Waiwai
Native toBrazil, Guyana
EthnicityWai-Wai
Native speakers
(2,200 cited 1990–2006)[1]
Cariban
Dialects
  • Katawian (Tunayana)
  • Karahawyana
Language codes
ISO 639-3waw
Glottologwaiw1244
ELP

Waiwai /ˈwaɪwaɪ/[2] (Uaiuai, Uaieue, Ouayeone) is a Cariban language of northern Brazil, with a couple hundred speakers across the border in southern Guyana and Suriname.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Stop t tʃ k
Nasal m n ɲ
Fricative ɸ s ʃ h
Tap ɺ ɭ̥̆
Approximant w j

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i iː ɨ ɨː u uː
Mid e eː o oː
Low a aː

References

  1. ^ Waiwai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
  3. ^ Hawkins, Robert (1998). Wai Wai. Desmond Derbyshire and Geoffrey Pullum (eds.), Handbook of Handbook of Amazonian Languages, Vol. 4: Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 25–224.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location (link)

External links


Languages of Brazil
Languages of Guyana
Languages of Suriname
Cariban languages
Categories