Bemé: Difference between revisions

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~~{{construction}}~~

{{infobox language

| name = Bemé

| nativename = bemeh, bemetak, kriyal

| nativename = bemeh / bemetak / kriyal

| altname = Poccasin Creole, Poccasin Pidgin, ~~Poccasinese~~

| altname = Poccasin Creole / Poccasin Pidgin / Poccasinese

| image = File:Poccasin.svg

| imagesize = 250px

| imagecaption = Flag of the [[Poccasin Federation]], where Bemé is the official language

| creator = User:Jukethatbox

| created = 2025

| familycolor = Mixed

| fam1 = Poccasin English

| fam1 = [[Poccasin English]]

| state = Poccasin Archipelago

| script1 = Latn

| pronunciation = bemɛ

| ethnicity = ~~Various~~

| pronunciation_key = IPA for Bemé

| ethnicity = Poccasins

| setting = ''Adventures in the Poccasins''

| speakers = 15 million

| date = 2025

| official = Poccasin Federation

| official = [[File:Poccasin.svg|24px]] [[Poccasin Federation]]

| stand1 = Tak ~~Bemeh~~

| stand1 = ''[[#Tak vs kriyal|Bemetak]]''

| dia1 ~~= Kasimbo Bemeh~~

| dia1 = [[Bijun Creole]]

~~| dia2~~ = [[~~w:Basilect|Basilek~~]] ~~Bemeh~~

| dia2 = [[Columbé]]

| ~~dia3~~ = [[~~w:Acrolect|Agrow~~]] ~~Bemeh~~

| agency = ''Tak eh Bemeh!''

| notice = ipa

}}

'''Bemé''' (/[[Help:IPA|bəˈmeɪ̯]]/ ''buh-MAY''; ''bemeh'', pronounced [[~~Help:~~IPA|[bemɛ]]]), also called '''Poccasin Creole''', '''Poccasin Pidgin''' and '''Poccasinese''', is an [[w:English-based creole languages|English creole]] and [[w:Pidgin|pidgin language]] spoken in the Poccasin Archipelago. It is widely spoken as a first language in Cassim Po and is by far the predominantly spoken language in many other urban areas in the Poccasins, ~~but~~ elsewhere in the archipelago it only holds pidgin language status, exclusively used to communicate between people of separate ethnicites; as such, it is not used at home in most of these areas.

'''Bemé''' (/[[Help:IPA|bəˈmeɪ̯]]/ ''buh-MAY''; ''bemeh'', pronounced [[IPA for Bemé|[bemɛ]]]), also called '''Poccasin Creole''', '''Poccasin Pidgin''' and '''Poccasinese''', is an [[w:English-based creole languages|English creole]] and [[w:Pidgin|pidgin language]] spoken in the Poccasin Archipelago. It is widely spoken as a first language in Cassim Po and is by far the predominantly spoken language in many other urban areas in the Poccasins, though elsewhere in the archipelago it only holds pidgin language status, exclusively used to communicate between people of separate ethnicites; as such, it is not used at home in most of these areas.

Despite this varying status, Bemé is by far the most spoken language of the Poccasin Archipelago with around 15 million speakers as of 2025; native speakers with Bemé as their mother tongue, primarily inhabiting Cassim Po, number around 14,565. This high amount of speakers can be mostly attributed to two factors: extensive [[w:United Kingdom|British]] and later [[w:United States of America|American]] colonisation, as well as widespread teaching of the language. Bemé is an official language and designated [[w:Lingua franca|lingua franca]] of the Poccasin Federation, ensuring its continuous widespread usage after independence.

Despite this varying status, Bemé is by far the most spoken language of the Poccasin Archipelago with around 15 million speakers as of 2025; native speakers with Bemé as their mother tongue, primarily inhabiting Cassim Po, number around 14,565. This high amount of speakers can be mostly attributed to two factors: extensive [[w:United Kingdom|British]] and later [[w:United States of America|American]] colonisation, as well as widespread teaching of the language. Bemé is an official language and designated [[w:Lingua franca|lingua franca]] of the [[Poccasin Federation]], ensuring its continuous widespread usage after independence.

This article describes the variety of Bemé that is spoken in the Poccasin Federation; other major varieties/dialects of Bemé include [[Bijun Creole]](native to the Bijuns of Bijou Island) and [[Columbé]](of the people of Saint Columban).

==Etymology==

The name ''Bemé'' is derived from the [[Kabao]] phrase ''beme po kasin'', literally meaning "nation of the red mountain", it is also the origin of the English [[w:Exonym|exonym]] ''Poccasin'' and ''Poccasinese''.

===''Beme'' vs ''Bemé''===

The words ''Beme'' and ''Bemé'', both derived from Kabao ''beme'', genitive of ''bema'' "nation", mean two distinct things in English. ''Beme'', (/[[IPA for Bemé|ˈbɛmeɪ̯]]/ or /[[IPA for Bemé|ˈbɛmiː]]/, ''BEH-may'' or ''BEH-mee'') without the accent, is the widely used [[w:Endonym|endonym]] of citizens of the Poccasin Federation; in the Poccasins specifically, ''bemeh'' in this context is mostly used to refer to the Poccasin federative government, akin to referring to the British government as simply "Westminster".

In contrast, ''Bemé'', (/[[Help:IPA|bəˈmeɪ̯]]/ ''buh-MAY'') with an accent, is exclusively used in English to refer to the Bemé language. However, in Bemé itself, both ''bemeh'' "nation" and ''bemeh'' "Bemé" are homophones and homonyms, and their differing meanings is only discerned by context, such as:

: ''Yu '''bemeh''' wan, yu wan bi dan, ni grown bela skey.''

:: "Thy '''kingdom''' come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

versus

: ''Takin '''bemeh''' gud la?''

:: "Do you speak '''Bemé''' well?"

However, in recent years, some internet users have, through [[w:Hypercorrection|hypercorrection]], started orthographically distinguishing the two meanings by capitalising ''bemeh'' "Bemé" as ''Bemeh'' or in some cases ''BEMEH'', as is common in many indigenous languages of the Poccasins. However, this is generally considered non-standard.

===''Kriyal''===

''[[Contionary:kriyal|Kriyal]]'' ([[IPA for Bemé|[kɹ̥ijal]]], [[IPA for Bemé|[tɹ̥ijal]]] or [[IPA for Bemé|[tʃɹ̥ijal]]]) is a less commonly used term, and is derived from the English word {{l|en|creole}}. Although originally referring to the entire language in the same manner as ''Bemé''/''Bemeh'', nowadays it is mostly used to refer to [[w:Basilect|basilectal]] varieties of the language, though older speakers may still refer to the language as a whole as ''kriyal''.

The word ''kriyal''(sometimes spelt ''kriyel'' in [[Columbé|Columban]]) is also used by [[Columbé]] and [[Bijun Creole]] speakers to refer to their own varieties of Bemé.

==''Tak'' vs ''kriyal''==

Bemé incorporates a [[w:Post-creole continuum|creole continuum]], but unlike other creole continua such as that of [[w:Jamaican Patois|Jamaican Patois]], Bemé speakers do not consider the continuum to have '''mesolectal''' levels, instead only distinguishing between acrolectal ''tak'' and basilectal ''kriyal''. ''Tak'' is often described as the official government Bemé, used on street signs, government buildings and in most Bemé literature, while ''kriyal'' is often described as the vernacular forms of Bemé spoken outside of the contexts of ''Tak''. For example, the vernacular Bemé of young people can be considered ''kriyal''; but the use of Bemé by older, illiterate speakers may also be considered ''kriyal''.

However, a key difference between older and younger speakers is the presence of [[w:Situational code-switching|code-switching]]; younger speakers are much more likely to be adept at code-switching between ''tak'' and ''kriyal'' depending on context, as opposed to older, traditionally less educated speakers who can't code-switch and as such whose speech may be permanently considered ''kriyal''. This factor has been considered one of many causes of [[w:Ageism|ageism]] in the Poccasin workforce, where older job applicants who exclusively speak in what is considered ''kriyal'' may be discriminated against compared to younger job applicants who are capable of speaking in more formal ''tak''.

===Patois===

'''Bemé patois''', (Bemé: ''patwa'', ''patwa tak'') or simply '''patois''', is a register of Bemé used in poetry. It features a more lenient word order, as well as the ability to "degrade" words into fewer syllables for the sake of poetic clarity or [[w:Rhyme|rhyme]]. Additionally, nominative pronouns ending in vowels may "merge" into the following verb or particle if the verb starts with a vowel or the particle is ''{{bm|eh}}'', so ''mi ogul'' {{bm-ipa|mi ogul}} "I see, I look at" becomes ''m'ogul'' {{bm-ipa|mogul}}, or ''mi eh wosh'' "I am washing" {{bm-ipa|mi ɛ woʃ}} becomes ''m'eh wosh'' {{bm-ipa|mɛ woʃ}}.

==Orthography==

Most Bemé speakers use the [[Caine orthography]], invented by Charlie F. Caine, the first American ambassador to the Poccasin Federation. Caine allegedly invented the orthography while on a particularly long plane ride to Cassim Po, basing the phoneme-grapheme correspondence on the phonology of urban Cassim Po Bemé, of which he was most accustomed to. As such, Caine's orthography has sometimes been criticised for contributing to urbocentrism in the Poccasin Federation.

However, the Caine orthography has also conversely been praised for contributing to the standardisation of the Bemé language. Its lack of diacritics also proved beneficial in the early days of the [[w:Information Age|Information Age]], as the entire standard Bemé language could be displayed using only [[w:ASCII|ASCII]], at a time where many languages such as [[w:Chinese language|Chinese]] or [[w:Japanese language|Japanese]] could not be effectively represented on computers before the introduction of [[w:Unicode|Unicode]] in 1988.

