Dem language
| Dem | |
|---|---|
| Lem | |
| Region | Papua: Western highlands along Rouffaer River headwaters |
Native speakers | (1,000 cited 1987)[1] |
Trans–New Guinea
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | dem |
| Glottolog | demm1245 |
| ELP | Dem |
 Map: The Dem language of New Guinea
The Dem language
Other Trans–New Guinea languages
Other Papuan languages
Austronesian languages
Uninhabited | |
Dem (Lem, Ndem) is a possible Trans–New Guinea language in the classification of Malcolm Ross (2005), although Palmer (2018) classifies it as a language isolate.[2]
A small number of words connect it to other language families of the Irian Highlands, but they are not consistent correspondences, and it is not clear what they mean.[clarification needed] The only pronouns which have been recorded are 1sg nau, 2sg aŋ, and 1pl yu.
References
- ^ Dem at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Palmer, Bill (2018). "Language families of the New Guinea Area". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 1–20. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". In Andrew Pawley; Robert Attenborough; Robin Hide; Jack Golson (eds.). Papuan pasts: cultural, linguistic and biological histories of Papuan-speaking peoples. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. pp. 15–66. doi:10.15144/PL-572. ISBN 0858835622. OCLC 67292782.