Veps language

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Veps language
Spoken in: Russia 
Region: Veps Autonomous Rural district, Republic of Karelia; Vologda Oblast
Total speakers: 6,355 (1989 census [1])
Language family: Uralic
 Finno-Ugric
  Finno-permic
   Baltic-Finnic
    Veps language
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: fiu
ISO 639-3: vep

The Veps language (also known as Vepsian), spoken by the Vepsians (also known as Veps), belongs to the Baltic-Finnic group of the Finno-Ugric languages.

According to Soviet statistics, 12 500 people were self-designated ethnic Veps at the end of 1989.

According to the location of the people, the language is divided into three main dialects: Northern Veps (at Lake Onega to the south of Petrozavodsk, to the north of river Syväri, including the former Veps Autonomous Rural district), Central Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region and Vologda Oblast), and Southern Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region). The Northern dialect seems the most distinct of the three; however, it is still possible for speakers of one dialect group to understand those of another. Speakers of the Northern dialect call themselves “Ludi” (lüdikad), or lüdilaižed.

Contents

[edit] Grammar

Veps is an agglutinating language.

[edit] Nouns

Case Singular Plural
Nominative nado (sister-in-law) nadod
Genitive nadon nadoid'en or nadoiden
Accusative nadon, nado (in some cases) nadod
Partitive nadod nadoid
Translative nadoks nadoikš
Abessive nadota nadoita
Comitative nadonke nadoidenke
Inessive nados nadoiš
Elative nadospäi nadoišpäi
Illative nadoho nadoihe
Adessive nadol nadoil
Ablative nadolpäi nadoilpäi
Allative nadole nadoile
Essive-Instructive nadon nadoin
Prolative nadodme nadoidme
Approximative I nadonno nadoidenno
Approximative II nadonnoks nadoidennoks
Egressive nadonnopäi nadoidennopäi
Terminative I mechasai 'till the forest' mecoihesai 'till the forests'
Terminative II nadolesai nadoilesai
Terminative III noressai 'from young days'
Aditive I mechapäi 'in the direction of the forest' mecoihepäi 'in the direction of the forests'
Aditive II nadolepäi nadoilepäi

[edit] Personal pronouns

The personal pronouns are of Finno-Ugric origin:

Veps English
minä I
sinä you
hän he/she/it
we
you (plural)
they

[edit] Numbers

Number Veps
1 üks'
2 kaks'
3 koume
4 nell'
5 viž
6 kuz'
7 seičeme
8 kahesa
9 ühesa
10 kümne
11 üks'toštkümne
12 kaks'toštkümne
20 kaks'kümne
34 koumekümne nell'
100 sada
1000 tuha

[edit] External links