The Northern Formosan languages is a proposed grouping of Formosan languages

Formosan languages

The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift...

 that includes the Atayalic languages

Atayalic languages

The Atayalic languages are a group of Formosan languages spoken in northern Taiwan. Robert Blust considers them to form a primary branch within the Austronesian language family, However, Paul Jen-kuei Li groups them into the Northern Formosan branch, which includes the Northwestern Formosan...

, the Western Plains languages (Papora, Hoanya, Babuza, and Taokas), and the Northwest Formosan languages (Pazeh

Pazeh language

Pazeh is the language of the Pazeh, a Taiwanese aboriginal people). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. Kulun was a dialect. There was only one remaining native speaker of Pazeh proper, 96-year-old Pan Jin-yu. Since her death, however, the language is extinct...

 and Saisiyat

Saisiyat language

Saisiyat is the language of the Saisiyat, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian family...

; Li places Western Plains with this grouping).

The Northern Formosan subgroup was first proposed by Paul Jen-kuei Li

Paul Jen-kuei Li

Paul Jen-kuei Li is a research fellow at the Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. Li is a leading specialist on Formosan languages, and has published dictionaries on the Pazih and Kavalan languages.-References:...

 in 1985. Blust

Robert Blust

Robert A. Blust is a prominent linguist in several areas, including historical linguistics, lexicography and ethnology. Blust specializes in the Austronesian languages and has made major contributions to the field of Austronesian linguistics....

 (1999) rejects the unity of the proposed Northern Formosan branch. A 2008 analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database, however, supports the unity of the Northern Formosan branch with a 97% confidence level (see Austronesian languages#Classification).

Evidence

The following sound changes from Proto-Austronesian

Proto-Austronesian language

The Proto-Austronesian language is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. However, Ross notes that what may be the most divergent languages, Tsou, Rukai, and Puyuma, are not addressed by the reconstructions, which therefore cannot...

 occurred in the Northern Formosan languages (Li 2008:215).

• *S₂, *H₁ > h
• *S₂, *H₁, *s > h (Atayalic languages
  Atayalic languages
  The Atayalic languages are a group of Formosan languages spoken in northern Taiwan. Robert Blust considers them to form a primary branch within the Austronesian language family, However, Paul Jen-kuei Li groups them into the Northern Formosan branch, which includes the Northwestern Formosan...
  
   and Saisiyat
  Saisiyat language
  Saisiyat is the language of the Saisiyat, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian family...
  
   only)

Also, Pazeh

Pazeh language

Pazeh is the language of the Pazeh, a Taiwanese aboriginal people). It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian languages language family. Kulun was a dialect. There was only one remaining native speaker of Pazeh proper, 96-year-old Pan Jin-yu. Since her death, however, the language is extinct...

, Saisiyat

Saisiyat language

Saisiyat is the language of the Saisiyat, a tribe of indigenous people on Taiwan . It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian family...

, and Thao

Thao language

Thao , also known as Sao, is the language of the Thao people, a tribe of Taiwanese aborigines in the region of Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan. In 2000 there were approximately 5 or 6 speakers living in Dehua village , all but one of whom were over the age of sixty...

 are only Formosan languages

Formosan languages

The Formosan languages are the languages of the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of language shift...

 that allow for SVO constructions, although this may be due to intensive contact with Taiwanese

Taiwanese language

Taiwanese language may refer to* Most commonly** Taiwanese Hokkien, spoken by about 70% of the population of Taiwan* Also** One of the Languages of Taiwan** One of the indigenous Formosan languages spoken in Taiwan...

.

Also, the Atayal, Seediq, and Pazeh languages have devoiced final consonants that were present in the Proto-Austronesian

Proto-Austronesian language

The Proto-Austronesian language is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. However, Ross notes that what may be the most divergent languages, Tsou, Rukai, and Puyuma, are not addressed by the reconstructions, which therefore cannot...

(Blust 2009:616).

Northwestern Formosan

Li (2003) considers six western Plains languages to have split off from Proto-Northwestern Formosan. The classification is as follows.

• Northwestern
  • Pazih
  • (Branch)
    • Thao
    • (Branch)
      • Hoanya
      • (Branch)
        • Papora
        • (Branch)
          • Babuza
          • Taokas

The four coastal languages of Taokas, Babuza, Papora, and Hoanya share the following innovations (Li 2003).

1. Loss of *k
2. Loss of *-y
3. Merger of *s and *t in non-final position
4. Complete merger of *ŋ and *n

Thao shares the following innovations with the four coastal languages (Li 2003).

1. Merger of *s and *t
2. Merger of *ŋ and *n

Pazih has undergone the following two sound changes.

1. Merger of *j and *s as /z/
2. Merger of *C and *S₁ as /s/

Li (2003) does not consider Pazih to be very closely related to Saisiyat (Li 2003:946).