{"id":97,"date":"2023-06-27T13:37:51","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T13:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/owlplus.eu\/south-saami\/?post_type=chapter&p=97"},"modified":"2023-06-30T14:56:09","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T14:56:09","slug":"get-to-know-the-south-saami-language","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/owlplus.eu\/south-saami\/se-no\/chapter\/get-to-know-the-south-saami-language\/","title":{"raw":"Get to know the South Saami language","rendered":"Get to know the South Saami language"},"content":{"raw":"

Written South Saami<\/h1>\r\nTake a look at the text in South Saami below. What strikes you at the first glance?\r\n
Gosse<\/span> nyjsen\u00e6jja<\/span> galka<\/span> tjaangedh<\/span> g\u00e5atan<\/span>, <\/span>dellie<\/span> ij<\/span> edtjh<\/span> saaht-laakan<\/span> vaedtsedh<\/span>, men <\/span>vaarjoem<\/span> tj\u00e5anghkan<\/span> tjy<\/span>nghkerdidh<\/span>, <\/span>j\u00efh<\/span> ij<\/span> edtjh<\/span> silledh<\/span> mubpiej<\/span> juelkiej<\/span> bijjelen<\/span>, men <\/span>mubpiej<\/span> genhtsemi<\/span> vaedtsedh<\/span>, <\/span>maadteren<\/span> baaktoe<\/span> (Bergsland, 1987:89).<\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\n[English translation: When a woman enters the turf hut, she cannot walk in whatever fashion, rather she should gather her clothes together and not stride over the legs of others, walking behind the others, along the walls.] <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/blockquote>\r\nSouth Saami was officially codified as a written language in 1978. In contrast to North Saami that has developed an alphabet of its own with diacritical signs, South Saami is written with the same letters as Norwegian and Swedish. However, as South Saami has a wider variety of sounds, South Saami often combines letters to signify distinct sounds. The South Saami alphabet is this:\r\n
A, <\/span>aa<\/span>, <\/span>ae<\/span>, b, de, e, <\/span>ea<\/span>, <\/span>ee<\/span>, f, <\/span>gh<\/span>,<\/span> i, <\/span>ie<\/span>, \u00ef,<\/span> \u00efe<\/span> j,<\/span> k <\/span>l,m<\/span>,<\/span> n, <\/span>nj<\/span>,<\/span> ng<\/span>,<\/span> o,<\/span> oe<\/span>, p, r,<\/span> s,<\/span> sj<\/span>, t,<\/span> tj<\/span>,<\/span> ts<\/span>, u, <\/span>ua<\/span>, <\/span>ue<\/span>, v,<\/span> y,<\/span> y\u00f6<\/span>, \u00e6,<\/span> \u00f6,<\/span> \u00f6\u00f6<\/span>, \u00e5, \u00e5a,<\/span> \u00e5e<\/span>, <\/span>\u00e5\u00e5<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/blockquote>\r\n

What does South Saami sound like?<\/h1>\r\nLet's take a listen to the same text read out loud. Push play and listen:\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"10\"]\r\n
Gosse<\/span> nyjsen\u00e6jja<\/span> galka<\/span> tjaangedh<\/span> g\u00e5atan<\/span>, <\/span>dellie<\/span> ij<\/span> edtjh<\/span> saaht-laakan<\/span> vaedtsedh<\/span>, men <\/span>vaarjoem<\/span> tj\u00e5anghkan<\/span> tjy<\/span>nghkerdidh<\/span>, <\/span>j\u00efh<\/span> ij<\/span> edtjh<\/span> silledh<\/span> mubpiej<\/span> juelkiej<\/span> bijjelen<\/span>, men <\/span>mubpiej<\/span> genhtsemi<\/span> vaedtsedh<\/span>, <\/span>maadteren<\/span> baaktoe<\/span> (Bergsland, 1987:89).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/blockquote>\r\n \r\n

The <\/span>language<\/span> and <\/span>the<\/span> way<\/span> of<\/span> life<\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/h1>\r\n
\r\n\r\nDid you know that there are more than 100 different words in South Saami\u00a0 that describes snow?\r\n\r\nWeather conditions and the snow have been decisive for the survival of the reindeer and for working with the herds. In order to herd the reindeer well, one needs deep knowledge of nature. The needs of the reindeer for water, food, rest, movement etc are dependant of the snow. The snow also decides the herder's possibilities for watching, tracking and moving the herd.\r\n\r\nHere are some examples of the precision of the language on snow:\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Fleavmoe<\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nnew snow (loose and dry)\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Faskoes<\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nloose and light snow (lots of it)\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
G\u00e5avre lopme<\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nvery loose snow<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Saervies lopme<\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nloose snow in spring\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Govne lopme<\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\ngood pasture, the snow is dry as ash<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

SOV word order<\/h1>\r\nA characteristic trait of South Saami is SOV<\/strong> word order, that is that the subject, object and verb usually appear in that order. North Saami on the other hand, is a SVO<\/strong> language.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Manne <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\ng\u00e6rja<\/span><\/span>m<\/span><\/span> <\/em><\/td>\r\nlohkeme<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
I<\/td>\r\na book<\/td>\r\nhave read<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Manne <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\naajjan<\/span> <\/em><\/td>\r\nmiesieh<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nm\u00eferhkesjim<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
I<\/td>\r\ngrandfather's<\/td>\r\ncalves<\/td>\r\nI tagged<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nThe rule is not absolute. Adverbials in particular may appear after the verb. The pattern may be broken if one wishes to stress something.\r\n