{|

|-

| valign="top" |

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=4 | Consonants

|-

! Bemé orthography !! IPA !! Examples !! English approximation

|-

| b || [[w:Voiced bilabial plosive|b]] || [[Contionary:bemeh#Bemé|'''b'''emeh]] || '''b'''ow

|-

| ch || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar affricate|tʃ]] || [[Contionary:chena#Bemé|'''ch'''ena]] || '''Ch'''ina

|-

| d || [[w:Voiced alveolar plosive|d]] || [[Contionary:dan#Bemé|'''d'''an]] || '''d'''one

|-

| g || [[w:Voiced velar plosive|g]] || [[Contionary:gud#Bemé|'''g'''ud]] || '''g'''ood

|-

| gr || gɹ~dʒɹ || [[Contionary:grinyeh#Bemé|'''gr'''inyeh]] || '''gr'''ill or '''dr'''ink

|-

| rowspan=2 | h || [[w:Voiceless glottal fricative|h]] || (initial) [[Contionary:hampo#Bemé|'''h'''ampo]] || '''h'''am

|-

| [[w:Glottal stop|ʔ]] || (medial) ji'''h'''ad || uh'''-'''oh

|-

| j || [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|dʒ]] || [[Contionary:jamis#Bemé|'''j'''amis]] || '''j'''eans

|-

| k || [[w:Voiceless velar plosive|k]] || [[Contionary:kaneh|'''k'''aneh]] || '''k'''ing

|-

| kr || tɹ̥~kɹ̥~tʃɹ̥ || [[Contionary:kriyal|'''kr'''iyal]] || '''kr'''ill or '''tr'''ee

|-

| l || [[w:Voiced alveolar lateral approximant|l]] || [[Contionary:kolo#Bemé|ko'''l'''o]] || '''l'''id

|-

| m || [[w:Voiced bilabial nasal|m]] || [[Contionary:ameh#Bemé|a'''m'''eh]] || '''m'''other

|-

| n || [[w:Voiced alveolar nasal|n]] || [[Contionary:dampini#Bemé|dampi'''n'''i]] || '''n'''ice

|-

| ng || [[w:Voiced velar nasal|ŋ]] || [[Contionary:kring#Bemé|kri'''ng''']] || swimmi'''ng'''

|-

| ny || [[w:Voiced palatal nasal|ɲ]] || [[Contionary:snyek|s'''ny'''ek]] || ca'''ny'''on

|-

| p || [[w:Voiceless bilabial plosive|p]] || [[Contionary:dampini#Bemé|dam'''p'''ini]] || s'''p'''in

|-

| r || [[w:Voiced alveolar approximant|ɹ]] || [[Contionary:ridem|'''r'''idem]] || '''rh'''ythm

|-

| s || [[w:Voiceless alveolar sibilant|s]] || [[Contionary:sebis|'''s'''ebi'''s''']] || '''s'''ervi'''c'''e

|-

| sh || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar sibilant|ʃ]] || [[Contionary:shik|'''sh'''ik]] || '''sh'''ine

|-

| t || [[w:Voiceless alveolar plosive|t]] || [[Contionary:titrink|'''t'''itrink]] || '''t'''ea

|-

| w || [[w:Voiced labial-velar approximant|w]] || [[Contionary:wan#Bemé|'''w'''an]] || '''w'''ant

|-

| y || [[w:Voiced palatal approximant|j]] || [[Contionary:yu#Bemé|'''y'''u]] || '''y'''ou

|}

| valign="top" |

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=4 | Vowels

|-

! Bemé orthography !! IPA !! Examples !! English approximation

|-

| a || [[w:Open central unrounded vowel|a]] || [[Contionary:jamis#Bemé|j'''a'''mis]] || tr'''a'''p

|-

| e || [[w:Close-mid front unrounded vowel|e]] || [[Contionary:bemeh#Bemé|b'''e'''meh]] || m'''a'''y

|-

| eh || [[w:Open-mid front unrounded vowel|ɛ]] || [[Contionary:bemeh#Bemé|bem'''eh''']] || b'''e'''d

|-

| i || [[w:Close front unrounded vowel|i]] || [[Contionary:bi#Bemé|b'''i''']] || '''ea'''t

|-

| o || [[w:Close-mid back rounded vowel|o]] || [[Contionary:kolo#Bemé|k'''o'''l'''o''']] || y'''aw'''n

|-

| u || [[w:Near-close near-back rounded vowel|u]] || [[Contionary:yu#Bemé|y'''u''']] || h'''oo'''k

|}

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=4 | Diphthongs

|-

! Bemé orthography !! IPA !! Examples !! English approximation

|-

| ey || ei̯ || [[Contionary:skey#Bemé|sk'''ey''']] || m'''ay'''

|-

| oi || oi̯ || [[Contionary:woiwoi|w'''oi'''w'''oi''']] || j'''oy'''

|-

| ow || ou̯ || [[Contionary:grown#Bemé|gr'''ow'''n]] || b'''ow'''

|}

The distinction between /kr tr tʃr/, as well as between /gr dʒr/, has been historically neutralised, leading to a varying pronunciation:

* ⟨kr⟩ may be heard as /tɹ̥ kɹ̥ tʃɹ̥/;

* In the most [[w:Basilect|basilectal]](''Kriyal'') varieties, the stop may be simply [[w:Aspirated consonant|strongly aspirated]], leaving /tʰː kʰː tʃʰː/;

* The realisation may be aspirated [[w:Retroflex consonant|retroflex]] /ʈʰ/, and similarly [[w:Voiceless retroflex affricate|affricated]] to /ʈʂ ʈʂʰ/.

The pronunciation of ⟨gr⟩ is less variable; there still exists a distinction between /gr~dʒr/ and /dr/, though /dr/ is extremely rare and only exists in certain words, such as '''''gr'''ag'' "stop (v.)" and '''''dr'''ag'' "drag queen".

==Phonology==

===Consonants===

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=2 | !! Bilabial !! Alveolar !! Alveolo-palatal !! Velar !! Glottal

|-

! rowspan=2 | Stop/ Affricate

! voiceless

| [[w:Voiceless bilabial stop|p]] || [[w:Voiceless alveolar stop|t]] || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar affricate|tʃ]] || [[w:Voiceless velar stop|k]] || ([[w:Glottal stop|ʔ]])

|-

! voiced

| [[w:Voiced bilabial stop|b]] || [[w:Voiced alveolar stop|d]] || [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|dʒ]] || [[w:Voiced velar stop|g]] ||

|-

! colspan=2 | Nasal

| [[w:Voiced bilabial nasal|m]] || [[w:Voiced alveolar nasal|n]] || [[w:Voiced palatal nasal|ɲ]] || [[w:Voiced velar nasal|ŋ]] ||

|-

! colspan=2 | Fricative

| || [[w:Voiceless alveolar sibilant|s]] || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar sibilant|ʃ]] || || [[w:Voiceless glottal fricative|h]]

|-

! rowspan=2 | Approximant

! semivowel

| [[w:Voiced labial-velar approximant|w]] || [[w:Voiced alveolar approximant|ɹ]] || [[w:Voiced palatal approximant|j]] || ||

|-

! lateral

| || [[w:Voiced alveolar lateral approximant|l]] || || ||

|}

/t d/ both become /t̚/ ([[w:No audible release|no audible release]]) in word-final coda positions, so ''{{bm|dat|da'''t'''}}'' is pronounced {{bm-ipa|dat̚}} while ''{{bm|data|da'''t'''a}}'' is pronounced with audible release as {{bm-ipa|data}}. This allophonic variation without audible release has also been described as [[w:Dental consonant|dentalised]]; thus, words like ''{{bm|dat}}'' have also been transcribed as {{bm-ipa|dat̪̚}}.

Unlike in English, /ŋ/ can appear in onset positions, such as in '''''ng'''os'' "nose". The palatal nasal /ɲ/ usually occurs when differentiating between words that would be homophones in standard English, e.g. ''nap'' vs ''[[wikt:knap#Verb|knap]]'', which in Bemé became '''''n'''ap'' "rest (v.)" and '''''ny'''ap'' "punch (v.)".

[[w:Syllabic consonant|Syllabic]] /l̩/ appears in a few words, such as ''Beyb'''l''''' [[IPA for Bemé|[bei̯bl̩]]] "Bible" and ''teyb'''l''''' [[IPA for Bemé|[tei̯bl̩]]] "table".

/ɲ/ is the only consonant that cannot appear in a coda position; typically, this is circumvented by adding /ɛ/ or /a/ postpositionally, so ''{{bm|grin}}'' becomes ''{{bm|grinyeh}}''.

====Nasal assimilation====

"'''Nasal assimilation'''" in Bemé refers to a [[w:Sandhi|sandhi]] process where the [[w:Voiced alveolar nasal|alveolar nasal]] /n/ (corresponding with the graphemes ⟨Nn⟩) is shifted to a different nasal before certain [[w:Obstruent consonants|obstruents]]. This process varies among Bemé dialects; the differences between major dialects are shown in the following table.

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | !! colspan=14 | Obstruents

|-

! /p/ !! /b/ !! /t/ !! /d/ !! /tʃ/ !! /dʒ/ !! /k/ !! /g/ !! /s/ !! /ʃ/ !! /h/

|-

! rowspan=3 | Nasal

! Bemé

| colspan=2 rowspan=3 | /m/ || colspan=4 rowspan=2 | /n/ || colspan=2 rowspan=3 | /ŋ/ || colspan=2 | /n/ || rowspan=2 | /m/

|-

! Bijun

| rowspan=2 | /n/ || rowspan=2 | /ɲ/

|-

! Columbé

| colspan=2 | /n/ || colspan=2 | /ɲ/ || -

|}

The placement of /n/ before /h/ only occurs in one word: ''{{bm|Anhara}}'', a girl's name of Sasubi origin ([[Sasubi]]: انخارا); the /n/ is pronounced as a [[w:Voiced bilabial nasal|bilabial nasal]] [m] in standard Bemé and [[Bijun]] but not pronounced whatsoever in [[Columbé]], instead giving /ahaɾa/ or /aːhaɾa/(the first /a/ may be lengthened to compensate for a lack of a /n/). In the original [[Sasubi]], the name is pronounced [[Help:IPA|[ɐŋxɐˈra]]].

