The
Formosan languages are the languages of the
indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Taiwanese aborigines (those recognized by the government) currently comprise about 2% of the island's population. However, far fewer can still speak their ancestral language, after centuries of
language shift. Of the approximately 26 languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are
extinct, another four (perhaps five) are
moribund, and several others are to some degree
endangered.