Languages of the Guianas

48 Cariban and Arawakan Languages

1. Phonology. The vowels of Wayana are a low nonfront (central), e mid
front (open), i high front (close), o mid nonfront rounded (close, back), u
high nonfront rounded (close, back), i high nonfront unrounded (back), and
e mid nonfront unrounded (central).

Front Nonfront

Unrounded Rounded

High

i

i

u

Mid

e

e

o

Low

a

The consonants include syllable initial p, t, k, s, m, n, 1, w, y, h. s has
fallen together with h in the speech of some of the Wayana on the
Tapanahonij River, but is kept distinct from it by the majority. The sibilant
s varies freely between alveolar and alveopalatal points of articulation. 1 is a
reverse flap with lateral opening. After e and i there tends to be less lateral
opening. The stops p, t, k are voiced before voiced consonants: ipelep *I was
winded*, ipelepyai [ipelebyai] 'I am getting winded'.

Syllable finally there are three nasals: m, n, g. Usually the velar occurs
before pause and before k, the alveolar before alveolars, and the labial before
labials; but other combinations are possible. There is also a semivowel h as
in uhpak long ago', compare upak *early'. It varies freely from devoicing of
the vowel of the syllable nucleus to a fricative articulation: bilabial fricative
before p as in uhpak [uppak] *long ago', interdental fricative before m and
apicals as in ihme [iOme] *being with something', velar fricative before velars
as in imilihke [imilixke] 'write it!'.

The stops change morphophonemically to h or to nasals under
conditions that have not yet been completely worked out. p changes to h
before p and some occurrences of m but not all: t-enep-he 'bring', t-eneh-po-i
'cause to bring' [hyphen indicates morpheme boundaries]; iw-ei-top 'concerning
my being', iw-ei-toh-me 'in order for me to be'. Before n and other instances
of m it changes to m: w-enep 'I brought it (immediate past)', w-enem-ne 'I
brought it (distant past)'; ipelep 'I was tired (immediate past)', ipelem-ne 'I
was tired (distant past)', t changes to h before t, 1, and some occurrences of
n but not all: wapot 'fire', wapotoh-tak 'to the fire'; uhpakat 'an old one',
uhpakah-le-me 'a thoroughly old one (equative)'; w-epekat 'I bought it
(immediate past)', w-epekah-ne 'I bought it (distant past)', t changes to m
when followed by other instances of n: y-etat 'my hammock', y-etam-na 'to
my hammock', t changes to n when followed by m: tolopit 'bird', tolopin-he
'bird (equative)'. k changes to h when followed by another k: meki 'come',
meh-ke 'come!', k changes to g when followed by m or n: mahak
'mosquito', mahag-me 'mosquito (equative)'; mik 'sleep', k-i'nig-net 'come, let
us sleep'.

Grimes, Joseph E., editor. 1972. Languages of the Guianas. Summer
Institute of Linguistics Publications in Linguistics, 35. Norman: Summer
Institute of Linguistics of the University of Oklahoma, ix, 91 p.