===Vowels===

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=2 | !! Front !! Back

|-

! colspan=2 | Close

| [[w:Close front unrounded vowel|i]] || [[w:Near-close near-back rounded vowel|u]]

|-

! rowspan=2 | Mid

! Close-mid

| [[w:Close-mid front unrounded vowel|e]] || rowspan=2 | [[w:Close-mid back rounded vowel|o]]

|-

! Open-mid

| ([[w:Open-mid front unrounded vowel|ɛ]])

|-

! colspan=2 | Open

| colspan=2 | [[w:Open central unrounded vowel|a]]

|}

There are only three diphthongs in Bemé: /ei̯ oi̯ ou̯/, written ⟨ey, oi, ow⟩ respectively. However, although these diphthongs may roughly match with similar English diphthongs /eɪ̯ oɪ̯ oʊ̯/, these diphthongs rarely match; diphthongs in general are rare in Bemé, but even with words derived from English words with diphthongs, the diphthongs are often replaced with monophthongs, e.g. ''sh'''e'''k'' [[IPA for Bemé|[ʃek]]], compared to English sh'''a'''ke /[[w:Help:IPA/English|ˈʃeɪ̯k]]/. In ''kriyal'' varieties diphthongs may be entirely replaced by monophthongs, so words like ''sk'''ey''''' [[IPA for Bemé|[skei̯]]] become [[IPA for Bemé|[skɛ]]].

====''Leleh''====

'''''Leleh''''' or '''''lelé''''' (with ''leleh'': [[IPA for Bemé|[lelɛ]]]; without: [[IPA for Bemé|[lele]]]) is a Bemé word describing the distinction between /e/ and /ɛ/ in a Bemé dialect. ''Leleh'' is present in ''Bemetak'', as well as in all Cassim Po dialects; it is also present in [[Bijun Creole]], though the distinction occurs instead between /i/ and /ɛ/ as /e/ merges with /i/.

However, some ''[[#Tak vs kriyal|kriyal]]'' dialects especially in the south do not have ''leleh''; instead, /ɛ/ merges with /e/ or another phoneme, though the pronunciation of the resultant phoneme is variable. Examples of dialects that lack ''leleh'' include most Southern Seru dialects as well as [[Columbé]]; in the case of Columbé specifically, /ɛ/ is pronounced /e/.

==Grammar==

Bemé does not mark grammatical [[w:Grammatical number|number]], [[w:Grammatical gender|gender]] or [[w:Grammatical case|case]] in most places.

===Pronouns===

====Demonstratives====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! rowspan=2 | !! colspan=2 | Proximal !! colspan=2 | Distal

|-

! det. !! pron. !! det. !! pron.

|-

! Singular

| rowspan=2 | ''dis'' || ''dis'' || rowspan=2 | ''dat'' || ''dat''

|-

! Plural

| ''dis dem'' || ''dat dem''

|}

Demonstratives in Bemé only inflect on number as [[w:Pronoun|pronouns]]; demonstrative [[w:Determiner|determiners]] are not inflected on anything apart from proximity.

====Personal====

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! colspan=2 | !! Singular !! Paucal !! Plural*

|-

! rowspan=2 | 1st

! nominative

| rowspan=2 | ''mi'' || ''wi kri'' || ''wi''

|-

! possessive

| ''wey kri'' || ''wey''

|-

! rowspan=2 | 2nd

! nominative

| rowspan=2 | ''yu'' || rowspan=2 | ''yu kri'' || ''yu dem'', ''yem'', ''tuka'', ''ka''

|-

! possessive

| ''tukeh'', ''keh''

|-

! rowspan=2 | 3rd

! nominative

| rowspan=2 | ''im'', ''em'' || rowspan=2 | ''imim'', ''emem'' || ''dem'', ''ndem'', ''nem''

|-

! possessive

| ''dey'', ''dem'', ''deya'', ''ja''

|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Plural pronouns are written in order from common in ''tak'' to common in ''kriyal''.

''im'', although derived from the gendered English word {{l|en|him}}, is ungendered and can be roughly translated to "he", "she", "it" or singular "they" depending on context. Older speakers may use {{l|beme|shi}} or {{l|beme|shya}}/{{l|beme|shiya}} (all from English {{l|en|she}}) in the same way as ''she'' is used in English, but this word is functionally obsolete in modern Bemé (at best archaic in [[#Patois|patois]]).

"Paucal" pronouns refer to groups of people, as in ''wi kri'' would mean "some of us", ''yu kri'' means "some of you all", etc. Paucal pronouns are thought to have been borrowed from [[Dadaareg]], constructed by a combination of pronoun + ''kri'' (lit. "three"), as is typical for paucal pronouns in Dadaareg(''tanuk'', ''penuk'', ''lolonuk''). The third-person paucal pronoun, ''imim''/''emem'', is thought to have been derived via [[Ketaserang]] reduplication, a feature typical of Ketaserang for forming plural pronouns.

''Tuka'', ''ka'', ''tukeh'' and ''keh'' are all taken from the [[Yabo]] languages, all of which have pronouns along the lines of ''toka'' or ''tokeq''.

====Interrogatives====

Bemé interrogatives are derived from the word ''{{bm|wa}}'' "what", from English {{l|en|what}}.

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! English !! Bemé

|-

! who

| ''wa mang''

|-

! what

| ''wa''

|-

! which

| ''wa dem''

|-

! when

| ''wa wen''

|-

! why

| ''wanyu''

|-

! where

| ''wa deh''

|-

! how

| ''wa dan''

|-

! how much

| ''wa pis''

|}

===Numerals===

Bemé numerals from 0-9 are as follows:

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! Number !! Bemé !! English translation

|-

| 0 || ''siro'' || zero

|-

| 1 || ''wan'' || one

|-

| 2 || ''tu'' || two

|-

| 3 || ''kri'' || three

|-

| 4 || ''pow'' || four

|-

| 5 || ''payeh'' || five

|-

| 6 || ''sis'' || six

|-

| 7 || ''sibeng'' || seven

|-

| 8 || ''eyt'' || eight

|-

| 9 || ''nyen'' || nine

|}

Numbers after 9 tend to deviate from the English norm, with the structure of ''two-digit number'' + ''one-digit number'' instead of the opposite order which gave rise to the English numbers ''thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...'' etc.

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! Number !! Bemé !! English translation

|-

| 10 || ''teng'' || ten

|-

| 11 || ''teng wan'' || eleven

|-

| 12 || ''teng tu'' || twelve

|-

| 13 || ''teng kri'' || thirteen

|-

| 14 || ''teng pow'' || fourteen

|-

| 15 || ''teng payeh'' || fifteen

|-

| 16 || ''teng sis'' || sixteen

|-

| 17 || ''teng sibeng'' || seventeen

|-

| 18 || ''teng eyt'' || eighteen

|-

| 19 || ''teng nyen'' || nineteen

|}

Multiples of ten follow the opposite order; here are a couple for you to get the idea.

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

! Number !! Bemé !! English translation

|-

| 20 || ''tuteng'' || twenty

|-

| 30 || ''kriteng'' || thirty

|-

| 40 || ''powteng'' || forty

|-

| 50 || ''pateng'' || fifty

|}

''Pateng'' "fifty" is a single exception to the rule, and is simply derived from ''{{bm|payeh}}'' + ''{{bm|teng}}''.

===Verbs===

The Bemé verbal paradigm, shown on the regular verb ''{{bm|it}}'' is as follows:

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"

!rowspan=2 | !! colspan=2 | Indicative !! colspan=2 | Continuous !! colspan=2 | Conditional

|-

! intrans. !! trans. !! intrans. !! trans. !! intrans. !! trans.

|-

! Present

| ''it'' || ''itin'' || ''eh it'' || ''eh itin'' || ''la it'' || ''la itin''

|-

! Past

| ''dan it'' || ''dan itin'' || ''eh dan it'' || ''eh dan itin'' || ''la dan it'' || ''la dan itin''

|-

! Future

| ''wan it'' || ''wan itin'' || ''eh wan it'' || ''eh wan itin'' || ''la wan it'' || ''la wan itin''

|}

====Transitivity====

Similarly to [[w:Tok Pisin|Tok Pisin]], verbs are made transitive by the suffix ''-in''. The suffix is only not placed after a transitive verb when the verb is imperative.

====Tense, aspect and mood====

The completive aspect is shown by the lemma ''dampini''(from English ''*done finish''), as in ''im wak '''dampini''''' "he worked", while the continuous aspect is shown with ''eh'' before the verb, as in ''im '''eh''' wak'' "he is working". ''Dampini'' also means "finished, completed" as an adjective, and is one of few postpositional adjectives in Bemé, as in ''ombewak '''dampini''''' "finished homework".

Bemé has two officially marked tenses: past and future, marked by the particles ''dan'' and ''wan'' respectively, as in ''mi dan itin bitel'' "I ate food" vs ''mi wan itin bitel'' "I will eat food".

The [[w:Imperative mood|imperative mood]] is expressed by placing ''eh'' after the verb, which cannot take the [[#Transitivity|transitive suffix]] ''-in'' or a [[#Personal pronouns|personal pronoun]].

====Negation====

Negation on verbs is done by putting ''na'' or ''neh'' before the verb. ''Tak eh Bemeh!'' states that ''na'' should be used for intransitive verbs, while ''neh'' should be used with transitive verbs, a pattern which is typical of most first-language speakers in Cassim Po. However, elsewhere, in ''kriyal'' varieties, ''na'' and ''neh'' are virtually interchangeable.

====Copula====

The Bemé copula is ''bi'', from English ''be'', though this can be turned into an existential verb by placing ''eh'' before the copula. In ''kriyal'' varieties, it is customary to omit the copula in most cases, especially before an adjective. However, the copula is never omitted in ''tak''.

===Polysemants===

''See'' [[:Category:Bemé polysemants]] ''for a full list of polysemants.''

"'''Polysemants'''" (Bemé: ''polisemang'', {{bm-ipa|polisemaŋ}}; not to be confused with ''{{bm|polisimang}}'' "police officer") in Bemé refer to various common lemmas in the Bemé language whose morphological categorisation are vague due to their wide uses and applications; thus, they are broadly categorised as "polysemants", literally meaning "words with various meanings". The most common polysemant by far is ''{{bm|eh}}''. The etymology of most polysemants are unknown; however, one exception is ''{{bm|bela}}'', which comes from [[Ketaserang]] ''beela'' [[Help:IPA|[ˈbɛːlɐ]]] "I agree".

