| Lemerig | |
| Pronunciation: | pronounced as /lɪmɪˈriɣ/ |
| Also Known As: | Pak, Päk, Sasar |
| States: | Vanuatu |
| Region: | Vanua Lava |
| Speakers: | 2 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| Familycolor: | Austronesian |
| Fam3: | Oceanic |
| Fam4: | Southern Oceanic |
| Fam5: | North-Central Vanuatu |
| Fam6: | North Vanuatu |
| Fam7: | Torres-Banks |
| Iso3: | lrz |
| Glotto: | leme1238 |
| Glottorefname: | Lemerig |
| Dialects: | Alo-Teqel, Pak, Sasar |
| Map: | Lang Status 20-CR.svg |
Lemerig is an Oceanic language spoken on Vanua Lava, in Vanuatu.
Lemerig is no longer actively spoken. The 2 remaining speakers live on the northern coast of the island.[1] The language has receded in favour of its neighbours Mwotlap and Vera'a.
The name Lemerig pronounced as //lemeriɣ// refers to a now abandoned village in northern Vanua Lava in Mota, corresponding to the native name Lēmērig (pronounced as //lɪmɪˈriɣ//). Its name in Mwotlap is Lemyig pronounced as /lɛmˈjiɣ/. It comes from Proto-Torres-Banks *lemeriɣi, where the *riɣi component likely means "small".
Lemerig has sometimes been referred to using the names of its local varieties: Päk;[2] Sasar; Alo-Teqel.
Judging from wordlists published by missionary and linguist Robert Codrington,[3] these three varieties were very close to each other. The little differences there were went extinct during the 20th century.
Lemerig has 11 phonemic vowels. These are all short monophthongs pronounced as //i ɪ ɛ æ a œ ø ɒ̝ ɔ ʊ u//.[4]
| Front | Back | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | round | |||
| Close | pronounced as /link/ (i) | pronounced as /link/ (u) | ||
| Near-close | pronounced as /link/ (ē) | pronounced as /link/ (ö) | pronounced as /link/ (ō) | |
| Open-mid | pronounced as /link/ (e) | pronounced as /link/ (ë) | pronounced as /link/ (o) | |
| Near-open | pronounced as /link/ (ä) | pronounced as /link/ (ā) | ||
| Open | pronounced as /link/ (a) | |||
The system of personal pronouns in Lemerig contrasts clusivity, and distinguishes four numbers (singular, dual, trial, and plural).
Spatial reference in Lemerig is based on a system of geocentric (absolute) directionals, which is in part typical of Oceanic languages, in part innovative.