Wayuu language
| Wayuu | |
|---|---|
| Guajiro | |
| Wayuunaiki | |
| Pronunciation | [waˈjuːnaiki] |
| Native to | Venezuela, Colombia |
| Ethnicity | Wayuu people |
Native speakers | 320,000 (2001–2007)[1] |
Arawakan
| |
| Latin script | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Centro Etnoeducativo Kamusuchiwo’u |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | guc |
| Glottolog | wayu1243 |
| ELP | Guajiro |
 Extent of the Wayuu people and language | |
Wayuu (Template:Lang-guc Template:IPA-guc), or Guajiro, is a major Arawakan language spoken by 305,000 indigenous Wayuu people in northwestern Venezuela and northeastern Colombia on the Guajira Peninsula. The two main dialects are Wüinpümüin and Wopumüin spoken in the northeast and southwest of the peninsula respectively. These dialects are mutually intelligible, as they are minimally distinct. Most of the younger generations speak Spanish fluently, much more so in the southern areas of the peninsula. The extinct Guanebucan language may actually have been a dialect of Wayuu.
To promote bilingual education among Wayuu and other Colombians, the Kamusuchiwo’u Ethno-educative Center or Centro Etnoeducativo Kamusuchiwo’u came up with the initiative of creating the first illustrated Wayuunaiki–Spanish, Spanish–Wayuunaiki dictionary.[2]
Less than 1% of Wayuu speakers are literate in Wayuu while 5 to 15% are literate in Spanish. There are 200,000 speakers in Venezuela and 120,000 in Colombia. Smith (1995) reports that a mixed Guajiro-Spanish language is replacing Wayuu in both countries. However, Campbell (1997) could find no information on this.
Recent developments
In December 2011, the Wayuu Tayá Foundation and Microsoft presented the first ever dictionary of technology terms in the Wayuu language,[3][4] after having developed it for three years with a team of technology professionals and linguists.
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i [i] | ü [ɨ] | u [u] |
| Mid | e [ɛ] | o [ɔ] | |
| Open | a [a] |
Note: "e" and "o" are more open than in English.[clarification needed] "a" is slightly front of central, and "ü" is slightly back of central. All vowels can either occur in short or long versions, since vowel length is distinctive.
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m [m] | n [n] | |||
| Plosive | p [p] | t [t̪] | ch [t͡ʃ] | k [k] | ' [ʔ] |
| Fricative | s [s] | sh [ʃ] | j [h] | ||
| Flap | l [ɺ] | ||||
| Trill | r [r] | ||||
| Approximant | w [w] | y [j] |
"l" is a lateral flap pronounced with the tongue just behind the position for the Spanish "r," and with a more lateral airflow.
Grammar
The personal pronouns are:[5]
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | taya | waya |
| 2nd person | pia | jia |
| 3rd person | nia (he)
shia (she) |
naya |
Notes
- ^ Wayuu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ (in Spanish) El Wayuunaiki impreso
- ^ Fundación Wayuu Tayá y Microsoft Venezuela presentan Diccionario de Computación en Wayuunaiki (in Spanish)
- ^ Tatiana Chang (2011-12-27). "Venezuela: New computing dictionary enriches Wayuu language". Infosur hoy. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ Mansen, Karis; Mansen, Richard A. (1984). Aprendamos guajiro: Gramática pedagógica de guajiro. Bogotá: Editorial Townsend.
External links
- WayuuTribe.com -About the Wayuu People and Wayuu Art
Media related to Wayuu language at Wikimedia Commons- Brief explanation of the Wayuunaiiki language
- Spanish-Wayuunaiki dictionary
- Venezuelanalysis.com, 4 August 2010, Venezuelan history first - Wayuunaiki newspaper wins Venezuelan journalism award
