Udmurt language

Template:Short description {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main otherUdmurt (Template:IPAc-en; Cyrillic: Удмурт) is a Permic language spoken by the Udmurt people who are native to Udmurtia. As a Uralic language, it is distantly related to languages such as Finnish, Estonian, Mansi, Khanty, and Hungarian. The Udmurt language is co-official with Russian within Udmurtia.

It is written using the Cyrillic alphabet with the addition of five characters not used in the Russian alphabet: Ӝ/ӝ, Ӟ/ӟ, Ӥ/ӥ, Ӧ/ӧ, and Ӵ/ӵ. Together with the Komi and Permyak languages, it constitutes the Permic grouping of the Uralic family. The Udmurt language shares similar agglutinative structures with its closest relative, the Komi language.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Among outsiders, it has traditionally been referred to by its Russian exonym, Votyak. Udmurt has borrowed vocabulary from neighboring languages, mainly from Tatar and Russian.

In 2010, per the Russian census, there were around 324,000 speakers of the language in the country, out of the ethnic population of roughly 554,000.<ref name="Endangered Languages">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ethnologue estimated that there were 550,000 native speakers (77%) out of an ethnic population of 750,000 in the former Russian SFSR (1989 census),<ref>Ethnologue code=UDM Template:Webarchive</ref> a decline of roughly 41% in 21 years.

Dialects

Udmurt varieties can be grouped into three broad dialect groups:

• Northern Udmurt, spoken along the Cheptsa River
• Southern Udmurt
• Besermyan, spoken by the strongly Turkified Besermyans

A continuum of intermediate dialects between Northern and Southern Udmurt is found, and literary Udmurt includes features from both areas. Besermyan is more sharply distinguished.Template:Cn

The differences between the dialects are not major and mainly involve differences in vocabulary, largely attributable to the stronger influence of Tatar in the southern end of the Udmurt-speaking area. A few differences in morphology and phonology still exist as well; for example:

• Southern Udmurt has an accusative ending -ыз {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, contrasting with northern -ты {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
• Southwestern Udmurt distinguishes an eighth vowel phoneme {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
• Besermyan has {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in place of standard Udmurt {{#invoke:IPA|main}} (thus distinguishing only six vowel phonemes), and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in place of standard Udmurt {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.

Phonology

Unlike other Uralic languages such as Finnish and Hungarian, Udmurt does not distinguish between long and short vowels and does not have vowel harmony.

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar
Nasal		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Plosive	voiceless	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
	voiced	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Affricate	voiceless		(Template:IPA link)	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
	voiced		(Template:IPA link)	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Fricative	voiceless	(Template:IPA link)	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	(Template:IPA link)
	voiced	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Approximant					Template:IPA link
Lateral			Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link
Trill			Template:IPA link

The consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are restricted to loanwords, and are traditionally replaced by {{#invoke:IPA|main}} respectively. As in Hungarian, Udmurt exhibits regressive voicing and devoicing assimilations (the last element determines the assimilation), but with some exceptions (mostly to distinguish minimal pairs by voicing).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Vowels

		Front	Central	Back
		Unrounded		Round
Close		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Mid		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Open		Template:IPA link

Orthography

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

Udmurt is written using a modified version of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet:

Cyrillic	Latin	IPA	Letter name	Notes
А а	A a	Template:IPAblink	а
Б б	B b	Template:IPAblink	бэ
В в	V v	Template:IPAblink	вэ
Г г	G g	Template:IPAblink	гэ
Д д	D d Ď ď	Template:IPAblink Template:IPA link~ɟ] before е, ё, и, ю, я, ь	дэ
Е е	JE je E e	main}} Template:IPAblink after coronals д, т, з, с, л, н	е
Ё ё	JO jo O o	main}} Template:IPAblink after д, т, з, с, л, н	ё
Ж ж	Ž ž	Template:IPAblink	жэ
Ӝ ӝ	DŽ dž	Template:IPAblink	ӝэ	Д + Ж
З з	Z z Ź ź	Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink before е, ё, и, ю, я, ь	зэ
Ӟ ӟ	DŹ dź	Template:IPAblink	ӟе	Дь + Зь
И и	I i	Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink after д, т, з, с, л, н	и
Ӥ ӥ	I i	Template:IPAblink when preceded by д, т, з, с, л, н	точкаен и, точкаосын и ("dotted i")	Like Komi і. Non-palatalizing form of и.
Й й	J j	Template:IPAblink	вакчи и ("short i")
К к	K k	Template:IPAblink	ка
Л л	Ł ł L l	Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink before е, ё, и, ю, я, ь	эл
М м	M m	Template:IPAblink	эм
Н н	N n Ň ň	Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink before е, ё, и, ю, я, ь	эн
О о	O o	Template:IPAblink	о
Ӧ ӧ	Õ õ	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink	ӧ
П п	P p	Template:IPAblink	пэ
Р р	R r	Template:IPAblink	эр
С с	S s Ś ś	Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink before е, ё, и, ю, я, ь	эс
Т т	T t Ť ť	Template:IPAblink Template:IPA link~c] before е, ё, и, ю, я, ь	тэ
У у	U u	Template:IPAblink	у
Ф ф	F f	Template:IPAblink	эф	In loanwords.
Х х	H h	Template:IPAblink	ха	In loanwords.
Ц ц	C c	Template:IPAblink	цэ	In loanwords.
Ч ч	Ć ć	Template:IPAblink	чэ	Ть + Сь
Ӵ ӵ	Č č	Template:IPAblink	ӵэ	Т + Ш
Ш ш	Š š	Template:IPAblink	ша
Щ щ	ŠČ šč	Template:IPAblink	ща	In loanwords.
Ъ ъ	–	–	чурыт пус ("hard sign")	Distinguishes palatalized consonants (Template:IPAslink Template:IPAslink Template:IPAslink Template:IPAslink Template:IPAslink Template:IPAslink) from unpalatalized consonants followed by /j/ if followed by vowel; for example, Template:IPAslink and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are written зё (źo) and зъё (zjo), respectively.
Ы ы	Y y	Template:IPAblink~Template:IPAblink	ы
Ь ь	–	Template:IPAblink	небыт пус ("soft sign")
Э э	E e	Template:IPAblink	э
Ю ю	JU ju	main}} Template:IPAblink after д, т, з, с, л, н	ю
Я я	JA ja	main}} Template:IPAblink after д, т, з, с, л, н	я

