Wiru

Wiru is a language isolate spoken in Papua New Guinea. Glottolog rates it threatened.

Wiru · 6.4°S 144.2°E

An isolate: no relationship to any other known language has been demonstrated.

Wiru or Witu is the language spoken by the Wiru people of Ialibu-Pangia District of the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The language has been described by Harland Kerr, a missionary who lived in the Wiru community for many years. Kerr's work with the community produced a Wiru Bible translation and several unpublished dictionary manuscripts, as well as Kerr's Master's thesis on the structure of Wiru verbs.

There are a considerable number of resemblances with the Engan languages, suggesting Wiru might be a member of that family, but language contact has not been ruled out as the reason. Usher classifies it with the Teberan languages.

From Wikipedia · Wiru language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Wiru

Meaning	Word	Romanization
person	ali*
name	ibini*
eye	lene*
ear	kabidi*
nose	timini*
tooth	kime*
tongue	keke*
hand	yono*
blood	kamate*
bone	tono*
skin	kepene*
knee	wadini*
breast	adu*
liver	kolotini*
water	ue
fire	toe*
sun	lou*
star	tagoi*
stone	kue*
mountain	tono*
tree	yomo*
leaf	tata*
night	likonu*
dog	tue*
fish	mou*
louse	nomo*
one	odene*
two	takuta*
I	no*
you	ne*