Language name and location: Wawa, Adawama reg., Cameroon [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 瓦瓦语, 喀麦隆中部阿达马瓦区马约-巴尼奥州

1. mǒsī; mǒī *

21.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá mǒī

2. bə̀mbə́

22.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá bə̀mbə́

3. tābə́

23.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá tābə́

4. nǎrə̄bə̀

24.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá nàrə̄bə́

5. téēnbə̄

25.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá téēnbə̄

6. té-mōī     ( 5+ 1 )

26.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá té-mōī

7. té-bə̀mbə́ ( 5+ 2 )

27.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá té-bə̀mbə́

8. tén-tābə́   ( 5+ 3 )

28.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá tén-tābə́

9. té-nàrə̄bə́ ( 5+ 4 )

29.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá té-nàrə̄bə́

10. tʃɔ́ŋ / bə̌ntə̄

30.  nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī bá tʃɔ́ŋ ( 20+10 )

11. tʃɔ́ŋ bá mǒī

40.  nɡwɔ́ī bə̀mbə́ ( 20 x 2 )

12. tʃɔ́ŋ bá bə̀mbə́

50.  nɡwɔ́ī bə̀mbə́ bá tʃɔ́ŋ ( 20 x 2+10 )

13. tʃɔ́ŋ bá tābə́

60.  nɡwɔ́ī tābə́ ( 20 x 3 )

14. tʃɔ́ŋ bá nàrə̄bə́

70.  nɡwɔ́ī tābə́ bá tʃɔ́ŋ ( 20 x 3+10 )

15. tʃɔ́ŋ bá téēnbə̄

80.  nɡwɔ́ī nàrə̄bə́ ( 20 x 4 ) 

16. tʃɔ́ŋ bá té-mōī 

90.  nɡwɔ́ī nàrə̄bə́ bá tʃɔ́ŋ ( 20 x 4+10 )

17. tʃɔ́ŋ bá té-bə̀mbə́ 

100. nɡwɔ́ī téēnbə̄ (archaic); temere (Fulf.)

18. tʃɔ́ŋ bá tén-tābə́ 

200. temere didi, 300. temere tati (Fulfulde)

19. tʃɔ́ŋ bá té-nàrə̄bə́

1000. há tʃɔ́ŋ (archaic); ujinere (Fulfulde)

20. nɡwɔ́ī mǒsī

2000. ujinere didi

Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Marieke Martin, Department of Linguistics, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, U.K., October 10, 2012, July 26, 2013.

提供资料的语言 学家: Dr. Marieke Martin, 2012 年 10 月 10 日, 2013 年 7 月 26 日.

Other comments: Wawa is spoken by approximately 3,000 speakers in Adamawa region: Mayo-Banyo division, Bankim subdivision, 9 villages: Dembesse, Gandoua, Gaoula, Kassala, Mbassewa, Mbenguedje, Ndi, Oumyari, and Yabam west of Banyo, Cameroon. The numeral systems of Wawa is complex through heavy borrowings from Vute and Fulfulde. The traditional system is based on 5 and 20, while the modern system is based on 5 and 10 and mostly borrowed from Fulfulde. There are two words for ‘one’, mŏsī and mŏī.  Both words are used and the preferred one varies between different Wawa dialects. The stem mŏ- is derived for diminutive -(s)í. ‘One’ is the only number derived for diminutive, while all others are derived for plural. 

The numerals from ‘2’ to ‘21’ are shown in table. In this table only the Wawa numbers are presented, most of which are not used anymore. Anecdotally, I refused to speak Fulfulde in the village and only used Wawa numbers when speaking to people, which often led to hesitations by my opponents, who had to calculate with their fingers to understand the number I used.

The numbers in Wawa are subject to heavy borrowing. The average person would only use the numbers 1-5 in Wawa; ‘10’ is probably borrowed from Vute and the rest from Fulfulde.

Whether the number ‘ten’ is a loan or not could not be established certainly. The Vute (Banyo) numeral ‘10’ certainly is homophone (own research) and it was proposed by different Wawa speakers that tʃɔ́ŋ was a borrowing from Vute. However, one old lady (said to be over 100 years old) in Oumyari claimed that bə̆ntə̄ was the ‘real’ and original Wawa word for ‘10’. This could not be confirmed through neither the dialect survey (which was only done by having two informants for each dialect), nor other

Mambiloid languages (Connell p.c.).  What may have been a formerly used form is tén-téēnbə̄. This could not be confirmed but was come up with at several times by speakers when asked for another word for ‘10’.

The Wawa dialect of Mbengedje has a mono-morphemic word for ‘eight’, sát. I have not come across any cognate for the word sát in Oumyari and the other dialects and was very surprised about its existence in Mbengedje Wawa. As the traditional week is 10 days long, it cannot be related to that.

The traditional ‘5’ and ‘20’ based system has been replaced by a ‘5’ and ‘10’ based system, as mentioned above. No one, if not forced through elicitation, uses the traditional ‘20’ base ngwɔ́ī ‘head’ in discourse. Younger generations do not even understand the use of ‘head’ in this context. When forced to speak Wawa they would come up with tʃɔ́ŋ tʃɔ́ŋ nărə̄bə̀ (‘ten ten four’) for ‘forty’ instead of ngwɔ́ī bə̀mbə́ (twenty two).

