Truku
Language · official in 1 country
Truku is listed by Taiwan as a language of its own, while the linguistic record treats it as one of the three dialects of Seediq, beside Toda and Tgdaya. Earlier transcribed as Taroko, it is spoken in the mountains of northern Taiwan, and its words can open with up to six consonants in a row.
The language on record
- Own name
- Kari Seediq
- ISO 639-3
- TRV
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Formosan (Atayalic)
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Truku is official
Taiwan alone, whose record lists Truku apart from Seediq even though the linguistic account on this page is the Seediq one.
Official beside Truku
About Truku
Why Truku shares its description with Seediq
The reference description of Truku is the description of Seediq, of which Truku is the dialect with the most members. Transcribed 德路固 in Chinese, Truku is the name the group uses for itself, while the Amis call every Seediq group Taroko. Taiwan's record lists Truku and Seediq separately, and so does this catalogue. The points below are the ones the description gives for Truku in particular.
How final stress shortens Truku words
Seediq usually stresses the second-to-last syllable, with a high pitch. Truku stresses the last one, and the change costs the first vowel of some words when they grow: qduriq becomes pqdriqun, and lqlaqi becomes lqlqian. Words can open with long consonant runs, up to six before a vowel, as in tnʼghngkawas, mptrqdug and pngkrbkan. There are 19 consonants and 4 vowels, and the alveolar affricate turns up only in interjections, loanwords and a few verb forms.
Which word classes Truku grammar counts
Tsukida in 2005 counted 11 word classes in Truku Seediq. Nouns, verbs and adjectives are open; numerals, personal pronouns, deictics, adverbs, conjunctives, prepositions, interjections and sentence-final particles are closed. Nouns and verbs behave alike, as in many Formosan and Philippine languages, and adjectives can be treated as a kind of verb. Reduplication copies either the first syllable or the last two, and marks plurals and reciprocal verbs.
Common questions
Questions about Truku
Where does the name Taroko come from?
The Amis call all the Seediq groups Taroko, and it was the older transcription of Truku.
How many consonants can open a Truku word?
Up to six before the first vowel, as in tnʼghngkawas.