Question

Which languages have been spoken, for at least 6,000 years, by the peoples of an island forcibly colonised since 1895 by Japanese and then Chinese forces with programmes aimed (ultimately unsuccessfully) at eliminating the indigenous language and culture?

Answer 1

Austronesian
The island is now known as Taiwan. The Austronesian languages, thought to have originated in Taiwan and still spoken there, are widely spoken throughout maritime Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Major languages in the family include Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanese, and Tagalog (Filipino). Taiwan was under rule by Japan from 1895 to 1945, and since 1945, when Japan ceded control following its surrender at the end of World War II, has been under control of the Republic of China.