明治28年（1895），日本接受台灣之初，踏上台灣土地的日人，全面開始跟台灣語言接觸，發現台灣的語言情況相當複雜，內台人之間為意思疏通有所困擾。由於通曉台灣話的日人極少，迫於語言交流的需要，總督府一方面著手使台灣居民學習日語的教育政策，一方面開始研究和學習台灣語言。結果，由明治28年夏天起短短兩三年之間世上現出了許多提供日、台人士參考的有關語言教學方面的刊物。眾所周知，領台時期，總督府民政局在台語教研方面取得了輝煌的業績。總督府設計的假名發音標記系統，漢字標記以及通過日台、台日辭典來提示的龐大的台語語彙提供了要學習台語的日人很多方便。但是，在這種官方標音方式被廣泛日人台語學習者接受之前，處於一定程度的混亂狀態是免不了的。從明治28年至29年，出現了幾種台語會話速成教科書。一看到這些課本，我們就可以發現其內容差勁，標音方式也是各行其是而且是非常不準確的。採用哪種注音方式只是一個純粹的技術問題。不過，注音注得是否準確就涉及到其對音系有無深刻的知識。而會話內容的簡陋是因為對其語言結構和語言文化的瞭解不深的緣故。領台最初期，除了伊澤、小川等部分語言專家之外，渡台日人的台語認識是非常膚淺的。跟民眾直接交際的警務官、教員或政務官，甚至連從軍渡臺的通譯官都幾乎無例外，更何況過海渡「新領土」設法謀生的一般民眾呢。總督府學務部急於頒布官方注音方式的原因也在於此。當時，日人對於台灣語言的認識及認識程度究竟如何？此時期，那些簡單會話讀本以外，還陸續出版了很多台灣研究書，裏面包括幾本由軍部編纂的比較正式的台灣情況報告書，但是，其大部分都是應時性的通俗台灣案內書。但，值得注意的是作者親自探看的台灣語言實況的報告在裏面處處可見。本文的目的是在透過領台最初期出現的有關台灣語學及台灣案內等的一些原始資料來繪出當時日本人眼中的一個台灣語言肖像。

In 1895, Taiwan was incorporated into Japan as its first colony. A lot of Japanese, including administrators, soldiers, teachers, policemen, and general citizens came to Taiwan. At that time, the Japanese arrivals came into contact with the various languages of Taiwan, and realized that Taiwanese 台湾語 was the most important language in Taiwan for administration, military operation, education, and commerce, etc. Japanese teachers and policemen were required to acquire some Taiwanese language skills, and were able to receive such education at a few government-owned language schools. However, soldiers and general citizens had almost no chance to learn Taiwanese at a formal language school.. The army needed to communicate with the locals in Taiwanese languages for military operations. The army demanded that some soldiers acquire limited Taiwanese language abilities, and training of the special interpreters was also strongly needed. In particular, military police came into direct contact with the locals, and so it was extremely important that they were able to speak Taiwanese. Then, the military quickly prepared many language teaching materials and language teachers. Accordingly, these Taiwanese textbooks now serve as good research materials to better understand the real situation of Taiwanese languages 120 years ago. The Japanese general citizens who traveled to Taiwan in those days did not have a deep understanding of the Taiwanese language. Therefore, the descriptions concerning Taiwanese language in their travel records is very superficial and confused. Nevertheless, they, too, constitute good data to examine Taiwanese language recognition at that time. This paper aims to discuss how the Japanese perceived the language of Taiwan through the investigation of a lot of travel records to Taiwan and Taiwanese textbooks published in the early stages of the Japanese colonial period, i.e.水野遵《台灣征蕃記》A Record of Savage Conquest, 福島安正《淡水新政記》A Record of New Government in Tansui, 秋山啓之《實用日台新語集》Practical New Language of Japanese and Taiwanese, 姬田良造《台灣土語入門》Introduction to Taiwan Native Language, 俣野和吉《軍人用台灣語》Taiwanese for Soldiers, etc.