Yali language
Yali is a Papuan language of Indonesian New Guinea. The Yali people live east of the Baliem Valley, in the Western Highlands.
Dialectical differentiation is great enough that Ethnologue assigns separate codes to three varieties:
- Pass Valley, also known as Abenaho, North Ngalik, and Western Yali; subdialects are Pass Valley, Landikma, Apahapsili.
- Ninia, also known as North Ngalik and Southern Yali.
- Angguruk, also known as Northern Yali.
Siegfried Zöellner, a German missionary, translated the Bible into Yali between 1960 and 1973.
Phonology
The phonology of the Yali language:A /ɡ/ sound at the end of words is pronounced.
| Front | Central | Back | |
| Close | |||
| Mid | |||
| Low |
Basic words and phrases
The following is a list of basic words and phrases in the Yali language:- howam fano wellahen - how are you
- waa waa - thank you
- ninim ar - you're welcome
- nomin - friend
- fano - good
- ari - that
- du - this
- eke - and
- nune - speak/talk
- inune - language
- nare - man
- nowam - my news/state
- howam - your news/state
- wellahi - for myself
- wellahen - for yourself
- wallahen - for him/herself
- wallahi - for ourselves
- wellahep - for yourselves/themselves
- fam - *end of statement particle
- an nahien - I am pleased
- an ari nindi - I like that
- an den angge - I have
- ar an nomin - S/he is my friend
- an nomini - They are my friends
- ar nomin fano - S/he is a good friend
- ir an nomini Amerikoan - My friends are from America
- an nune Yali inune fam - I speak Yali
Pronouns
These are the personal pronouns of the Yali language:| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person | an | nir |
| 2nd person | har | hir |
| 3rd person | ar | ir |