Warao language

Warao (also known as Guarauno, Guarao, Warrau) is the native language of the Warao people. A language isolate, it is spoken by about 33,000 people primarily in northern Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname. It is notable for its unusual object–subject–verb word order.^[2] The 2015 Venezuelan film Gone with the River was spoken in Warao.^[3]

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Quick Facts Native to, Ethnicity ...

Warao
Guarauno
Native to	Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname
Ethnicity	Warao
Native speakers	32,800 (2005–2011)^[1]
Language family	Language isolate or Waroid
Official status
Official language in	Venezuela
Language codes
ISO 639-3	`wba`
Glottolog	`wara1303`
ELP	Warao

Classification

Summarize

Perspective

Warao appears to be a language isolate, unrelated to any recorded language in the region or elsewhere.^[4] Terrence Kaufman (1994) included it in his hypothetical Macro-Paezan family, but the necessary supporting work was never done.^[5] Julian Granberry connected many of the grammatical forms, including nominal and verbal suffixes, of Warao to the Timucua language of North Florida, also a language isolate.^[6] However, he has also derived Timucua morphemes from Muskogean, Chibchan, Paezan, Arawakan, and other Amazonian languages, suggesting multi-language creolization as a possible explanation for these similarities.^[5]

Waroid hypothesis

Granberry noted "Waroid" vocabulary items in Taíno, such as nuçay or nozay [nosái] 'gold' in the Ciboney dialect (cf. Warao naséi símo 'gold' lit. 'yellow pebble') and duho 'ceremonial stool' in Classic Taíno (cf. Warao duhu 'sit, stool').

He also finds such similarities with Guajiro; from toponymic evidence it seems that the Warao or a related people once occupied Goajiro country. Granberry & Vescelius (2004) note that toponymic evidence suggests that the pre-Taino Macorix language of Hispaniola and the Guanahatabey language of Cuba may have been Waroid languages as well.

Geographical distribution

The language had an estimated 28,100 speakers in Venezuela as of 2007. The Warao people live chiefly in the Orinoco Delta region of northeastern Venezuela, with smaller communities in southwestern Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago), western Guyana and Suriname.^[8] The language is considered endangered by UNESCO.^[9]

Varieties

Historical sources mention ethnic groups in the Orinoco Delta such as Siawani (Chaguanes), Veriotaus (Farautes), and Tiuitiuas (Tibitíbis) that spoke Warao or languages closely related to modern Warao. Other extinct groups include:^[10]^: 1243

Aricari and Pirao from Cayenne
Guaiqueri from Margarita Island

Loukotka (1968) lists the following varieties:^[11]

Guanoco – spoken on the Laguna de Asfalto, state of Monagas (unattested)
Chaguan – spoken in the Orinoco Delta on the Manamo branch (unattested)
Mariusa – spoken in the same region on the Cocuina and Macareo branches

Mason (1950) lists:^[12]

Waikeri (Guaiqueri)
Chaguan
Mariusa

Phonology

The Warao consonant inventory is small, but not quite as small as many other South American inventories.

More information Labial, Alveolar ...

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar		Glottal
	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	plain	labialized	Glottal
Plosive	p	t		k	kʷ
Fricative		s				h
Nasal	m	n
Tap		ɺ
Approximant			j		w

The labial plosive /p/ is usually realized as voiced [b]. /ɺ/ has an allophone [d] word-initially and [ɾ] when between /i, a/ and /a/.

There are five oral vowels /a, ɛ, i, ɔ, u/ and five nasal vowels /ã, ẽ, ĩ, õ, ũ/. After /k/, in word-initial position, /u/ becomes [ɨ].^[13]

Vocabulary

Loukotka (1968) lists the following basic vocabulary items for Uarao and Mariusa, both of which he considers dialects of the Uarao (Warao) parent language.^[11]

More information gloss, Uarao ...

gloss	Uarao	Mariusa
one	isaka	xisaka
two	manámo	manamo
three	dianamu	dixamo
head	akua	naxoto
eye	kamu	mu
tooth	kai	i
man	nibora
water	ho	xo
fire	hekono	xeunu
sun	yá	xokoxi
manioc	aru	aru
jaguar	tobe	tobe
house	xanóko	ubanoko

Classification

Waroid hypothesis

Language contact

Geographical distribution

Varieties

Phonology

Grammar

Vocabulary

References

Other sources

External links

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