Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan have a rich diversity of spoken languages. The first one recorded in script form is the Sinckan of the Siraya Peoples, which can be traced back to the Dutch colonial period. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Indigenous languages had been occasionally transcribed into Chinese characters; however, this method was neither systematized nor handed down.

In modern states, official languages are regarded as important tools for implementing policies and enhancing people's knowledge. Although the proactive promotion of national language (Japanese) education was based on the need of the colonial government, it enabled different Indigenous communities to communicate in the same language, thus enhancing their cohesion among various issues.

Using Japanese as their lingua franca, the Indigenous Peoples acquired new knowledge to understand more about the modern world. It also became easier for them to express themselves or to exchange ideas and information with others. Most of all, the modern education gave birth to a new generation of Indigenous elites with progressive thoughts.