Lemerig

Lemerig
Pak, Päk, Sasar
Pronunciation[lɪmɪˈriɣ]
Native toVanuatu
RegionVanua Lava
Native speakers
2 (2010)[1]
Austronesian
  • Malayo-Polynesian
    • Oceanic
      • Southern Oceanic
        • North-Central Vanuatu
          • North Vanuatu
            • Torres-Banks
              • Lemerig
DialectsAlo-Teqel, Pak, Sasar
Language codes
ISO 639-3lrz
Glottologleme1238
ELPLemerig
Lemerig is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Lemerig is the least spoken language in the world. Only two remaining humans speak Lemerig.[2]

Phonology

Lemerig has 11 phonemic vowels. These are all short monophthongs /i ɪ ɛ æ a œ ø ɒ̝ ɔ ʊ u/.[3][4]

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⟩

References

  1. ↑ François 2012, p. 87.
  2. ↑ François, Alexandre. "A linguist in Melanesia". alex.francois.free.fr. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  3. ↑ François 2011, p. 194.
  4. ↑ See François 2021[broken anchor].