===Word derivation===

Bemé only has specific word derivation rules when deriving a word from an already existing word of a different class; for example, from a verb to a noun. In that case, the prefix ''e-''(possibly derived from English indefinite article ''a'') is added, as in ''shwim'' "to swim" > ''eshwim'' "pool".

==Swadesh==

The following table shows the official [[w:Swadesh list|Swadesh list]] provided by ''Tak eh Bemeh!''.

{{Swadesh

|language={{PAGENAME}}

|nativename=bemeh

|I=mi

|you (singular)=yu

|he=im

|we=wi

|you (plural)=yu dem

|they=dem

|this=dis

|that=dat

|here=ya

|there=deh

|who=wa mang

|what=wa

|where=wa deh

|when=wa wen

|how=wa dan

|not=na

|all=eri

|many=lat

|some=na lat

|few=na lat

|other=ada

|one=wan

|two=tu

|three=kri

|four=pow

|five=payeh

|big=big

|long=long

|wide=weh long

|thick=weh big

|heavy=ebig

|small=na big

|short=na long

|narrow=na weh long

|thin=na weh big

|woman=jal

|man (adult male)=mwoi

|man (human being)=mang

|child=kij

|wife=jal

|husband=mwoi

|mother=ameh

|father=abo

|animal=edag

|fish=chuna

|bird=paret

|dog=dag

|louse=ich-ich

|snake=snyek

|worm=jim

|tree=kri

|forest=kri kri

|stick=kri pis

|fruit=beri

|seed=lil beri

|leaf=lil kri

|root=grown kri

|bark=kri benak

|flower=petal

|grass=grinyeh

|rope=krinyeh

|skin=benak

|meat=plesh

|blood=redred

|bone=bown

|fat=pat

|egg=yalu

|horn=shik

|tail=tel

|feather=paret pis

|hair=er

|head=skal

|ear=iyer

|eye=ogul

|nose=ngos

|mouth=mowt

|tooth=tus

|tongue=tang

|fingernail=ping bown

|foot=leg

|leg=leg

|knee=leg skal

|hand=han

|wing=paret han

|belly=beli

|guts=beli

|neck=nyek

|back=bak

|breast=tit

|heart=harteh

|liver=libeh

|drink=trink

|eat=it

|bite=tus

|suck=mowt

|spit=pit

|vomit=ligo krom

|blow=blow

|breathe=blowblow

|laugh=jok

|see=ogul

|hear=iyer

|know=shtan

|think=tink

|smell=padun

|fear=piyeh

|sleep=slip

|live=lib

|die=na lib

|kill=na libin

|fight=bitap

|hunt=nyap edag

|hit=nyap

|cut=sleys

|split=hapit

|stab=slek

|scratch=krach

|dig=shabil

|swim=shwim

|fly=wing

|walk=wak

|come=wan

|lie=na seh ril ting

|sit=sidown

|stand=stey

|turn=arown

|fall=tamel

|give=gib

|hold=unya

|squeeze=krish

|rub=rob

|wash=wosh

|wipe=wayip

|pull=gobak

|push=gowad

|throw=kro

|tie=tey

|sew=syu

|count=kown

|say=seh

|sing=sang

|play=pleh

|float=stey ni wateh

|flow=mub

|freeze=heys

|swell=bigom

|sun=son

|moon=mun

|star=sta

|water=wateh

|rain=rey

|river=long wateh

|lake=desi

|sea=big desi

|salt=sal

|stone=rak

|sand=san

|dust=dos

|earth=grown

|cloud=kelow

|fog=greh na si ting

|sky=skey

|wind=leyu

|snow=hashij

|ice=heys

|smoke=blak

|fire=paya

|ash=paya pis

|burn=wan paya

|road=rowt

|mountain=montey

|red=red

|green=grin

|yellow=yelu

|white=tebak

|black=grey

|night=nait

|day=dey

|year=biginim

|warm=hot

|cold=kal

|full=brim

|new=nyu

|old=na yong

|good=gud

|bad=na gud

|rotten=na sesh

|dirty=na pokres

|straight=na ben

|round=rown

|sharp=sting

|dull=na sting

|smooth=smus

|wet=ewateh

|dry=neh ewateh

|correct=rayit

|near=nyeh

|far=na nyeh

|right=reyt

|left=na reyt

|at=ni

|in=ni

|with=wit

|and=an

|if=eh

|because=eh kas

|name=neym

}}

==Example texts==

===Historical texts===

====The Lord's Prayer====

This extract is taken from the ''Bemeh Beybl'', verses ''Matru'' 6:9-13, adapted from the [[w:New International Version|New International Version]] by ''{{bm|Abo}}'' Patrick "Pati" Babel.

<poem>

''Wey Abo ni skey, yu neym bi bles.''

''Yu bemeh wan, yu wan bi dan, ni grown bela skey.''

''Gib o wi dis dey wey deydey krom, an solisin wey badsin bela wi solisin dem eh badsinin wi.''

''An na tekin o wi ni temteshan ba tekin o wi eweh badbad.''

''Amen.''

</poem>

For the [[Columbé]] translation by ''{{bm|Papa}}'' James Nisang aMateyungo, see [[Columbé#The Lord's Prayer|Columbé § The Lord's Prayer]].

===''Pulp Fiction''===

''[[w:Pulp Fiction|Pulp Fiction]]'' is an American 1994 independent crime film directed by [[w:Quentin Tarantino|Quentin Tarantino]]. In the Poccasin Archipelago, ''Pulp Fiction'' constitutes a large part of the modern Poccasin cultural zeitgeist; the film is endlessly referenced everywhere, from film, literature, video games, advertisements and even haircuts; the "Binsencha" haircut, popular during the 90s and early 00s in the Poccasin Archipelago, is based on the haircut worn by [[w:Pulp Fiction#Cast|Vincent Vega]] ([[w:John Travolta|John Travolta]]) in the film.

In particular, two sequences in the film are especially popular for homage; the [[Literature:Ezekiel 25:17|Ezekiel 25:17]] monologue, and the "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA_Tl1kvlQU Pigs are filthy animals]" conversation.

====Ezekiel 25:17====

This extract is adapted from the Bemé translated subtitles of the original scene in ''[[w:Pulp Fiction|Pulp Fiction]]''. Due to the importance of the scene in the Poccasin cultural zeitgeist, the extract starts from where the passage most quoted; namely, where Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) asks Brett (Frank Whaley) if he reads [[w:Bible|the Bible]]. This extract is presented in screenplay format.

: Jules: ''Yu ridin Beybl, Brett?''

: Brett: ''Yes!''

: Jules: ''Layeh, eh bi pasej mi dan rimemba. Eh la bela sicheh. Ezikiyel 25:17. Rowt di reychas mang bi eh srown ni eri pilang kas inekriti selepis mang, an tireni eh na gud mang. Im bi bles, eh ni neym danguna an gud mek, eh shepedin na srong kru na ley bali, eh kas im rili im brada kipa mang, an payeh mang eh las kij. An mi wan bitop yu wit big rivenj an ril ebad, dat dem eh krey eh posoin an diskroi mi brada! An yu wan now mi neym bi Lowd, wen mi gibin mi rivenj ni yu!''

===="Pigs are filthy animals"====

"Pigs are filthy animals" (not official name) is a [[wikt:duologue|duologue]] between the characters of Jules Winnfield ([[w:Samuel L. Jackson|Samuel L. Jackson]]) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta), where Jules explains why he [[w:Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork|does not eat pork]].

: Vincent: ''Yu wan pis bekun?''

: Jules: ''Neh mang, mi na itin pok.''

: Vincent: ''Yu bi yudim?''

: Jules: ''Neh mang, mi na yudim, mi jis na digin pok, lalo.''

: Vincent: ''Wa lek neh?''

: Jules: ''Pok bi deti edag. Mi na itin deti edag.''

: Vincent: ''Yeh, ba bekon tes gud. Pok chop tes gud.''

: Jules: ''Eh, syuwa mows la la tes bela pamking kek, ba mi wan neva now eh kas mi na la itin deti ting. Pok itin an stegin ni pyuk. Dat bi deti edag. Mi na itin na ting eh na ab komonsens eh gowadin im eh pyuk.''

: Vincent: ''Wa dan eh dag? Dag itin im eh pyuk.''

: Jules: ''Mi na itin dag nebla.''

: Vincent: ''Yeh, ba yu tink dag bi deti edag la?'' (''Beat''.)

: Jules: ''Mi na la wan inyeh po kalin dag deti edag, ba erili na pokres edag; ba, dag ab peson. Peson wan long weh.''

: Vincent: ''Ah, so kas dat risun, ey pok dan ab gud peson, im grag eh bi deti edag.''

: Jules: ''Eh, wi la mos takin eh wan neys teting pok, yameh, im mos bi teng tey pro neys den dat Arnold ni Green Acres!''

===Seventh Linguifex Relay===

'''''Bemé''' is taking part in the [[Seventh Linguifex Relay]] in seat 10. This section will be filled in once the relay ends.''