Grammar

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Udmurt is an agglutinating language. It uses affixes to express possession, to specify mode, time, and so on.

No gender distinction is made in nouns or personal pronouns.

Cases

Udmurt has fifteen cases: eight grammatical cases and seven locative cases.

There is no congruency between adjectives and nouns in neutral Udmurt noun phrases; in other words, there is no adjective declension as in the inessive noun phrase {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("in a big village"; cf. Finnish inessive phrase {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, in which {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "large" is inflected according to the head noun).

Udmurt cases

Case	Suffix	Example	Translation
Grammatical
nominative	–	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	village
genitive	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	of a village / village's
accusative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	village (as an object)
ablative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	from a village
dative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	to a village
instrumental	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	by means of a village
abessive	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	without a village
adverbial	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	in a village way
Locative cases*
inessive	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	in a village
illative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	into a village (or house)
elative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	from a village
egressive	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	starting from a village
terminative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	end up at a village
prolative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	along a village
allative	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	towards a village

*Of all the locative cases, personal pronouns can only inflect in the allative (also called approximative).

Plural

There are two types of nominal plurals in Udmurt. One is the plural for nouns -{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and the other is the plural for adjectives -{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}/-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

Nominal plural

The noun is always in plural. In attributive plural phrases, the adjective is not required to be in the plural:

Attributive plural

Udmurt	Transliteration	English
lang}}	ćeber(eś) nyljos	(the) beautiful girls

The plural marker always comes before other endings (i.e. cases and possessive suffixes) in the morphological structure of plural nominal.

Morphological order

Udmurt	Transliteration	English
lang}}	nyljosly	to the girls
lang}}	gurtjosazy	to/in their villages

Predicative plural

As in Hungarian and Mordvinic languages, if the subject is plural, the adjective is always plural when it functions as the sentence's predicative:

Attributive plural

Udmurt	Transliteration	English
lang}}	nyljos ćebereś	the girls are beautiful
lang}}	toljos kuźeś	the winters are long

Udmurt pronouns are inflected much in the same way that their referent nouns are. However, personal pronouns are only inflected in the grammatical cases and cannot be inflected in the locative cases.

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

Udmurt personal pronouns are used to refer to human beings only. However, the third person singular can be referred to as it. The nominative case of personal pronouns are listed in the following table:

Personal pronouns

	singular	plural
1st person	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
2nd person	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
3rd person	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}

More details:

• There are self-intensifier forms: ачим '[I] myself', ачид '[you] yourself', ачиз '[he/she/it] himself', асьмеос '[we] ourselves', асьтэос '[you] yourself', асьсэос '[they] yourself'.<ref name=asm>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• The 1st person plural has two forms according to clusivity: асьмеос is "inclusive we" and "ми" is "exclusive we". The younger speakers seem to favor always using "ми" (probably under the influence of Russian 'my' for "we"), so that for older generation the verse from a popular song "Ойдо, нылаш ми тонэн пумиськом!" sounds strange: its intended meaning is "Hey girl, let us meet!", while in the traditional thinking it reads "Hey girl, let we all meet with you!" The expected proper phrase would be: "Ойдо, нылаш асьмеос пумиськом!" and 'ми тонэн' is a calque from the Russian phrase 'my s toboi' meaning "me and you", but the word-by-word translation is "we with you".<ref name=asm/>

Interrogative pronouns

Udmurt interrogative pronouns inflect in all cases. However, the inanimate interrogative pronouns 'what' in the locative cases have the base form {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}-. The nominative case of interrogative pronouns are listed in the following table:

Interrogative pronouns (nominative case)

Udmurt	English
Singular
lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	what
lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	who
Plural
lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	what
lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}	who

Verbs

Udmurt verbs are divided into two conjugation groups, both having the infinitive marker {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

There are three verbal moods in Udmurt: indicative, conditional and imperative. There is also an optative mood used in certain dialects. The indicative mood has four tenses: present, future, and two past tenses. In addition there are four past tense structures which include auxiliary verbs. Verbs are negated by use of an auxiliary negative verb that conjugates with personal endings.

