Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 5, 2026

Lembena language

Lembena, also known as Lembena Pii, Nanimba Pii, Uyalipa Pii, or Wapi Pii, is an Engan language spoken in Papua New Guinea.

Last revised
Aug 5, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
123 w
Citations
3
Source
Lembena
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionEast Sepik Province
Native speakers
(1,800 cited 2000 census)1
Engan
  • North Engan
    • Lembena
Language codes
ISO 639-3leq
Glottologlemb1266

Lembena, also known as Lembena Pii, Nanimba Pii, Uyalipa Pii, or Wapi Pii, is an Engan language spoken in Papua New Guinea.

Phonology

Lembena has five vowels: /a, e, i, o, u/.2

Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Nasal m n ɲ
Stop voiceless p t k
voiced b d g
Fricative s
Lateral l ʎ
Semivowel j w

The sequence /di/ becomes a voiced prenasalized postalveolar affricate /ⁿd͡ʒ/ when followed by a vowel other than /i/.2

Notes

Notes

  1. Lembena at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Heineman (1998)
References

References