==See also==

* [[:Category:Bemé words]]

* [[Caine orthography]]

[[Category:Bemé]] [[Category:Conlangs]] [[Category:Languages]] [[Category:Creole languages]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{construction}}
 {{infobox language
 | name = Bemé
-| nativename = bemeh, bemetak, kriyal
+| nativename = bemeh / bemetak / kriyal
-| altname = Poccasin Creole, Poccasin Pidgin, Poccasinese
+| altname = Poccasin Creole / Poccasin Pidgin / Poccasinese
+| image = File:Poccasin.svg
+| imagesize = 250px
+| imagecaption = Flag of the [[Poccasin Federation]], where Bemé is the official language
 | creator = User:Jukethatbox
 | created = 2025
 | familycolor = Mixed
-| fam1 = Poccasin English
+| fam1 = [[Poccasin English]]
 | state = Poccasin Archipelago
 | script1 = Latn
 | pronunciation = bemɛ
-| ethnicity = Various
+| pronunciation_key =  IPA for Bemé
+| ethnicity = Poccasins
+| setting = ''Adventures in the Poccasins''
 | speakers = 15 million
 | date = 2025
-| official = Poccasin Federation
+| official = [[File:Poccasin.svg|24px]] [[Poccasin Federation]]
-| stand1 = Tak Bemeh
+| stand1 = ''[[#Tak vs kriyal|Bemetak]]''
-| dia1 = Kasimbo Bemeh
+| dia1 = [[Bijun Creole]]
-| dia2 = [[w:Basilect|Basilek]] Bemeh
+| dia2 = [[Columbé]]
-| dia3 = [[w:Acrolect|Agrow]] Bemeh
 | agency = ''Tak eh Bemeh!''
+| notice = ipa
 }}
-'''Bemé''' (/[[Help:IPA|bəˈmeɪ̯]]/ ''buh-MAY''; ''bemeh'', pronounced [[Help:IPA|[bemɛ]]]), also called '''Poccasin Creole''', '''Poccasin Pidgin''' and '''Poccasinese''', is an [[w:English-based creole languages|English creole]] and [[w:Pidgin|pidgin language]] spoken in the Poccasin Archipelago. It is widely spoken as a first language in Cassim Po and is by far the predominantly spoken language in many other urban areas in the Poccasins, but elsewhere in the archipelago it only holds pidgin language status, exclusively used to communicate between people of separate ethnicites; as such, it is not used at home in most of these areas.
+'''Bemé''' (/[[Help:IPA|bəˈmeɪ̯]]/ ''buh-MAY''; ''bemeh'', <small>pronounced</small> [[IPA for Bemé|[bemɛ]]]), also called '''Poccasin Creole''', '''Poccasin Pidgin''' and '''Poccasinese''', is an [[w:English-based creole languages|English creole]] and [[w:Pidgin|pidgin language]] spoken in the Poccasin Archipelago. It is widely spoken as a first language in Cassim Po and is by far the predominantly spoken language in many other urban areas in the Poccasins, though elsewhere in the archipelago it only holds pidgin language status, exclusively used to communicate between people of separate ethnicites; as such, it is not used at home in most of these areas.
-Despite this varying status, Bemé is by far the most spoken language of the Poccasin Archipelago with around 15 million speakers as of 2025; native speakers with Bemé as their mother tongue, primarily inhabiting Cassim Po, number around 14,565. This high amount of speakers can be mostly attributed to two factors: extensive [[w:United Kingdom|British]] and later [[w:United States of America|American]] colonisation, as well as widespread teaching of the language. Bemé is an official language and designated [[w:Lingua franca|lingua franca]] of the Poccasin Federation, ensuring its continuous widespread usage after independence.
+Despite this varying status, Bemé is by far the most spoken language of the Poccasin Archipelago with around 15 million speakers as of 2025; native speakers with Bemé as their mother tongue, primarily inhabiting Cassim Po, number around 14,565. This high amount of speakers can be mostly attributed to two factors: extensive [[w:United Kingdom|British]] and later [[w:United States of America|American]] colonisation, as well as widespread teaching of the language. Bemé is an official language and designated [[w:Lingua franca|lingua franca]] of the [[Poccasin Federation]], ensuring its continuous widespread usage after independence.
+This article describes the variety of Bemé that is spoken in the Poccasin Federation; other major varieties/dialects of Bemé include [[Bijun Creole]](native to the Bijuns of Bijou Island) and [[Columbé]](of the people of Saint Columban).
 ==Etymology==
+The name ''Bemé'' is derived from the [[Kabao]] phrase ''beme po kasin'', literally meaning "nation of the red mountain", it is also the origin of the English [[w:Exonym|exonym]] ''Poccasin'' and ''Poccasinese''.
+===''Beme'' vs ''Bemé''===
+The words ''Beme'' and ''Bemé'', both derived from Kabao ''beme'', genitive of ''bema'' "nation", mean two distinct things in English. ''Beme'', (/[[IPA for Bemé|ˈbɛmeɪ̯]]/ or /[[IPA for Bemé|ˈbɛmiː]]/, ''BEH-may'' or ''BEH-mee'') without the accent, is the widely used [[w:Endonym|endonym]] of citizens of the Poccasin Federation; in the Poccasins specifically, ''bemeh'' in this context is mostly used to refer to the Poccasin federative government, akin to referring to the British government as simply "Westminster".
+In contrast, ''Bemé'', (/[[Help:IPA|bəˈmeɪ̯]]/ ''buh-MAY'') with an accent, is exclusively used in English to refer to the Bemé language. However, in Bemé itself, both ''bemeh'' "nation" and ''bemeh'' "Bemé" are homophones and homonyms, and their differing meanings is only discerned by context, such as:
+: ''Yu '''bemeh''' wan, yu wan bi dan, ni grown bela skey.''
+:: "Thy '''kingdom''' come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
+versus
+: ''Takin '''bemeh''' gud la?''
+:: "Do you speak '''Bemé''' well?"
+However, in recent years, some internet users have, through [[w:Hypercorrection|hypercorrection]], started orthographically distinguishing the two meanings by capitalising ''bemeh'' "Bemé" as ''Bemeh'' or in some cases ''BEMEH'', as is common in many indigenous languages of the Poccasins. However, this is generally considered non-standard.
+===''Kriyal''===
+''[[Contionary:kriyal|Kriyal]]'' ([[IPA for Bemé|[kɹ̥ijal]]], [[IPA for Bemé|[tɹ̥ijal]]] or [[IPA for Bemé|[tʃɹ̥ijal]]]) is a less commonly used term, and is derived from the English word {{l|en|creole}}. Although originally referring to the entire language in the same manner as ''Bemé''/''Bemeh'', nowadays it is mostly used to refer to [[w:Basilect|basilectal]] varieties of the language, though older speakers may still refer to the language as a whole as ''kriyal''.
+The word ''kriyal''(sometimes spelt ''kriyel'' in [[Columbé|Columban]]) is also used by [[Columbé]] and [[Bijun Creole]] speakers to refer to their own varieties of Bemé.
+==''Tak'' vs ''kriyal''==
+Bemé incorporates a [[w:Post-creole continuum|creole continuum]], but unlike other creole continua such as that of [[w:Jamaican Patois|Jamaican Patois]], Bemé speakers do not consider the continuum to have '''mesolectal''' levels, instead only distinguishing between acrolectal ''tak'' and basilectal ''kriyal''. ''Tak'' is often described as the official government Bemé, used on street signs, government buildings and in most Bemé literature, while ''kriyal'' is often described as the vernacular forms of Bemé spoken outside of the contexts of ''Tak''. For example, the vernacular Bemé of young people can be considered ''kriyal''; but the use of Bemé by older, illiterate speakers may also be considered ''kriyal''.
+However, a key difference between older and younger speakers is the presence of [[w:Situational code-switching|code-switching]]; younger speakers are much more likely to be adept at code-switching between ''tak'' and ''kriyal'' depending on context, as opposed to older, traditionally less educated speakers who can't code-switch and as such whose speech may be permanently considered ''kriyal''. This factor has been considered one of many causes of [[w:Ageism|ageism]] in the Poccasin workforce, where older job applicants who exclusively speak in what is considered ''kriyal'' may be discriminated against compared to younger job applicants who are capable of speaking in more formal ''tak''.
+===Patois===
+'''Bemé patois''', (Bemé: ''patwa'', ''patwa tak'') or simply '''patois''', is a register of Bemé used in poetry. It features a more lenient word order, as well as the ability to "degrade" words into fewer syllables for the sake of poetic clarity or [[w:Rhyme|rhyme]]. Additionally, nominative pronouns ending in vowels may "merge" into the following verb or particle if the verb starts with a vowel or the particle is ''{{bm|eh}}'', so ''mi ogul'' {{bm-ipa|mi ogul}} "I see, I look at" becomes ''m'ogul'' {{bm-ipa|mogul}}, or ''mi eh wosh'' "I am washing" {{bm-ipa|mi ɛ woʃ}} becomes ''m'eh wosh'' {{bm-ipa|mɛ woʃ}}.
 ==Orthography==
