7.1.1 Language boundaries and dialect situation
At the outset of the survey, the following research question was asked: What is the existing language situation as regards the geographical boundaries of the Emem speech varieties, the internal dialect
situation of the Emem language community, and the level of similarity between Emem and the neighboring languages?
The data show that Emem is spoken in five villages in Web Subdistrict: Yuruf, Umuaf, Yambraf Satu, Yambraf Dua, and Semografi. Since the lexical similarity among these villages ranges from 62–84, it
can be tentatively concluded that there are two Emem dialects. However the people themselves reported that all five villages speak exactly the same language.
All of the neighboring languages are completely different languages as their lexical similarity with Emem ranges from 2–6. The exception is Zorop, which has 24–27 lexical similarity with Emem and
so can be considered to have some linguistic similarity with Emem.
7.1.2 Language vitality
Before the survey, the following research questions were also asked: What is the situation of Emem language vitality, specifically the patterns of language use of the language community, the patterns of
language use among the younger generation, and how well is Emem being maintained? Vernacular language use is still strong among the adults in most of the domains. For the younger
generation, Indonesian use is stronger than vernacular use; in particular, Indonesian is widely used among the young people in the village of Yuruf. The young people, however, also use the vernacular.
There do not seem to be any severe threats to the maintenance of Emem as long as the children continue to become fluent Emem speakers. Overall, the vitality of Emem in Web Subdistrict should be considered
as still strong.
7.1.3 Language attitudes
The third research question asked at the outset of the survey is the following: What are the attitudes of the Emem speakers toward the oral and written modalities of their language, as well as toward the
potential development of their language? In general, Emem speakers show positive attitudes toward their spoken language. The people in the
villages are open towards outsiders who learn to speak Emem, and they feel Emem is the best for clear communication.
The Emem people have positive attitudes toward literacy and translation programs in the vernacular, and they also seem to be ready to participate in such programs. In addition, the fact they are
interested in literacy in both Indonesian and the vernacular for themselves and their children shows they desire to keep their own language.
7.2 Recommendations for language development
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