Wayoró language

Wayoró (also Wayoro, Ajurú, Wajuru; Wayoró: wayoro emẽto [βajoˈɾo ɛmɛ̃ˈto]) is a moribund Tuparian language (Tupian family), which is spoken in the state of Rondônia, in the Amazon region of Brazil. As of 2019, there were reported to be 3 speakers (all above 70 years old) and 11 semispeakers out of the ethnic population of approximately 250.

Wayoró
Wayoro, Ajurú, Wajuru
wayoro emẽto
Pronunciation	[βajoˈɾo ɛmɛ̃ˈto]
Region	Rondônia (Brazil)
Ethnicity	Wajuru (ethnic population ~250, FUNASA/SESAI 2016)
Native speakers	3 (+ 11 semispeakers) (2019)
Language family	Tupian Tuparí Wayoró
Dialects	Ngwayoroiat (Wayoroiat) Kupndiiriat
Language codes
ISO 639-3	wyr
Glottolog	wayo1238
ELP	Wayoró

Dialects

The Wajuru people is subdivided into three subgroups: the Ngwayoroiat (‘those from the Stone’), the Ngwãkũyãian (‘the Agouti ones’), and the Kupndiiriat (‘the Forest ones’). Some lexical and phonological differences have been reported between the varieties spoken by the Ngwayoroiat (Wayoroiat) and by the Kupndiiriat.

Phonology

Consonants

The graphemes which correspond to each phoneme are given in ⟨brackets⟩.

Consonant inventory

	labial	alveolar	palatal	velar	labio-velar	glottal
plosive	p ⟨p⟩	t ⟨t⟩	tʃ ⟨tx⟩	k ⟨k⟩	kʷ ⟨kw⟩	[ʔ] ⟨’⟩
nasal	m ⟨m, mb⟩	n ⟨n, nd⟩	ɲ ⟨y, dj⟩	ŋ ⟨ng, g⟩	ŋʷ ⟨ngw, gw⟩
sonorant	β ⟨w⟩	ɾ ⟨r⟩

Underlying nasal consonants may be partially or fully oralized in oral environments. Nogueira (2019) describes the following allophones:

• /m/ → [m] ⟨m⟩, [mb] ⟨mb⟩
• /n/ → [n] ⟨n⟩, [nd] ⟨nd⟩
• /ɲ/ → [ɲ, j, j̃, jᵗ] ⟨y⟩, [ndʒ, dʒ] ⟨dj⟩
• /ŋ/ → [ŋ, ŋg] ⟨ng⟩, [g] ⟨g⟩
• /ŋʷ/ → [ŋʷ, ŋgʷ] ⟨ngw⟩, [gʷ] ⟨gw⟩

Vowels

Vowel inventory

		front		central		back
		short	long	short	long	short	long
high	oral	i ⟨i⟩	iː ⟨ii⟩	ʉ ⟨u⟩	ʉː ⟨uu⟩
	nasal	ĩ ⟨ĩ⟩	ĩː ⟨ĩi⟩	ʉ̃ ⟨ũ⟩	ʉ̃ː ⟨ũu⟩
mid	oral	ɛ ⟨e⟩	ɛː ⟨ee⟩			o ⟨o⟩	oː ⟨oo⟩
	nasal	ɛ̃ ⟨ẽ⟩	ɛ̃ː ⟨ẽe⟩			õ ⟨õ⟩	õː ⟨õo⟩
low	oral			a ⟨a⟩	aː ⟨aa⟩
	nasal			ã ⟨ã⟩	ãː ⟨ãa⟩

Syntax

As in other Tuparian languages, the main clauses of Wayoró follow the cross-linguistically rare nominative–absolutive pattern. Person prefixes on the verb are absolutive, i.e., they index the sole argument of an intransitive verb (S) and the patient argument ('direct object') of a transitive verb (P). Person pronouns, which follow the verb (either cliticizing to it or not) are nominative: they may encode the sole argument of an intransitive verb (S) or the agent argument of a transitive verb (A), but not the patient of a transitive verb (P). This is exemplified below.

V:verb S:sole argument of an intransitive verb P:patient argument of a transitive verb A:agent argument of a transitive verb TH:thematic vowel:thematic vowel PL:pluractionality:pluractionality

1)

Eamõyãn

s-V

/e-amõc-a-t

2-dance-TH-NFUT

(en).

(S)

(ẽt)/

(2.NOM)

Eamõyãn (en).

s-V (S)

/e-amõc-a-t (ẽt)/

2-dance-TH-NFUT (2.NOM)

‘You danced.’

2)

Etopkwap

p-V

/e-top-kʷ-a-p

2-see-PL-TH-p

nã

 

nã

FUT

on.

A

õt/

1.NOM

Etopkwap nã on.

p-V {} A

/e-top-kʷ-a-p nã õt/

2-see-PL-TH-p FUT 1.NOM

‘I’ll see you every day.’

External links

• ELAR archive of Documentation of Urgently Endangered Tupian Languages (including Ajuru)
• TuLaR (Tupian Languages Resources)