+Most Bemé speakers use the [[Caine orthography]], invented by Charlie F. Caine, the first American ambassador to the Poccasin Federation. Caine allegedly invented the orthography while on a particularly long plane ride to Cassim Po, basing the phoneme-grapheme correspondence on the phonology of urban Cassim Po Bemé, of which he was most accustomed to. As such, Caine's orthography has sometimes been criticised for contributing to urbocentrism in the Poccasin Federation.
+However, the Caine orthography has also conversely been praised for contributing to the standardisation of the Bemé language. Its lack of diacritics also proved beneficial in the early days of the [[w:Information Age|Information Age]], as the entire standard Bemé language could be displayed using only [[w:ASCII|ASCII]], at a time where many languages such as [[w:Chinese language|Chinese]] or [[w:Japanese language|Japanese]] could not be effectively represented on computers before the introduction of [[w:Unicode|Unicode]] in 1988.
+{|
+|-
+| valign="top" |
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! colspan=4 | Consonants
+|-
+! Bemé orthography !! IPA !! Examples !! English approximation
+|-
+| b || [[w:Voiced bilabial plosive|b]] || [[Contionary:bemeh#Bemé|'''b'''emeh]] || '''b'''ow
+|-
+| ch || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar affricate|tʃ]] || [[Contionary:chena#Bemé|'''ch'''ena]] || '''Ch'''ina
+|-
+| d || [[w:Voiced alveolar plosive|d]] || [[Contionary:dan#Bemé|'''d'''an]] || '''d'''one
+|-
+| g || [[w:Voiced velar plosive|g]] || [[Contionary:gud#Bemé|'''g'''ud]] || '''g'''ood
+|-
+| gr || gɹ~dʒɹ || [[Contionary:grinyeh#Bemé|'''gr'''inyeh]] || '''gr'''ill or '''dr'''ink
+|-
+| rowspan=2 | h || [[w:Voiceless glottal fricative|h]] || (initial) [[Contionary:hampo#Bemé|'''h'''ampo]] || '''h'''am
+|-
+| [[w:Glottal stop|ʔ]] || (medial) ji'''h'''ad || uh'''-'''oh
+|-
+| j || [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|dʒ]] || [[Contionary:jamis#Bemé|'''j'''amis]] || '''j'''eans
+|-
+| k || [[w:Voiceless velar plosive|k]] || [[Contionary:kaneh|'''k'''aneh]] || '''k'''ing
+|-
+| kr || tɹ̥~kɹ̥~tʃɹ̥ || [[Contionary:kriyal|'''kr'''iyal]] || '''kr'''ill or '''tr'''ee
+|-
+| l || [[w:Voiced alveolar lateral approximant|l]] || [[Contionary:kolo#Bemé|ko'''l'''o]] || '''l'''id
+|-
+| m || [[w:Voiced bilabial nasal|m]] || [[Contionary:ameh#Bemé|a'''m'''eh]] || '''m'''other
+|-
+| n || [[w:Voiced alveolar nasal|n]] || [[Contionary:dampini#Bemé|dampi'''n'''i]] || '''n'''ice
+|-
+| ng || [[w:Voiced velar nasal|ŋ]] || [[Contionary:kring#Bemé|kri'''ng''']] || swimmi'''ng'''
+|-
+| ny || [[w:Voiced palatal nasal|ɲ]] || [[Contionary:snyek|s'''ny'''ek]] || ca'''ny'''on
+|-
+| p || [[w:Voiceless bilabial plosive|p]] || [[Contionary:dampini#Bemé|dam'''p'''ini]] || s'''p'''in
+|-
+| r || [[w:Voiced alveolar approximant|ɹ]] || [[Contionary:ridem|'''r'''idem]] || '''rh'''ythm
+|-
+| s || [[w:Voiceless alveolar sibilant|s]] ||  [[Contionary:sebis|'''s'''ebi'''s''']] || '''s'''ervi'''c'''e
+|-
+| sh || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar sibilant|ʃ]] ||  [[Contionary:shik|'''sh'''ik]] || '''sh'''ine
+|-
+| t || [[w:Voiceless alveolar plosive|t]] || [[Contionary:titrink|'''t'''itrink]] || '''t'''ea
+|-
+| w || [[w:Voiced labial-velar approximant|w]] || [[Contionary:wan#Bemé|'''w'''an]] || '''w'''ant
+|-
+| y || [[w:Voiced palatal approximant|j]] || [[Contionary:yu#Bemé|'''y'''u]] || '''y'''ou
+|}
+| valign="top" |
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! colspan=4 | Vowels
+|-
+! Bemé orthography !! IPA !! Examples !! English approximation
+|-
+| a || [[w:Open central unrounded vowel|a]] || [[Contionary:jamis#Bemé|j'''a'''mis]] || tr'''a'''p
+|-
+| e || [[w:Close-mid front unrounded vowel|e]] || [[Contionary:bemeh#Bemé|b'''e'''meh]] || m'''a'''y
+|-
+| eh || [[w:Open-mid front unrounded vowel|ɛ]] || [[Contionary:bemeh#Bemé|bem'''eh''']] || b'''e'''d
+|-
+| i || [[w:Close front unrounded vowel|i]] || [[Contionary:bi#Bemé|b'''i''']] || '''ea'''t
+|-
+| o || [[w:Close-mid back rounded vowel|o]] || [[Contionary:kolo#Bemé|k'''o'''l'''o''']] || y'''aw'''n
+|-
+| u || [[w:Near-close near-back rounded vowel|u]] || [[Contionary:yu#Bemé|y'''u''']] || h'''oo'''k
+|}
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! colspan=4 | Diphthongs
+|-
+! Bemé orthography !! IPA !! Examples !! English approximation
+|-
+| ey || ei̯ || [[Contionary:skey#Bemé|sk'''ey''']] || m'''ay'''
+|-
+| oi || oi̯ || [[Contionary:woiwoi|w'''oi'''w'''oi''']] || j'''oy'''
+|-
+| ow || ou̯ || [[Contionary:grown#Bemé|gr'''ow'''n]] || b'''ow'''
+|}
+|}
+The distinction between /kr tr tʃr/, as well as between /gr dʒr/, has been historically neutralised, leading to a varying pronunciation:
+* ⟨kr⟩ may be heard as /tɹ̥ kɹ̥ tʃɹ̥/;
+* In the most [[w:Basilect|basilectal]](''Kriyal'') varieties, the stop may be simply [[w:Aspirated consonant|strongly aspirated]], leaving /tʰː kʰː tʃʰː/;
+* The realisation may be aspirated [[w:Retroflex consonant|retroflex]] /ʈʰ/, and similarly [[w:Voiceless retroflex affricate|affricated]] to /ʈʂ ʈʂʰ/.
+The pronunciation of ⟨gr⟩ is less variable; there still exists a distinction between /gr~dʒr/ and /dr/, though /dr/ is extremely rare and only exists in certain words, such as '''''gr'''ag'' "stop (v.)" and '''''dr'''ag'' "drag queen".
 ==Phonology==
 ===Consonants===
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! colspan=2 | !! Bilabial !! Alveolar !! Alveolo-palatal !! Velar !! Glottal
+|-
+! rowspan=2 | Stop/<br>Affricate
+! voiceless
+| [[w:Voiceless bilabial stop|p]] || [[w:Voiceless alveolar stop|t]] || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar affricate|tʃ]] || [[w:Voiceless velar stop|k]] || ([[w:Glottal stop|ʔ]])
+|-
+! voiced
+| [[w:Voiced bilabial stop|b]] || [[w:Voiced alveolar stop|d]] || [[w:Voiced postalveolar affricate|dʒ]] || [[w:Voiced velar stop|g]] ||
+|-
+! colspan=2 | Nasal
+| [[w:Voiced bilabial nasal|m]] || [[w:Voiced alveolar nasal|n]] || [[w:Voiced palatal nasal|ɲ]] || [[w:Voiced velar nasal|ŋ]] ||
+|-
+! colspan=2 | Fricative
+| || [[w:Voiceless alveolar sibilant|s]] || [[w:Voiceless postalveolar sibilant|ʃ]] || || [[w:Voiceless glottal fricative|h]]
+|-
+! rowspan=2 | Approximant
+! semivowel
+| [[w:Voiced labial-velar approximant|w]] || [[w:Voiced alveolar approximant|ɹ]] || [[w:Voiced palatal approximant|j]] || ||
+|-
+! lateral
+| || [[w:Voiced alveolar lateral approximant|l]] || || ||
+|}
+/t d/ both become /t̚/ ([[w:No audible release|no audible release]]) in word-final coda positions, so ''{{bm|dat|da'''t'''}}'' is pronounced {{bm-ipa|dat̚}} while ''{{bm|data|da'''t'''a}}'' is pronounced with audible release as {{bm-ipa|data}}. This allophonic variation without audible release has also been described as [[w:Dental consonant|dentalised]]; thus, words like ''{{bm|dat}}'' have also been transcribed as {{bm-ipa|dat̪̚}}.
+Unlike in English, /ŋ/ can appear in onset positions, such as in '''''ng'''os'' "nose". The palatal nasal /ɲ/ usually occurs when differentiating between words that would be homophones in standard English, e.g. ''nap'' vs ''[[wikt:knap#Verb|knap]]'', which in Bemé became '''''n'''ap'' "rest (v.)" and '''''ny'''ap'' "punch (v.)".
+[[w:Syllabic consonant|Syllabic]] /l̩/ appears in a few words, such as ''Beyb'''l''''' [[IPA for Bemé|[bei̯bl̩]]] "Bible" and ''teyb'''l''''' [[IPA for Bemé|[tei̯bl̩]]] "table".
+/ɲ/ is the only consonant that cannot appear in a coda position; typically, this is circumvented by adding /ɛ/ or /a/ postpositionally, so ''{{bm|grin}}'' becomes ''{{bm|grinyeh}}''.
+====Nasal assimilation====
+"'''Nasal assimilation'''" in Bemé refers to a [[w:Sandhi|sandhi]] process where the [[w:Voiced alveolar nasal|alveolar nasal]] /n/ (corresponding with the graphemes ⟨Nn⟩) is shifted to a different nasal before certain [[w:Obstruent consonants|obstruents]]. This process varies among Bemé dialects; the differences between major dialects are shown in the following table.
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | !! colspan=14 | Obstruents
+|-
+! /p/ !! /b/ !! /t/ !! /d/ !! /tʃ/ !! /dʒ/ !! /k/ !! /g/ !! /s/ !! /ʃ/ !! /h/
+|-
+! rowspan=3 | Nasal
+! Bemé
+| colspan=2 rowspan=3 | /m/ || colspan=4 rowspan=2 | /n/ || colspan=2 rowspan=3 | /ŋ/ || colspan=2 | /n/ || rowspan=2 | /m/
+|-
+! Bijun
+| rowspan=2 | /n/ || rowspan=2 | /ɲ/
+|-
+! Columbé
+| colspan=2 | /n/ || colspan=2 | /ɲ/ || -
+|}
