The Republic of China Council of Indigenous Peoples, as part of central government efforts preserving the cultural heritage of Taiwan’s 14 indigenous peoples, has launched an Aboriginal Ethnic Language Dictionary.
First proposed by the Ministry of Education in 2005, the dictionary aims to systemize written signifiers of Taiwan’s indigenous languages, the official said, adding that work on coding dictionaries for the 16 languages and dialects used by the 14 tribes began in 2007.
According to the official, the online dictionary is digitized from printed copies and features authentic pronunciations. It also features an introduction to each language and culture, as well as search and download functions, and online testing and discussion forums.
The dictionary currently includes languages of the Bunun, Saisiyat, Thao, Truku and Yami, as well as the Alishan and Kanakanavu dialects of the Tsou tribe. The languages and dialects of the remaining tribes will be added by the end of June 2014.
[excerpted from this article in Taiwan Today]
