Lemerig language

Lemerig is an Oceanic language spoken on Vanua Lava, in Vanuatu.

Lemerig
Pak, Päk, Sasar
Pronunciation	[lɪmɪˈriɣ]
Native to	Vanuatu
Region	Vanua Lava
Native speakers	2 (2010)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Oceanic Southern Oceanic North-Central Vanuatu North Vanuatu Torres-Banks Lemerig
Dialects	Alo-Teqel, Pak, Sasar
Language codes
ISO 639-3	lrz
Glottolog	leme1238
ELP	Lemerig
Lemerig is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

One of the two remaining speakers of Lemerig, recorded in Vanuatu.

The language is no longer actively spoken. The 2 remaining speakers live on the northern coast of the island.^[2] Lemerig has receded in favour of its neighbours Mwotlap and Vera'a.^[1]

Name

The name Lemerig refers to a now abandoned village in northern Vanua Lava; it is spelled Lēmērig [lɪmɪˈriɣ] in the language of the same name. It reflects an earlier Proto-Torres-Banks form *lemeriɣi, where the *riɣi component likely means "small".

Dialects

Lemerig has sometimes been referred to using the names of its local varieties: Päk;^[3] Sasar; Alo-Teqel.

Judging from wordlists published by missionary and linguist Robert Codrington,^[4] these three varieties were very close to each other. The little differences there were went extinct during the 20th century.

Phonology

Lemerig has 11 phonemic vowels. These are all short monophthongs /i ɪ ɛ æ a œ ø ɒ̝ ɔ ʊ u/.^[5][6]

Lemerig vowels

	Front		Back
	plain	round
Close	i ⟨i⟩		u ⟨u⟩
Near-close	ɪ ⟨ē⟩	ø ⟨ö⟩	ʊ ⟨ō⟩
Open-mid	ɛ ⟨e⟩	œ ⟨ë⟩	ɔ ⟨o⟩
Near-open	æ ⟨ä⟩		ɒ̝ ⟨ā⟩
Open	a ⟨a⟩

Grammar

The system of personal pronouns in Lemerig contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes four numbers (singular, dual, trial, and plural).^[7]

Spatial reference in Lemerig is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is in part typical of Oceanic languages, in part innovative.^[8]