+The placement of /n/ before /h/ only occurs in one word: ''{{bm|Anhara}}'', a girl's name of Sasubi origin ([[Sasubi]]: انخارا); the /n/ is pronounced as a [[w:Voiced bilabial nasal|bilabial nasal]] [m] in standard Bemé and [[Bijun]] but not pronounced whatsoever in [[Columbé]], instead giving /ahaɾa/ or /aːhaɾa/(the first /a/ may be lengthened to compensate for a lack of a /n/). In the original [[Sasubi]], the name is pronounced [[Help:IPA|[ɐŋxɐˈra]]].
 ===Vowels===
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! colspan=2 | !! Front !! Back
+|-
+! colspan=2 | Close
+| [[w:Close front unrounded vowel|i]] || [[w:Near-close near-back rounded vowel|u]]
+|-
+! rowspan=2 | Mid
+! Close-mid
+| [[w:Close-mid front unrounded vowel|e]] || rowspan=2 | [[w:Close-mid back rounded vowel|o]]
+|-
+! Open-mid
+| ([[w:Open-mid front unrounded vowel|ɛ]])
+|-
+! colspan=2 | Open
+| colspan=2 | [[w:Open central unrounded vowel|a]]
+|}
+There are only three diphthongs in Bemé: /ei̯ oi̯ ou̯/, written ⟨ey, oi, ow⟩ respectively. However, although these diphthongs may roughly match with similar English diphthongs /eɪ̯ oɪ̯ oʊ̯/, these diphthongs rarely match; diphthongs in general are rare in Bemé, but even with words derived from English words with diphthongs, the diphthongs are often replaced with monophthongs, e.g. ''sh'''e'''k'' [[IPA for Bemé|[ʃek]]], compared to English sh'''a'''ke /[[w:Help:IPA/English|ˈʃeɪ̯k]]/. In ''kriyal'' varieties diphthongs may be entirely replaced by monophthongs, so words like ''sk'''ey''''' [[IPA for Bemé|[skei̯]]] become [[IPA for Bemé|[skɛ]]].
+====''Leleh''====
+'''''Leleh''''' or '''''lelé''''' (<small>with ''leleh'':</small> [[IPA for Bemé|[lelɛ]]]; <small>without:</small> [[IPA for Bemé|[lele]]]) is a Bemé word describing the distinction between /e/ and /ɛ/ in a Bemé dialect. ''Leleh'' is present in ''Bemetak'', as well as in all Cassim Po dialects; it is also present in [[Bijun Creole]], though the distinction occurs instead between /i/ and /ɛ/ as /e/ merges with /i/.
+However, some ''[[#Tak vs kriyal|kriyal]]'' dialects especially in the south do not have ''leleh''; instead, /ɛ/ merges with /e/ or another phoneme, though the pronunciation of the resultant phoneme is variable. Examples of dialects that lack ''leleh'' include most Southern Seru dialects as well as [[Columbé]]; in the case of Columbé specifically, /ɛ/ is pronounced /e/.
+==Grammar==
+Bemé does not mark grammatical [[w:Grammatical number|number]], [[w:Grammatical gender|gender]] or [[w:Grammatical case|case]] in most places.
+===Pronouns===
+====Demonstratives====
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! rowspan=2 | !! colspan=2 | Proximal !! colspan=2 | Distal
+|-
+! det. !! pron. !! det. !! pron.
+|-
+! Singular
+| rowspan=2 | ''dis'' || ''dis'' || rowspan=2 | ''dat'' || ''dat''
+|-
+! Plural
+| ''dis dem'' || ''dat dem''
+|}
+Demonstratives in Bemé only inflect on number as [[w:Pronoun|pronouns]]; demonstrative [[w:Determiner|determiners]] are not inflected on anything apart from proximity.
+====Personal====
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! colspan=2 | !! Singular !! Paucal !! Plural*
+|-
+! rowspan=2 | 1st
+! nominative
+| rowspan=2 | ''mi'' || ''wi kri'' || ''wi''
+|-
+! possessive
+| ''wey kri'' || ''wey''
+|-
+! rowspan=2 | 2nd
+! nominative
+| rowspan=2 | ''yu'' || rowspan=2 | ''yu kri'' || ''yu dem'', ''yem'', ''tuka'', ''ka''
+|-
+! possessive
+| ''tukeh'', ''keh''
+|-
+! rowspan=2 | 3rd
+! nominative
+| rowspan=2 | ''im'', ''em'' || rowspan=2 | ''imim'', ''emem'' || ''dem'', ''ndem'', ''nem''
+|-
+! possessive
+| ''dey'', ''dem'', ''deya'', ''ja''
+|}
+<nowiki>*</nowiki>Plural pronouns are written in order from common in ''tak'' to common in ''kriyal''.
+''im'', although derived from the gendered English word {{l|en|him}}, is ungendered and can be roughly translated to "he", "she", "it" or singular "they" depending on context. Older speakers may use {{l|beme|shi}} or {{l|beme|shya}}/{{l|beme|shiya}} (all from English {{l|en|she}}) in the same way as ''she'' is used in English, but this word is functionally obsolete in modern Bemé (at best archaic in [[#Patois|patois]]).
+"Paucal" pronouns refer to groups of people, as in ''wi kri'' would mean "some of us", ''yu kri'' means "some of you all", etc. Paucal pronouns are thought to have been borrowed from [[Dadaareg]], constructed by a combination of pronoun + ''kri'' (lit. "three"), as is typical for paucal pronouns in Dadaareg(''tanuk'', ''penuk'', ''lolonuk''). The third-person paucal pronoun, ''imim''/''emem'', is thought to have been derived via [[Ketaserang]] reduplication, a feature typical of Ketaserang for forming plural pronouns.
+''Tuka'', ''ka'', ''tukeh'' and ''keh'' are all taken from the [[Yabo]] languages, all of which have pronouns along the lines of ''toka'' or ''tokeq''.
+====Interrogatives====
+Bemé interrogatives are derived from the word ''{{bm|wa}}'' "what", from English {{l|en|what}}.
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! English !! Bemé
+|-
+! who
+| ''wa mang''
+|-
+! what
+| ''wa''
+|-
+! which
+| ''wa dem''
+|-
+! when
+| ''wa wen''
+|-
+! why
+| ''wanyu''
+|-
+! where
+| ''wa deh''
+|-
+! how
+| ''wa dan''
+|-
+! how much
+| ''wa pis''
+|}
+===Numerals===
+Bemé numerals from 0-9 are as follows:
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! Number !! Bemé !! English translation
+|-
+| 0 || ''siro'' || zero
+|-
+| 1 || ''wan'' || one
+|-
+| 2 || ''tu'' || two
+|-
+| 3 || ''kri'' || three
+|-
+| 4 || ''pow'' || four
+|-
+| 5 || ''payeh'' || five
+|-
+| 6 || ''sis'' || six
+|-
+| 7 || ''sibeng'' || seven
+|-
+| 8 || ''eyt'' || eight
+|-
+| 9 || ''nyen'' || nine
+|}
+Numbers after 9 tend to deviate from the English norm, with the structure of ''two-digit number'' + ''one-digit number'' instead of the opposite order which gave rise to the English numbers ''thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...'' etc.
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! Number !! Bemé !! English translation
+|-
+| 10 || ''teng'' || ten
+|-
+| 11 || ''teng wan'' || eleven
+|-
+| 12 || ''teng tu'' || twelve
+|-
+| 13 || ''teng kri'' || thirteen
+|-
+| 14 || ''teng pow'' || fourteen
+|-
+| 15 || ''teng payeh'' || fifteen
+|-
+| 16 || ''teng sis'' || sixteen
+|-
+| 17 || ''teng sibeng'' || seventeen
+|-
+| 18 || ''teng eyt'' || eighteen
+|-
+| 19 || ''teng nyen'' || nineteen
+|}
+Multiples of ten follow the opposite order; here are a couple for you to get the idea.
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+! Number !! Bemé !! English translation
+|-
+| 20 || ''tuteng'' || twenty
+|-
+| 30 || ''kriteng'' || thirty
+|-
+| 40 || ''powteng'' || forty
+|-
+| 50 || ''pateng'' || fifty
+|}
+''Pateng'' "fifty" is a single exception to the rule, and is simply derived from ''{{bm|payeh}}'' + ''{{bm|teng}}''.
+===Verbs===
+The Bemé verbal paradigm, shown on the regular verb ''{{bm|it}}'' is as follows:
+{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
+!rowspan=2 | !! colspan=2 | Indicative !! colspan=2 | Continuous !! colspan=2 | Conditional
+|-
+! intrans. !! trans. !! intrans. !! trans. !! intrans. !! trans.
+|-
+! Present
+| ''it'' || ''itin'' || ''eh it'' || ''eh itin'' || ''la it'' || ''la itin''
+|-
+! Past
+| ''dan it'' || ''dan itin'' || ''eh dan it'' || ''eh dan itin'' || ''la dan it'' || ''la dan itin''
+|-
+! Future
+| ''wan it'' || ''wan itin'' || ''eh wan it'' || ''eh wan itin'' || ''la wan it'' || ''la wan itin''
+|}
+====Transitivity====
+Similarly to [[w:Tok Pisin|Tok Pisin]], verbs are made transitive by the suffix ''-in''. The suffix is only not placed after a transitive verb when the verb is imperative.
+====Tense, aspect and mood====
+The completive aspect is shown by the lemma ''dampini''(from English ''*done finish''), as in ''im wak '''dampini''''' "he worked", while the continuous aspect is shown with ''eh'' before the verb, as in ''im '''eh''' wak'' "he is working". ''Dampini'' also means "finished, completed" as an adjective, and is one of few postpositional adjectives in Bemé, as in ''ombewak '''dampini''''' "finished homework".
+Bemé has two officially marked tenses: past and future, marked by the particles ''dan'' and ''wan'' respectively, as in ''mi dan itin bitel'' "I ate food" vs ''mi wan itin bitel'' "I will eat food".
+The [[w:Imperative mood|imperative mood]] is expressed by placing ''eh'' after the verb, which cannot take the [[#Transitivity|transitive suffix]] ''-in'' or a [[#Personal pronouns|personal pronoun]].
+====Negation====
+Negation on verbs is done by putting ''na'' or ''neh'' before the verb. ''Tak eh Bemeh!'' states that ''na'' should be used for intransitive verbs, while ''neh'' should be used with transitive verbs, a pattern which is typical of most first-language speakers in Cassim Po. However, elsewhere, in ''kriyal'' varieties, ''na'' and ''neh'' are virtually interchangeable.
