Thao language
| Thao | |
|---|---|
| Sao | |
| Thau a lalawa | |
| Native to | Taiwan |
| Ethnicity | 820 Thao (2020) |
Native speakers | 4 (2021) |
Austronesian
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ssf |
| Glottolog | thao1240 |
| ELP | Thao |
Map of Formosan languages | |
Thao is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Thao (/θaʊ/; endonym: Thau a lalawa), also known as Sao, is the nearly extinct language of the Thao people, an indigenous people of Taiwan from the Sun Moon Lake region in central Taiwan. It is a Formosan language of the Austronesian family; Barawbaw and Shtafari are dialects.