Origins of the Formosan Ethnonyms

Abstract

Taiwan’s Austronesian aboriginal tribes have distinctive linguistically Formosan ethnonyms for which a wide variety of etymologies have been proposed. This literary survey offers a comprehensive review of said proposed etymologies and explores the historical and topographical influences which have shaped the tribes’ names. Spanning nearly four centuries, data is sourced from works published as early as 1636 (see Blussé & Everts, 2000) and as recent as 2023 (see Council of Indigenous Peoples).

Keywords: Formosan Ethnonyms, Aboriginal Tribes, Etymology, Austronesian Taiwan

Note: No grants or other financial support were made available to the author.

DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/70-04

Publication date:June 30^th 2023