+====Copula====
+The Bemé copula is ''bi'', from English ''be'', though this can be turned into an existential verb by placing ''eh'' before the copula. In ''kriyal'' varieties, it is customary to omit the copula in most cases, especially before an adjective. However, the copula is never omitted in ''tak''.
+===Polysemants===
+<small>''See'' [[:Category:Bemé polysemants]] ''for a full list of polysemants.''</small><br>
+"'''Polysemants'''" (Bemé: ''polisemang'', {{bm-ipa|polisemaŋ}}; not to be confused with ''{{bm|polisimang}}'' "police officer") in Bemé refer to various common lemmas in the Bemé language whose morphological categorisation are vague due to their wide uses and applications; thus, they are broadly categorised as "polysemants", literally meaning "words with various meanings". The most common polysemant by far is ''{{bm|eh}}''. The etymology of most polysemants are unknown; however, one exception is ''{{bm|bela}}'', which comes from [[Ketaserang]] ''beela'' [[Help:IPA|[ˈbɛːlɐ]]] "I agree".
+===Word derivation===
+Bemé only has specific word derivation rules when deriving a word from an already existing word of a different class; for example, from a verb to a noun. In that case, the prefix ''e-''(possibly derived from English indefinite article ''a'') is added, as in ''shwim'' "to swim" > ''eshwim'' "pool".
+==Swadesh==
+The following table shows the official [[w:Swadesh list|Swadesh list]] provided by ''Tak eh Bemeh!''.
+{{Swadesh
+|language={{PAGENAME}}
+|nativename=bemeh
+|I=mi
+|you (singular)=yu
+|he=im
+|we=wi
+|you (plural)=yu dem
+|they=dem
+|this=dis
+|that=dat
+|here=ya
+|there=deh
+|who=wa mang
+|what=wa
+|where=wa deh
+|when=wa wen
+|how=wa dan
+|not=na
+|all=eri
+|many=lat
+|some=na lat
+|few=na lat
+|other=ada
+|one=wan
+|two=tu
+|three=kri
+|four=pow
+|five=payeh
+|big=big
+|long=long
+|wide=weh long
+|thick=weh big
+|heavy=ebig
+|small=na big
+|short=na long
+|narrow=na weh long
+|thin=na weh big
+|woman=jal
+|man (adult male)=mwoi
+|man (human being)=mang
+|child=kij
+|wife=jal
+|husband=mwoi
+|mother=ameh
+|father=abo
+|animal=edag
+|fish=chuna
+|bird=paret
+|dog=dag
+|louse=ich-ich
+|snake=snyek
+|worm=jim
+|tree=kri
+|forest=kri kri
+|stick=kri pis
+|fruit=beri
+|seed=lil beri
+|leaf=lil kri
+|root=grown kri
+|bark=kri benak
+|flower=petal
+|grass=grinyeh
+|rope=krinyeh
+|skin=benak
+|meat=plesh
+|blood=redred
+|bone=bown
+|fat=pat
+|egg=yalu
+|horn=shik
+|tail=tel
+|feather=paret pis
+|hair=er
+|head=skal
+|ear=iyer
+|eye=ogul
+|nose=ngos
+|mouth=mowt
+|tooth=tus
+|tongue=tang
+|fingernail=ping bown
+|foot=leg
+|leg=leg
+|knee=leg skal
+|hand=han
+|wing=paret han
+|belly=beli
+|guts=beli
+|neck=nyek
+|back=bak
+|breast=tit
+|heart=harteh
+|liver=libeh
+|drink=trink
+|eat=it
+|bite=tus
+|suck=mowt
+|spit=pit
+|vomit=ligo krom
+|blow=blow
+|breathe=blowblow
+|laugh=jok
+|see=ogul
+|hear=iyer
+|know=shtan
+|think=tink
+|smell=padun
+|fear=piyeh
+|sleep=slip
+|live=lib
+|die=na lib
+|kill=na libin
+|fight=bitap
+|hunt=nyap edag
+|hit=nyap
+|cut=sleys
+|split=hapit
+|stab=slek
+|scratch=krach
+|dig=shabil
+|swim=shwim
+|fly=wing
+|walk=wak
+|come=wan
+|lie=na seh ril ting
+|sit=sidown
+|stand=stey
+|turn=arown
+|fall=tamel
+|give=gib
+|hold=unya
+|squeeze=krish
+|rub=rob
+|wash=wosh
+|wipe=wayip
+|pull=gobak
+|push=gowad
+|throw=kro
+|tie=tey
+|sew=syu
+|count=kown
+|say=seh
+|sing=sang
+|play=pleh
+|float=stey ni wateh
+|flow=mub
+|freeze=heys
+|swell=bigom
+|sun=son
+|moon=mun
+|star=sta
+|water=wateh
+|rain=rey
+|river=long wateh
+|lake=desi
+|sea=big desi
+|salt=sal
+|stone=rak
+|sand=san
+|dust=dos
+|earth=grown
+|cloud=kelow
+|fog=greh na si ting
+|sky=skey
+|wind=leyu
+|snow=hashij
+|ice=heys
+|smoke=blak
+|fire=paya
+|ash=paya pis
+|burn=wan paya
+|road=rowt
+|mountain=montey
+|red=red
+|green=grin
+|yellow=yelu
+|white=tebak
+|black=grey
+|night=nait
+|day=dey
+|year=biginim
+|warm=hot
+|cold=kal
+|full=brim
+|new=nyu
+|old=na yong
+|good=gud
+|bad=na gud
+|rotten=na sesh
+|dirty=na pokres
+|straight=na ben
+|round=rown
+|sharp=sting
+|dull=na sting
+|smooth=smus
+|wet=ewateh
+|dry=neh ewateh
+|correct=rayit
+|near=nyeh
+|far=na nyeh
+|right=reyt
+|left=na reyt
+|at=ni
+|in=ni
+|with=wit
+|and=an
+|if=eh
+|because=eh kas
+|name=neym
+}}
+==Example texts==
+===Historical texts===
+====The Lord's Prayer====
+This extract is taken from the ''Bemeh Beybl'', verses ''Matru'' 6:9-13, adapted from the [[w:New International Version|New International Version]] by ''{{bm|Abo}}'' Patrick "Pati" Babel.
+<poem>
+''Wey Abo ni skey, yu neym bi bles.''
+''Yu bemeh wan, yu wan bi dan, ni grown bela skey.''
+''Gib o wi dis dey wey deydey krom, an solisin wey badsin bela wi solisin dem eh badsinin wi.''
+''An na tekin o wi ni temteshan ba tekin o wi eweh badbad.''
+''Amen.''
+</poem>
+For the [[Columbé]] translation by ''{{bm|Papa}}'' James Nisang aMateyungo, see [[Columbé#The Lord's Prayer|Columbé § The Lord's Prayer]].
+===''Pulp Fiction''===
+''[[w:Pulp Fiction|Pulp Fiction]]'' is an American 1994 independent crime film directed by [[w:Quentin Tarantino|Quentin Tarantino]]. In the Poccasin Archipelago, ''Pulp Fiction'' constitutes a large part of the modern Poccasin cultural zeitgeist; the film is endlessly referenced everywhere, from film, literature, video games, advertisements and even haircuts; the "Binsencha" haircut, popular during the 90s and early 00s in the Poccasin Archipelago, is based on the haircut worn by [[w:Pulp Fiction#Cast|Vincent Vega]] ([[w:John Travolta|John Travolta]]) in the film.
+In particular, two sequences in the film are especially popular for homage; the [[Literature:Ezekiel 25:17|Ezekiel 25:17]] monologue, and the "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA_Tl1kvlQU Pigs are filthy animals]" conversation.
+====Ezekiel 25:17====
+This extract is adapted from the Bemé translated subtitles of the original scene in ''[[w:Pulp Fiction|Pulp Fiction]]''. Due to the importance of the scene in the Poccasin cultural zeitgeist, the extract starts from where the passage most quoted; namely, where Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) asks Brett (Frank Whaley) if he reads [[w:Bible|the Bible]]. This extract is presented in screenplay format.
+: Jules: ''Yu ridin Beybl, Brett?''
+: Brett: ''Yes!''
+: Jules: ''Layeh, eh bi pasej mi dan rimemba. Eh la bela sicheh. Ezikiyel 25:17. Rowt di reychas mang bi eh srown ni eri pilang kas inekriti selepis mang, an tireni eh na gud mang.<br>Im bi bles, eh ni neym danguna an gud mek, eh shepedin na srong kru na ley bali, eh kas im rili im brada kipa mang, an payeh mang eh las kij. An mi wan bitop yu wit big rivenj an ril ebad, dat dem eh krey eh posoin an diskroi mi brada! An yu wan now mi neym bi Lowd, wen mi gibin mi rivenj ni yu!''
+===="Pigs are filthy animals"====
+"Pigs are filthy animals" (not official name) is a [[wikt:duologue|duologue]] between the characters of Jules Winnfield ([[w:Samuel L. Jackson|Samuel L. Jackson]]) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta), where Jules explains why he [[w:Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork|does not eat pork]].
+: Vincent: ''Yu wan pis bekun?''
+: Jules: ''Neh mang, mi na itin pok.''
+: Vincent: ''Yu bi yudim?''
+: Jules: ''Neh mang, mi na yudim, mi jis na digin pok, lalo.''
+: Vincent: ''Wa lek neh?''
+: Jules: ''Pok bi deti edag. Mi na itin deti edag.''
+: Vincent: ''Yeh, ba bekon tes gud. Pok chop tes gud.''
+: Jules: ''Eh, syuwa mows la la tes bela pamking kek, ba mi wan neva now eh kas mi na la itin deti ting. Pok itin an stegin ni pyuk. Dat bi deti edag. Mi na itin na ting eh na ab komonsens eh gowadin im eh pyuk.''
+: Vincent: ''Wa dan eh dag? Dag itin im eh pyuk.''
+: Jules: ''Mi na itin dag nebla.''
+: Vincent: ''Yeh, ba yu tink dag bi deti edag la?''<br>(''Beat''.)
+: Jules: ''Mi na la wan inyeh po kalin dag deti edag, ba erili na pokres edag; ba, dag ab peson. Peson wan long weh.''
+: Vincent: ''Ah, so kas dat risun, ey pok dan ab gud peson, im grag eh bi deti edag.''
+: Jules: ''Eh, wi la mos takin eh wan neys teting pok, yameh, im mos bi teng tey pro neys den dat Arnold ni Green Acres!''
+===Seventh Linguifex Relay===
+<small>'''''Bemé''' is taking part in the [[Seventh Linguifex Relay]] in seat 10. This section will be filled in once the relay ends.''</small><br>
+==See also==
+* [[:Category:Bemé words]]
+* [[Caine orthography]]
 [[Category:Bemé]] [[Category:Conlangs]] [[Category:Languages]] [[Category:Creole languages]]