This e-learning environment is designed as a virtual classroom. Learners choose Tao (Yami) materials by interest and level; when help is needed for a word or expression, a relevant image or video can be retrieved from our multimedia database. If a learner is unsure about a particular Tao sound, a similar phonetic symbol is provided as a cue.
The platform supports three learning "settings": (1) a scenario setting built around themes from Tao society (e.g., the Flying Fish Festival); (2) an easy-to-difficult progression based on frequency and grammatical complexity; and (3) a learner's-choice setting that lets you organize content your way.
The original site was launched in 2005 at Providence University by Prof. Victoria Rau and Prof. Meng-Chien Yang, as part of the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) at SOAS University of London. Since September 2025, Dr. Hui-Huan Chang has been auditing and updating out-of-date content, modernizing legacy software, curating the collection, and overseeing the site's migration to the Center for Austronesian Language Archiving, Revitalization, AI and Digital Learning (ALARAD Center) at National Chung Cheng University.
We follow three principles in preparing multimedia lessons: (1) select engaging topics that cover a wide range of genres and structures; (2) adopt a communicative, task-based approach aligned with standards and assessment; (3) use ICT to enrich content and modes of presentation. Topics and the sequence of grammatical structures follow MOE standards.
Volumes 1–2 present constructed dialogues along a storyline of a Han Chinese student visiting Orchid Island; the main character returns to Taiwan at the end of Volume 2. Volume 3 draws many dialogues from collected folklore and narratives (Rau & Dong, 2006). Volume 4 offers short stories and descriptions of cultural events from traditional to contemporary life.
The four volumes can also serve as a four-semester "Yami as a Second Language" course (4 hours/week). The language instructor leads classroom activities while the linguist's explanations are provided in writing. For online grammar help, please e-mail Dr. Victoria Rau. Students are expected to preview each lesson (dialogue, vocabulary, grammar) and listen to audio before class; native-speaker-led activities and homework happen in the first two hours, student presentations in the third, and feedback/Q&A in the fourth hour.
Questions about lessons or learning support?