Nggem language
| Nggem | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Highland Papua: Mamberamo Tengah Regency |
Native speakers | 4,400 (2005)[1] |
Trans–New Guinea
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nbq |
| Glottolog | ngge1241 |
Nggem is a Papuan language spoken in the Indonesian province of Highland Papua by the Nggem people.
Name
[edit]Nggem refers both to the language as well as the people, used as both an endonym by the people themselves and as an exonym by neighbouring tribes.[2] : 1
The language's name comes from the noun nggem, referring to a grass skirt covering the buttocks and pubic area, the style of dress formerly worn by Nggem women. Nggem people refer to other language groups by the name of the style of women's traditional clothing; for example, yonggal "string skirt" refers to the Dani people.[2] : 1
In the neighbouring Western Dani language, nggem is a derogatory term meaning "thief".[2] : 1
Phonology
[edit]Consonants
[edit]The following table shows Nggem's consonantal phonemes:[2] : 13
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | Pre-nasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᵑɡ |
| Voiceless | p | t | k | |
| Implosive | ɓ | ɗ | ||
| Sibilant | s | |||
| Lateral | l | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ||
| Semivowel | w | y | ||
Vowels
[edit]The following table shows Nggem's vowel phonemes:[2] : 13
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low | a |
References
[edit]- ^ Nggem at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e "Nggem morphology and syntax". Charles Darwin University. Retrieved 2025-03-05.