Verbs<\/h1>\r\nVerbs play a very important role in South Saami. The language is rich in verbs, and they are inflected to give specific information about the action (tense, aspect, mood and voice).\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Piere<\/span> <\/em><\/td>\r\nburvhiem<\/span> <\/em><\/td>\r\ntj\u00f6\u00f6nghkelg\u00f6\u00f6ti<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Peter <\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nmoss<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nhe started to pick<\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Manne<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\ntjoeverem<\/span> <\/em><\/td>\r\nguelide<\/span> <\/em><\/td>\r\ntj\u00f6\u00f6lestidh<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
I<\/td>\r\nhave to<\/td>\r\nthe fish<\/td>\r\ngut rather quickly<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Tj\u00f6\u00f6ngkelh<\/span><\/td>\r\ndejtie<\/span><\/td>\r\ndov <\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\ntj\u00e5enide<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Gather up quickly<\/td>\r\nthose<\/td>\r\nyours<\/td>\r\nthings<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nThe verbs themselves are very rich in information, and in other languages one often has to apply several words to descripe the action with the same accuracy:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Heajadovvedh<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nto stray away from the mother (about a reindeer calf)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Restiedidh<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nto lead a reindeer herd across a river\/mountain pass<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Murkehtidh<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\nto intentionally letting someting get destroyed<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nThe verbs agrees with person, numbers, and tense, for instance:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • 1st, 2nd and 3rd person<\/li>\r\n \t
  • singular, dual, and plural<\/li>\r\n \t
  • present and past tense<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAn example: inflecting the verb vaedtsedh<\/em> (to go)\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
    Present tense<\/strong><\/td>\r\nPast tense<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Manne\u00a0<\/span>vaadtsam<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(I go<\/span>)<\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsim<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Datne<\/span>\u00a0vaadtsah<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(you go)<\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsih<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    D\u00efhte<\/span>\u00a0veedtsi<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(he\/she goes<\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsi<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    M\u00e5nnoeh<\/span>\u00a0vaedtsien<\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0(the two of us go<\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsimen<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    D\u00e5tnoeh<\/span>\u00a0vaedtseden<\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0(the two of you go<\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsiden<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Dah<\/span>\u00a0guaktah<\/span>\u00a0vaedtsiej\u00e6gan<\/span><\/span><\/em>\u00a0(the two of them go<\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsigan<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Mijjieh<\/span>\u00a0vaedtsebe<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(we go)<\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsimh<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Dijjieh<\/span>\u00a0vaedtsede<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(you all go)<\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsidh<\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
    Dah<\/span>\u00a0vaedtsieh<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>(they all go<\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/td>\r\nveedtsin<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

    Challenge: try to find the right verb form<\/h1>\r\n[h5p id=\"16\"]\r\n\r\n ","rendered":"

    Written South Saami<\/h1>\n

    Take a look at the text in South Saami below. What strikes you at the first glance?<\/p>\n

    Gosse<\/span> nyjsen\u00e6jja<\/span> galka<\/span> tjaangedh<\/span> g\u00e5atan<\/span>, <\/span>dellie<\/span> ij<\/span> edtjh<\/span> saaht-laakan<\/span> vaedtsedh<\/span>, men <\/span>vaarjoem<\/span> tj\u00e5anghkan<\/span> tjy<\/span>nghkerdidh<\/span>, <\/span>j\u00efh<\/span> ij<\/span> edtjh<\/span> silledh<\/span> mubpiej<\/span> juelkiej<\/span> bijjelen<\/span>, men <\/span>mubpiej<\/span> genhtsemi<\/span> vaedtsedh<\/span>, <\/span>maadteren<\/span> baaktoe<\/span> (Bergsland, 1987:89).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    [English translation: When a woman enters the turf hut, she cannot walk in whatever fashion, rather she should gather her clothes together and not stride over the legs of others, walking behind the others, along the walls.] <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    South Saami was officially codified as a written language in 1978. In contrast to North Saami that has developed an alphabet of its own with diacritical signs, South Saami is written with the same letters as Norwegian and Swedish. However, as South Saami has a wider variety of sounds, South Saami often combines letters to signify distinct sounds. The South Saami alphabet is this:<\/p>\n

    A, <\/span>aa<\/span>, <\/span>ae<\/span>, b, de, e, <\/span>ea<\/span>, <\/span>ee<\/span>, f, <\/span>gh<\/span>,<\/span> i, <\/span>ie<\/span>, \u00ef,<\/span> \u00efe<\/span> j,<\/span> k <\/span>l,m<\/span>,<\/span> n, <\/span>nj<\/span>,<\/span> ng<\/span>,<\/span> o,<\/span> oe<\/span>, p, r,<\/span> s,<\/span> sj<\/span>, t,<\/span> tj<\/span>,<\/span> ts<\/span>, u, <\/span>ua<\/span>, <\/span>ue<\/span>, v,<\/span> y,<\/span> y\u00f6<\/span>, \u00e6,<\/span> \u00f6,<\/span> \u00f6\u00f6<\/span>, \u00e5, \u00e5a,<\/span> \u00e5e<\/span>, <\/span>\u00e5\u00e5<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    What does South Saami sound like?<\/h1>\n

    Let’s take a listen to the same text read out loud. Push play and listen:<\/p>\n

    \n