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Comparative Linguistics

Tongue and Language

The tongue is an important organ in our body, not only as part of the digestive system, it’s also indispensable in the production of speech, the feature that distinguishes human beings from other animals.  This is why tongue is called "lingua" in Latin.  .........

Gang or Hé, the Eastern Asian ways to call river that reveal history

Before the Ice Age ended 11,700 years ago, Japan and Korea were connected; Okinawa Islands were on the verge of the Asian Continent; Taiwan and Hainan Islands were also included in the Asian Continent. There was no Taiwan Strait. The Austronesian people, or their ancestors,..........  

From Saviah to Hawaiki

Mt. Morrison with its altitude of 3,952 meter is the highest peak in Taiwan and eastern Asia. It's also the sacred mountain of both Bunun ......

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Teh, Tea, Cha and Chai

Tea comes from the plant Camellia sinensis,which originates in an area between North Myanmar and South-Western China, an area famous for the high mountains, deep valleys and .........

Chopsticks: Its Mysterious Name Change in China

Chopsticks are eating utensils used for thousand of years by the people of the Orient.  From ancient time up to the present, “tu” or “chu” were the only words used for  chopsticks by the people of Taiwan............

Who calls their mother "Ina"

The distribution of an ancient cognate word

“Ina” is the most ancient form of address that human beings used to call their mother, although not so common in English speaking world. Nowadays different people have kept the cognate “Ina”, or “Ana”, and other......... 

Kumara (Sweet Potato)

Its Enigmatic Distribution in Oceania

Sweet potatoes were a common food crop of the Austronesian people, which were abundantly cultivated in New Zealand, Hawaii and Easter Islands.........

Calabash, A Discussion on Its Cognates

Calabash, Lagenaria siceraria，is one of the crops which human beings have cultivated since very early times more than  5,000 years ago..........

Hui (meeting), A Cognate 
from Taiwan to Oceania

The cognate “Hui” is used among Taiwanese, Hawaiian and New Zealand Maori. Its meaning is meeting or gathering. The meeting houses...........

The Evolution of Austronesian Language

The Ice Age had ended 11,700 years ago, whence the evolution of Proto-Austronesian language begun. . .........

Comparison of the Number “ 8 “ in Austronesian Languages

As we can see from the above tables, the word used for the number “8” in most of the Austronesian languages are almost the same. . .........

From Bangka to Wa’a, how the word for “boat” evolved in Oceania

The theory of “Out of Taiwan” is proven by the evidences of linguistics, archaeology, genetics and ethnology.  Around 5,000 years ago, before people had made the decision to depart Taiwan.........

Parasite and Host both out of Taiwan 

"This is the first paper where bacteria were specifically used for human migration patterns," says Prof. Mark Achtman, The bacteria he used in his study is  a human pathogen Helicobacter pylori.........

The different ways to say mother in the Formosan languages

"Ina" is the word that most Austronesians use to call their mother. Taiwan, as the homeland of all Austronesian people, how its various ethnic groups call their mother.........

Wheat Field

Nose flute, an Austronesian artifact

The nose flute refers to a wind instrument that is played with the nose. It may be one of the most ancient musical instruments of human beings, and it is also apart of the unique culture of the Austronesians.........

Fish Swimming

Fishing basket trap, an Austronesian custom

The fishing basket trap is an apparatus used to trap fish with a funnel-like entrance that allows fish easy passage to get inside but difficult to get out. ........

Eye Close Up

Mata, a cognate of Austronesian language family

Among the 1268 Austronesian languages, most of them use the term “mata” for the eye. ........

Two Dried Leaves

String Game, an Austronesian custom

String game, or called string figure, is an easy to play game and also a quite ancient art, belonging to all races of people. ........

Chicken

The distribution of chicken in Pacific

  It is this chicken who makes the Austronesian adventure great. In the real world, chickens also play a role as companion to the Austronesian during their expansion.........

Green Rooster Puzzle

The Evolving Etymology of Chicken in Eurasia

 How to call chicken in Taiwan and adjacent places is an interesting linguistic issue.  Chicken in Taiwanese is “ge”, in Thai is “gai”, and in Vietnamese is “gà”..........

1200px-Human_spreading_over_history.png

Human Expansion from Africa to Asia

 According to National Geographic Society's Genographic Project, it shows the expansion routes of human after coming out of Africa. There are two routes associated with eastern Asia..........

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