The Invention and Evolution of Siraya Script of Taiwan during the 17th to 19th Centuries

Abstract

The Siraya script is a Latin-based writing system invented by the Dutch missionaries for the Siraya Pingpu aboriginals during the 17th century Dutch colonial rule of Taiwan. The script had been used on the island until the 1830s. This paper utilizes the Dutch archival records on Taiwan and the existing Siraya documents to discuss the background of inventing the script, as well as its evolution in different periods. 西拉雅文是17世紀荷蘭占據臺灣島期間由荷蘭宗教人員為平埔族群西拉雅人創制的一種拉丁文字,這種文字一直沿用到19世紀30年代。本文利用荷蘭的中國臺灣文獻檔案和存世的西拉雅文獻討論這種文字的創制背景及其在不同時期的演變。