Wayãpi or Wayampi (Waiãpi, Guayapi, Oiampí, Wayampi: Wajãpi[2]) is a Tupi–Guarani language spoken by the Wayãpi people. It is spoken in French Guiana and Brazil.

Wayãpi
Wayampi
Wajãpi
Pronunciation[wajãˈpi] ~ [wãjãˈpi]
Native toFrench Guiana, Brazil
EthnicityWayãpi
Native speakers
(1,200 cited 2000)[1]
Tupian
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3oym
Glottologwaya1270
ELPWayampí

Classification

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Wayampi is a member of the Tupian language family. According to Brazilian linguist Aryon Rodrigues, it forms a subgroup with neighbouring Emerillon, as well as the Zoʼé, Kaʼapor (Urubú), Anambé, Guajá, Aurê–Aurá, and Takunyapé languages, termed Northern Tupi–Guarani.[3][4] Wayampi and Emerillon are the only Tupian languages spoken in the region of the Guianas.[5]

Dialects

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Two dialects of Wayampi are distinguished in the literature, Amapari Wayampi and Guianese Wayampi.[2]

History

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The Wayampi migrated to their current area in the 18th century, similarly to the Zoʼé and Emerillon.[2]

Documentation

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The first documentation of Wayampi comes in a wordlist collected by Adam de Bauve and published in 1833 to 1834,[6][7] followed by M. Leprieur in the same year.[6] Both these wordlists were compiled in Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius's (1867) book Glossaria linguarum brasiliensium. These were followed by Jules Crevaux's 93-word list recorded in 1875 and published in 1882.[5]

Phonology

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Consonants

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Wayampi has 13 consonant phonemes.[8]

Consonant phonemes[8]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plain lab.
Nasal m n ŋ ĝ
Plosive p t k kw ʔ '
Fricative s h
Lateral l
Approximant w j

/p/ cannot occur word-finally.[8]

Vowels

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Vowel phonemes[9]
Front Non-front
unrounded rounded
Close i ĩ ɯ ɯ̃ u ũ
Mid e o õ
Open a ã

In closed, or consonant-final, syllables, /e, o/ are realized as [ɛ, ɔ]. /i/ is attested in only one open, or vowel-final, syllable, in awasi 'corn'. Nasal vowels are more common in stressed syllables.[10]

Orthography

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Wayãpi is spelt phonetically based on the International Phonetic Alphabet, and not according the French orthography.[11] The spelling uses the letter ɨ for the close central unrounded vowel between i and u.[12] E is always pronounced é, vowels with a tilde are always nasal (ã, , ĩ, õ, ũ), ö is like the German O umlaut, and b is pronounced mb. All letters are pronounced.[12]

References

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  1. Wayãpi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. 1 2 3 Carvalho, Fernando (2023-08-22). "Wajãpi (Brazil, French Guiana)". Language Documentation and Description: 5 Pages. doi:10.25894/LDD.333.
  3. Dixon, Robert M. W.; Aĭkhenvalʹd, A. I︠U︡, eds. (1999). The Amazonian languages (PDF). Cambridge language surveys. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-57021-3.
  4. Copin 2012.
  5. 1 2 Grenand, Françoise (1980). La langue wayãpi (Guyane française): phonologie et grammaire (PDF). Langues et civilisations à tradition orale. Paris: Société d'études linguistiques et anthropologiques de France. ISBN 978-2-85297-092-2.
  6. 1 2 texte, Société de géographie (France) Auteur du (1834-01-01). "Bulletin de la Société de géographie". Gallica. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  7. texte, Société de géographie (France) Auteur du (1833-07-01). "Bulletin de la Société de géographie". Gallica. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  8. 1 2 3 Copin (2012), p. 409
  9. Copin (2012), p. 412
  10. Copin (2012)
  11. Grenand & Grenand (2017), p. 18
  12. 1 2 Grenand & Grenand (2017), p. 20

Bibliography

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