The Evolution of Austronesian Language
The Evolution of Austronesian Language
The Ice Age had ended 11,700 years ago, whence the evolution of Proto-Austronesian language begun. This period is also an important dividing point for the evolution of the Austronesian language. The original ethnic group was divided into two. After thousands of years, the ethnic groups in Taiwan began to expand to the Pacific Ocean and became the Austronesian over the Pacific islands.
The ethnic groups in eastern Asia have developed from Yangtze River and Huai River and become the ethnic groups such as Wu, Yue, Shanghai, Fujian and Guangdong. Due to the factors of war and migration, their language was gradually influenced by nomadic people from the north, and Hmong in the south-west, and was drifting away gradually from the Austronesian language. Hereby we call it "Sino-Austronesian" language. [chart 1]
So far, if the languages of Taiwanese and those Sino-Austronesian have any linkage or similar cognate, they must be originated from the pre-proto-Austronesian before 11,700 years ago. After then Taiwan and Asia have been separated from each other for over 10,000 years with almost no contact between them. Although the Taiwan Strait is only 145 to 246 Km in wide, it is almost impossible to cross the sea due to the strong Kuroshio Current keeping them away. This is a natural barrier that kept Taiwan free from the invasion of outsiders for more than ten-thousand years, and partly due to this reason, it thus gave birth to the unique Austronesian languages and cultures.
As to so-called archaeological findings of Liang-zhu Culture (5,300 ~ 4,500 BP) and the Liang Islander (7,900 ~ 8,300 BP), someone said they could be possible the ancestors of the Austronesian. This point of view is quite ridiculous, unless the evidence of their ability to cross the sea was found, otherwise every opinion cannot possibly be true. Also from the Pleniglacial to the end of Ice Age (18,000 BP ~ 11,400 BP), in the eastern part of Asia, only the south of Yangtze River basin had the mild climate and the habitat suitable for living, the north of the Yangtze River is an endless barren land with permafrost almost lacking any habitable condition.
Accordingly, the civilization in these parts of Asia had developed separately in both the group of Yangtze River basin and the group of Taiwan, since the end of the Ice Age. Also both sides had developed in parallel.
On the side of Taiwan, an openly ocean culture had developed, with outstanding navigation technology, extending continuously to the expanse of Pacific and Indian Oceans, eastward to the Easter Islands and westward to the Madagascar, across 248 degrees of latitudes on the globe. Even as far as near three quarters of the equatorial circumference. Up to today, they have become the widely distributed and distinguished Austronesian people.
Chart 1. Evolution of Austronesian Language
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