Wuvulu-Aua

Wuvulu-Aua is a member of the Oceanic branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. It is spoken by about 1,600 people mainly on the Wuluvu and Aua Islands, part of the Admiralty Islands, a group of islands in the Bismarck Archipelago in Manus Province in the north of Papua New Guinea. There are also a few speakers of Wuvulu-Aua on other islands of Papua New Guinea.

There are three dialects of Wuvulu-Aua: Onne and Auna are spoken on Wuvulu Island and are named after the villages in which they are spoken, while the Aua dialect is spoken on Aua Island.

An orthography using the Latin alphabet was developed for Wuvulu-Aua in 1992 by Audrey and Vinton Goff, two SIL workers. There is some differences of opinion about how to write certain sounds.

Wuvulu-Aua alphabet

Wuvulu-Aua alphabet and pronounciation

Download an alphabet chart for Wuvulu-Aua (Excel)

Notes

Older Wuvulu-Aua speakers pronounce r as [r], while younger ones pronounce it as [x] or [g].
l is pronounced [l] in the Auna dialect and [d] in the Onne dialect. It is can be written as d by speakers of Onne.
A glottal stop [Ɂ] is written h at the beginning of a word before a vowel, and ʼ elsewhere.

Sample text

Ina warenaa a'a ro'ou, “Ena hamona lafulafu, hamonei ware ale'ei: “‘O'ama, fei haramu na apunai ma fei haparaiamu nei nomai.
Fani hanaa hai'ou a'a hepapalo arewaa.
utoaa ei hafelo'aa hai'ou, uaa hai'ouna futoaa hafelo'aa ei rona fafeloaa hai'ou.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1288/LUK.11.WUV

Translation

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample video

Links

Information about Wuvulu-Aua
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuvulu-Aua_language
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/wuv
http://language-archives.org/language/wuv
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/wuv

Oceanic languages

Adzera, Ahamb, Äiwoo, Aneityum, Apma, Araki, Are, ʼAuhelawa, Avava, Babatana, Bariai, Bola, Big Numbas, Buhutu, Bwaidoka, Caac, Cheke Holo, Daakaka, Dorig, Hiri Motu, Hiw, Hoava, Kakabai, Kaninuwa, Kokota, Koro. Kove, Kurti, Kwamera, Lakon, Lehali, Lenakel, Lewo, Lote, Lo-Toga, Löyöp, Manam, Marovo, Maskelynes, Mato, Mavea, Mono-Alu, Mota, Motu, Mussau-Emira, Mwerlap, Mwesen, Mwotlap, Nafsan, Nahavaq, Namakura, Naman, Nanggu, Nduke, Neve‘ei, Neverver, Ninde, North Efate, Nume, Paamese, Papapana, Raga, Rotuman, Roviana, Sa, Sakao, Saliba, Seimat, Siar, Sio, Ske, Sobei, Sursurunga, Tamambo, Tami, Teanu, Tigak, Tirax, Tolai, Touo, Ubir, Ughele, Uneapa, Vatlongos, Vitu, Vurës, Western Fijian, Wuvulu-Aua, Yabem, Yapese

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 30.03.26. Last modified: 01.04.26

[top]

You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.

Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.

[top]