Yabem | Ethnologue

A language of Papua New Guinea

ISO 639: jae
Alternate Names: Jabem, Jabim, Laulabu, Yabim
Autonym: Jabêm
Population: 18,080, all users. L1 users: 2,080 (McElhanon 1978). L2 users: 16,000 (2021). Ethnic population: 5,890 (2000 census).
Location:: Morobe province: Huon peninsula, near Finschhafen coast.
Language Status: 6b* (Threatened).
Classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Western Oceanic, North New Guinea, Huon Gulf, North
Typology: SVO; noun head initial; verb affixes mark person and number; aspect; 25 consonants and 7 vowels; tonal (high and low); vowel harmony; verb serialization; inclusive/exclusive pronouns; alienable/inalienable possession.
Language Use: Used as a church language by Lutherans in the Huon Peninsula region since 1890. Served as medium of instruction for 30,000 students following World War II (Streicher 1982), but now eclipsed by Tok Pisin in use as a lingua franca. Also use Tok Pisin [tpi], especially young people (Ross 2002a). Used as L2 by Bugawac [buk], Kapin [tbx], Karnai [bbv], Mapos Buang [bzh], Mesem [mci], Musom [msu], Numbami [sij], Safeyoka [apz], Sio [xsi], Tami [tmy].
Language Development: Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1924–1980.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Yabem
Writing: Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments: Christian.

Location: Morobe province: Huon peninsula, near Finschhafen coast.