Alternate Names: Jamden, Jamdena, Tanemprar lirin
Dialects: North Yamdena (Nus Das), South Yamdena (Nus Bab). A chain of related varieties from north to south with 90% lexical similarity between extremes, but with morphological and phonological differences. Southern dialect thought more prestigious. Lexical similarity: 90% among the north and south dialects, 47% with Fordata ,.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 25,000 (1991 SIL), decreasing. Ethnic population: 35,000 (1991 SIL).
Language Use: Vigorous except for some northern villages. Strong users mostly over 30 years old. All domains, very limited use in religion. Also use Ambonese Malay [abs], Indonesian [ind].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 2%–5%. Literacy rate in L2: 80%. Taught in primary schools, as a subject. Taught in secondary schools, as a subject. Poetry. Dictionary. Bible portions.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Indonesia
Other Comments: Christian (Roman Catholic), Christian (Protestant).