Multiples of ’10 and ‘20’ and their combinations

The rule is that when two numbers are connected by bá, they are added, while numbers that follow each other without bá are multiplied, except for the lexicalised numbers 6-9. Numbers can be combined without any tone changes.

té-bə̀mbə́                                   ‘seven’

ngwɔ́ī bə̀mbə́                             ‘forty’

ngwɔ́ī bá bə̀mbə́                         ‘twenty-two’

ngwɔ́ī nărə̄bə̀ bá tʃɔ́ŋ bá té-mŏī    ‘ninety-six’

Fulfulde  numbers

In everyday speech only the numbers ‘1’-‘5’ are Wawa the rest are Fulfulde (and Vute). The numbers in local Fulfulde are given in table. They are spelt according to the official Fulfulde orthography. The local Fulfulde spoken in Oumyari by non-native speakers is different from native Fulfulde speakers, as the Wawa speakers have assimilated the phonology to match Wawa phonology in many aspects, e.g. the replacement of implosive stops by pulmonic egressive geminate stops. Fulfulde has a base 5’ and ‘10’ system.

Large numerals

The only large numbers found during fieldwork were ‘100’, which is a compound of ‘5’ and ‘20’ and ‘1000’, which literally means ‘until 10’. These numbers are not used anymore, not understood and it often took consultants several days to come up with the number.

All big numbers are in general borrowed from Fulfulde. Among composite numbers the original linking particle be (Fulfulde ‘and’) is omitted and replaced by the Wawa equivalent bá.

ranscription of tone

There are four level tones in Wawa that can also combine to form surface contour tones.

The different tones have been numbered 1 (high) to 4 (low). The following diacritics are used to represent tone in the data:

Level tones:          tone 1:  á    tone 2:  ā    tone 3:  ă[1]  tone 4:  à

Surface contours:   1-2       a    1-3    á ̆   1-4   â

                           2-1       a    2-3    ā ̆   2-4   a

                           3-1       ă ́   3-2    ă ̄   3-4   ă ̀

                           4-1       ǎ    4-2    a    4-3   à ̆

Language name and location: Wawa, Adawama reg., Cameroon [Refer to Ethnologue]

语言名称和分布地区: 瓦瓦语, 喀麦隆中部阿达马瓦区马约-巴尼奥州

1. mʊ́ɾsī

21.  tʃɔ́mbɔ̀mbə̀bāmʊ́sì  ( Wawa + Vute )

2. bɔ̄mbə̀

22.  tʃɔ́mbɔ̀mbə̀bābɔ̄mbə̀

3. tábə̀

23.  tʃɔ́mbɔ̀mbə̀bātábə̀

4. náɾbə̀

24.  tʃɔ́mbɔ̀mbə̀bānáɾbə̀

5. tɛ̄nbə́

25.  tʃɔ́mbɔ̀mbə̀bātɛ̄nbə̀

6. tɛ̄mʊ́ɪ  / dʒuiɡɔ      ( 5+ 1 )  *

26. 

7. tɛ́bɔ̀mbə̀ / dʒuididi ( 5+ 2 )

27. 

8. tɛ́nàɾbə̀ / dʒuitati   ( 5+ 3 )

28. 

9. tɛ́tàbə̀ /  dʒuːənai   ( 5+ 4 )

29. 

10. tʃɔ̄ŋ (< from Vute )

30.  tʃɔmtaːbə  *

11. tʃɔ́mbámʊ̄sì

40.  tʃɔŋnaɾəbə

12. tʃɔ́mbábɔ̄mbə̀

50.  tʃɔŋtɛnbə 

13. tʃɔ́mbátábə̀

60.  tʃɔŋdʲɛɡo /  tʃɔŋtɛmʊɪ  *

14. tʃɔ́mbánáɾbə̀

70.  tʃɔŋtɛbɔmbə

15. tʃɔ́ŋtɛ̄nbə̀

80.  tʃɔŋtɛtaɾbə

16. tʃɔ́mbátɛ̄mʊ́ɪ

90.  tʃɔŋtɛtabə

17. tʃɔ́mbátɛ́bɔ̀mbə̀

100. tʃɔŋtʃɔŋ hʌdɔnɪ  (Vute + Fulfulde )

18. tʃɔ́mbátɛ́nàɾbə̀

200. tʃɔŋtʃɔŋ hʌnɔɡaɪ

19. tʃɔ́mbátɛ́tàbə̀

1000. 

20. tʃɔ́mbɔ̀mbə̀

2000. 

Linguist providing data and dateː Dr. Sascha Griffths, University of Kent, U.K. through Dr. Ginger Boyd (SIL), November 9, 2007.

提供资料的语言学家: Dr. Sascha Griffths, 2007 年 11 月 9 日.

Other comments: Wawa has a numeral system mixing with Wawa, Vute and Fulfulde borrowings. The first set of numbers 1 to 9 are in Wawa, the second of numbers 6 - 9 are in Fulfulde. The number 10 is in Vute. The Compound numbers 11 - 25 and 30-90 are a combination of Wawa and Vute. The number 60 is either a combination of Wawa and Fulfulde (first word) or of Wawa and Vute (second number). The numbers 100 and 200 are a combination of Vute and Fulfulde. Sascha's informants were not sure about the numbers 26-29, nor the tone on numbers 30-200. No information was gathered for the numbers 1000 and 2000.