有關賽德克族（Sediq）與太魯閣族（Truku），無論是人類學或音樂學的研究，過去都歸類為泰雅族中的亞族－賽德克亞族。而首先將泰雅族與賽德克亞族為各別獨立族稱者，為日本學者佐山融吉；並且在他所著的《蕃族調查報告書》，所採得的歌詞及翻譯，分別記錄了南投賽德克族、花蓮太魯閣族歌謠慣用的區域旋律。賽德克族與太魯閣族歌謠有何慣用區域旋律？音樂學者研究指出，兩族歌謠的性質皆是相同四音組織（Tetrachord）為主，但分析其兩族音樂特色時，在音樂的題材、風格、曲調等方面，因地理區域的不同而有所差異，特別是在歌詞與曲調的使用上，有其各自獨特的「音樂方言」。南投賽德克族有「密集接應的輪唱方式」與「單音音樂」，而花蓮太魯閣族只有「單音樂」沒有「密集接應的輪唱方式」，且歌詞表現上花蓮太魯閣族常有重疊反覆現象，而南投賽德克族的單音之歌詞卻少有此重疊反覆用法。賽德克族與太魯閣族區域性的獨特演唱方式，曲調與歌詞的表現，是音樂主導歌詞？還是音樂表達歌詞的意義？音樂人類學範疇的Alan P. Merriam《民族音樂人類學》的「方法與技巧」（Method and Technique）一文，提到有關人類行為的語境中理解音樂問題，包含作為語言行為的歌詞，以及歌詞通過敘述所揭示的內容等。筆者試圖從此方向，剖析其兩族曲調與歌詞的相關問題。

This is a research on Taiwan''s Sediq and Truku Tribal Groups. In the realm of academic research in the respective areas of Anthropology or Musicology, they were both classified under the Atayal-Sediq Subfamily. The first individual to refer to these two tribes as separate and distinct groups was the Japanese scholar, Sayama Yukichi; and in his book ＂Report on Investigations into the Customs of Aboriginal Peoples,＂ he adopted the lyrics and translations of recorded music respectively in the regions of Nantou Sediq and Hualien Taroko. What is the typical classification of the Sediq and Truku''s music? Music scholars in their respective research point out that the nature of songs in the two communities are of four syllables, based upon the Tetrachord, but when we analyze the musical characteristics of the two distinct communities under the musical theme, style, tunes, etc., as well as different variations in geographic regions, in particular, the use of the lyrics and melody, they form their own unique ＂musical dialect.＂ Nantou Sediq have an intense way with their collusion of the wheel singing and monophonic music. On the other hand, the Hualien Taroko only portray a monophonic form of music; they do not sing in parts, and furthermore their lyrics are often overlapping and repetitive. Nantou Sediq music is more monophonic, but does not have the Hualien Taoroko''s way of overlapping and repetitiveness. As the Sediq and Truku portray their unique regional music, while performing their respective tunes and lyrics, is the music leading the lyrics or is the music an expression of the lyrics? Other than using the music to accompany the lyrics, what else is there? Alan P. Merriam (American anthropologist and ethnomusicologist), author of ＂Anthropology of Music,＂ mentioned in his article ＂Method and Technique＂ the context of human behavior related to the problem of understanding the music, that the lyrics contained as verbal behavior, and the relationship between the tone of the sound and the lyrics by describing the disclosed content. The author attempts in this direction, to analyze issues related to the melody and lyrics of the two communities.