Tsou

A language of Chinaâ€“Taiwan

ISO 639: tsu
Alternate Names: Cou, Namakaban, Niitaka, Tibola, Tibolah, Tibolak, Tibolal, Tso, Tsoo, Tsu-U, Tsu-Wo, Tsuou, Tzo
Population: 4,000 (Zeitoun 2005). Ethnic population: 6,700 (2020 CIP).
Location:: Chiayi county: Alishan (Mt. Ali) area; Kaohsiung county: northwest and central; Nantou county: south central.
Language Status: 6b (Threatened).
Classification: Austronesian, Tsouic
Dialects: Luhtu (Duhtu), Luhtu, Tapangu, Tfuya (Tfuea), Iimucu (Iimutsu). Iimucu has no remaining speakers (Wurm and Hattori 1981); Luhtu is on the verge of extinction (Zeitoun 2005).
Typology: VOS; nominative and oblique case-markers; no prepositions; voice, tense and aspect encoded in auxiliary verbs; 16 consonants and 6 vowels; stress on penultimate syllable; inclusive/exclusive pronouns.
Language Use: Many speak Tsou in daily life. Youth speak Mandarin Chinese [cmn]. Some young people, all adults.
Language Development: Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2014.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Tsou
Writing: Latin script [Latn].

Location: Chiayi county: Alishan (Mt. Ali) area; Kaohsiung county: northwest and central; Nantou county: south central.