct(documented mid-17th century)
Austronesian
  • Western Plains Formosan
    • Central
      • Favorlang
Language codes
ISO 639-3bzg (with Babuza)
Glottologfavo1235

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:
  • 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  • Word lists collected by Naoyoshi Ogawa in the early 1900s (unpublished manuscripts dated 1900, 1901, and 1930; others are undated)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.

Favorlang Personal Pronouns[7]
Type of
Pronoun		 Neutral Genitive Nominative/Accusative
1s. ka-ina na-a ina
2s. ijonoë joa, oa ijo
3s. icho choa icho
1p. (incl.) torro torroa –
1p. (excl.) namono namoa namo
2p. imonoë imoa imo
3p. aicho-es dechonoë choa decho

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
  1. Li (2003), p. 3.
  2. Li (2003), p. 5.
  3. Li (2003), p. 6.
  4. Li (2003), p. 1.
  5. Li (2003).
  6. Li (2003), p. 11.
  7. Li (2003), p. 8.
  8. Campbell, William, ed. (1896). The Articles of Christian Instruction in Favorlang-Formosan, Dutch and English, from Vertrecht's Manuscript of 1650. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. OCLC 63842595. OL 24180153M.

Bibliography
  • Li, Paul Jen-kuei (2003). "Introduction: Notes on Favorlang, an Extinct Formosan language". In Ogawa, Naoyoshi (ed.). English-Favorlang Vocabulary. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. pp. 1–13. ISBN 4872978536.
  • Li, Paul Jen-kuei (2019). Text Analysis of Favorlang. Language and Linguistics Monograph Series 61. Taipei: Academia Sinica. ISBN 978-986-05-8008-2.
  • Ogawa, Naoyoshi (2003). English-Favorlang vocabulary. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. ISBN 4872978536.
  • Marsh, Mikell Alan (1977). Favorlang-Pazeh-Saisiat: A Putative Formosan Subgroup (Ph.D. dissertation). Washington State University. OCLC 224303389.
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