Editing Votic language (section)

== History ==
Votic is one of numerous Finnic varieties known from Ingria. Votic shares some similarities with and has acquired loanwords from the adjacent [[Ingrian language]], but also has deep-reaching similarities with [[Estonian language|Estonian]] to the west, which is considered its closest relative. Some linguists, including Tiit-Rein Viitso and Paul Alvre,<ref>Viitso, Tiit-Rein: Finnic Affinity. Congressus Nonus Internationalis Fenno-Ugristarum I: Orationes plenariae & Orationes publicae. (Tartu 2000)</ref> have claimed that Votic evolved specifically from northeastern dialects of ancient Estonian.<ref>Paul Ariste: Eesti rahva etnilisest ajaloost. Läänemere keelte kujunemine ja vanem arenemisjärk. Artikkeli kokoelma. Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus, 1956</ref> Votic regardless exhibits several features that indicate its distinction from Estonian (both innovations such as the palatalisation of velar consonants and a more developed system of cases, and retentions such as vowel harmony). According to Estonian linguist Paul Ariste,{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} Votic was distinct from other Finnic languages, such as Finnish and Estonian, as early as the 6th century AD and has evolved independently ever since.

[[Isogloss]]es setting Votic apart from the other Finnic languages include:
* Loss of initial *h
* Palatalization of *k to {{IPA|/tʃ/}} before front vowels. This was a relatively late innovation, not found in Kreevin Votic or [[Kukkuzi dialect|Kukkuzi Votic]].
* Lenition of the clusters *ps, *ks to {{IPA|/hs/}}
* Lenition of the cluster *st to geminate {{IPA|/sː/}}

Features shared with Estonian and the other southern Finnic languages include:
* Loss of word-final *n
* Shortening of vowels before *h
* Introduction of {{IPA|/ɤ/}} from backing of *e before a back vowel
* Development of *o to {{IPA|/ɤ/}} in certain words (particularly frequent in Votic)
* Loss of {{IPA|/h/}} after a sonorant (clusters *lh *nh *rh)

[[File:Votic language map.png|thumb|300px|A map of Votic and neighbouring Ingrian-Finnish and Izhorian villages 1848–2007]]

In the 19th century, Votic was already declining in favour of [[Russian language|Russian]] (there were around 1,000&nbsp;speakers of the language by the start of [[World War I]]). After the Bolshevik Revolution, under Lenin, Votic had a brief revival period, with the language being taught at local schools and the first-ever grammar of Votic (Jõgõperä/[[Krakolye]] dialect) being published. But after [[Joseph Stalin]] came into power, the language began to decline. [[World War II]] had a devastating effect on the Votic language, with the number of speakers considerably decreased as a result of military offensives, deliberate destruction of villages by [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] troops, forced migration to the [[Klooga concentration camp]] in Estonia and to Finland under the Nazi government, and the Stalinist policy of "dispersion" immediately after the war against the families whose members had been sent to Finland under the Nazi government. Since then, the Vots have largely concealed their Votic identity, pretending to be [[Russians]] in the predominantly Russian environment. But they continued to use the language at home and when talking to family members and relatives. After the death of Stalin, the Vots were no longer mistreated and many of those who had been sent away returned to their villages. But the language had considerably declined and the number of bilingual speakers increased. Because Votic was stigmatised as a language of "uneducated villagers", Votic speakers avoided using it in public and Votic children were discouraged from using it even at home because, in the opinion of some local school teachers, it prevented them from learning to speak and write in Russian properly. Thus, in the second half of the 20th century there emerged a generation of young ethnic Vots whose first language was Russian and who understood Votic but were unable to speak it.