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| Dem | |
|---|---|
| Lem | |
| Region | Papua: Western highlands alongRouffaer 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 divergentPapuan language ofWest New Guinea. Although Palmer (2018) leaves it unclassified,[2] it was tentatively included in theTrans–New Guinea family in the classification ofMalcolm Ross (2005), and Timothy Usher ties it most closely toAmung.[3]
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The only pronouns which have been recorded are:
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | nau | yu |
| 2nd person | aŋ |
The following basic vocabulary words are from Voorhoeve (1975),[4] as cited in the Trans-New Guinea database:[5]
| gloss | Dem |
|---|---|
| head | yagabuak |
| hair | ari; yakuli |
| eye | eŋgio |
| tooth | yavkasa |
| leg | abuo |
| louse | nduu |
| dog | kwa |
| pig | uwam; uwom |
| bird | bela |
| egg | au; onde |
| blood | miet |
| skin | aran; asi |
| tree | niye |
| man | ŋo |
| sun | uweməja |
| water | da; yat |
| fire | kunu |
| stone | (da)ŋat |
| name | aluŋ; gago |
| eat | nenawe |
| one | yagaŋ |
| two | ugwaŋ |
Ross, Malcolm (2005). "Pronouns as a preliminary diagnostic for grouping Papuan languages". InAndrew 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.