The basic verbal personal markers in Udmurt are (with some exceptions):

Personal endings of verbs

Person	Ending
Singular
1st	-Ø
2nd	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
3rd	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
Plural
1st	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
2nd	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
3rd	-{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

lang}} (conjugation I)

Person	Udmurt	Transliteration	English
Singular
1st	lang}}*	todiśko*	I know
2nd	lang}}*	todiśkod*	you know
3rd	lang}}	tode	he/she knows
Plural
1st	lang}}	todiśkomy	we know
2nd	lang}}	todiśkody	you know
3rd	lang}}	todo	they know

*The present tense in Udmurt in all but the third person, is marked with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

Syntax

Udmurt is an SOV language.

Lexicon

Depending on the style, about 10 to 30 percent of the Udmurt lexicon consists of loanwords. Many loanwords are from the Tatar language, which has also strongly influenced Udmurt phonology and syntax.

File:Otiskom.jpg

lang}}").

The Udmurt language, along with the Tatar language, influenced the language of the Udmurt Jews, in the dialects of which the words of Finno-Ugric and Turkic origin there were recorded.<ref name="snioo.ru">Altyntsev A.V., "The Concept of Love in Ashkenazim of Udmurtia and Tatarstan", Nauka Udmurtii. 2013. № 4 (66), pp. 131–132. (Алтынцев А.В., "Чувство любви в понимании евреев-ашкенази Удмуртии и Татарстана". Наука Удмуртии. 2013. №4. С. 131–132: Комментарии.) Template:In lang</ref><ref name="Goldberg-Altyntsev A.V. 2015">Goldberg-Altyntsev A.V., "A short ethnographic overview of the Ashkenazic Jews' group in Alnashsky District of Udmurt Republic". Template:Webarchive Die Sammlung der wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten der jungen jüdischen Wissenschaftler. Herausgegeben von Artur Katz, Yumi Matsuda und Alexander Grinberg. München, Dachau, 2015. S. 51. Template:Deadlink</ref><ref name="files.literjewsudmurtia.webnode.ru">Гольдберг-Алтынцев А.В., "Краткий этнографический обзор группы ашкеназских евреев в Алнашском районе Удмуртской Республики / пер. с англ. яз. А.Й. Каца." Template:Webarchive Jewish studies in the Udmurt Republic: Online. Part 1. Edited by A. Greenberg. February 27, 2015 published. P. 3. Template:In lang</ref><ref name="literjewsudmurtia.webnode.ru">Goldberg-Altyntsev A.V., "Some characteristics of the Jews in Alnashsky District of Udmurt Republic." The youth. The creativity. The science. Edited by V. Cox, A. Katz and A. Greenberg. Trenton, 2014, p. 28. (גאלדבערג-אלטינצעוו א.ו., ". איניגע באזונדערהייטן פון די יידן אין אלנאשסקער רייאן פון ודמורטישע רעפובליק" The youth. The creativity. The science. = Die Jugend. Die Kreativität. Die Wissenschaft. = נוער. יצירתיות. מדע Edited by V. Cox, A. Katz and A. Greenberg. Trenton, 2014. P. 28.) Template:In lang</ref>

Media

File:Multilingual tag Petrova street.jpg

Bus and trolleybus stop tag on Russian and Udmurt languages in Izhevsk

Eurovision runners-up Buranovskiye Babushki, a pop group composed of Udmurt grandmothers, sing mostly in Udmurt.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The romantic comedy film Berry-Strawberry, a joint Polish-Udmurt production, is in the Udmurt language.

In 2013, the film company "Inwis kinopottonni" produced a film in the Udmurt language called Puzkar ("nest").<ref>"Пузкар (удмурт кино)".</ref>

The Bible was first completely translated into Udmurt in 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bibliography

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External links

• Template:Commons category inline

• Udmurtology: Udmurt Language, History and CultureTemplate:In lang
• Literature
• The First Udmurt Forum Template:WebarchiveTemplate:In lang
• Udmurt State University (has Udmurt Language Program for English speakers)
• Udmurt language, alphabet and pronunciation
• Vladimir Napolskikh. Review of Eberhard Winkler, Udmurt, München 2001 (Languages of the World. Materials 212)
• Udmurt – Finnish/Komi Zyrian dictionary Template:Webarchive (robust finite-state, open-source)
• Learning Udmurt words
• BGN/PCGN romanization tool for Udmurt