Editing Consonant gradation (section)

===Votic===
[[Votic language|Votic]] has two quantities for consonants and vowels, which basically match up with the Finnish counterparts.  The Votic phoneme inventory includes a set of fully voiced stops, which [[Paul Ariste]] (''A Grammar of the Votic Language'') describes as being the same as in Russian.  Thus, in addition to quantitative alternations between {{IPA|/pː tː kː/}} and {{IPA|/p t k/}}, Votic also has a system of qualitative alternations in which the distinguishing feature is ''voicing'', and so the voiceless stops {{IPA|/p t k/}} are known to alternate with {{IPA|/b d ɡ/}}.

As in Estonian, Karelian, and Eastern dialects of Finnish, the weak grade *ð of {{IPA|/t/}} in inherited vocabulary has been lost or assimilated to adjacent sounds in Votic; the weak grade *β of {{IPA|/p/}} has similarly become {{IPA|/v/}}, or assimilated to {{IPA|/m/}} in the cluster {{IPA|/mm/}}. However, the weak grade of {{IPA|/k/}} survives, as {{IPA|/ɡ/}} before a back vowel or {{IPA|/j ~ dʲ ~ dʒ/}} before a front vowel.<ref name="LK15">{{cite book|last=Kettunen|first=Lauri|author-link=Lauri Kettunen|year=1915|title=Vatjan kielen äännehistoria|publisher=[[Finnish Literature Society|Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura]]}}</ref>

A noticeable feature of Votic is that gradation has been extended to several consonant clusters that were not originally affected. As in Finnish, this includes the clusters {{IPA|/ht/}} and {{IPA|/hk/}} with a voicing-neutral first member, but also further clusters, even several ones introduced only in Russian loans.

{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|+ Voicing alternations in Votic gradation
|-
! Gradation !! Example !! Translation !! Notes
|-
| '''s''' → '''z''' || ''isä'' → ''izässä'' || 'father' → 'father ([[Elative case|elat.]])'
|-
| '''rs''' → '''rz''' || ''karsia'' → ''karzid'' || 'to trim' → 'you trim'
|-
| '''hs''' {{IPA|[hs]}} → '''hz''' {{IPA|[ɦz]}} || ''lahsi''' → '''lahzõd'' || 'child' → 'children'
|-
| '''tš''' {{IPA|/tʃ/}} → '''dž''' {{IPA|/dʒ/}} || ''retši'' → ''redžed'' || 'sleigh' → 'sleighs'
|-
| '''ntš''' {{IPA|/ntʃ/}} → '''ndž''' {{IPA|/ndʒ/}} || ''tšentšä'' → ''tšendžäd'' || 'shoe' → 'shoes'
|-
| '''ltš''' {{IPA|/ltʃ/}} → '''ldž''' {{IPA|/ldʒ/}} || ''jältši'' → ''jäldžed'' || 'footprint' → 'footprints'
|-
| '''k''' → '''g''' || ''luku'' → ''lugud'' || 'number' → 'numbers' || From Proto-Finnic *k → *ɣ.
|-
| '''hk''' {{IPA|[hk]}} → '''hg''' {{IPA|[ɦɡ]}} || ''tuhka'' → ''tuhgassa'' ||  'ash' → 'ash (elat.)' 
|-
| '''ŋk''' → '''ŋg''' || ''aŋko'' → ''aŋgod'' || 'pitchfork' → 'pitchforks' || Retained intact from Proto-Finnic *ŋk → *ŋg.
|-
| '''pk''' → '''bg''' || ''šāpka'' → ''šābgad'' || 'hat' → 'hats' || A recent Russian loanword.
|-
| '''tk''' → '''dg''' || ''mutka'' → ''mudgad'' || 'hook, curve' → 'hooks, curves' 
|-
| '''sk''' → '''zg''' || ''pǟsko'' → ''pǟzgod'' || 'swallow' → 'swallows'
|-
| '''šk''' {{IPA|/ʃk/}} → '''žg''' {{IPA|/ʒɡ/}} || ''šiška'' → ''šižgad'' || 'rag' → 'rags' || A recent Russian loanword.
|-
| '''tšk''' {{IPA|/tʃk/}} → '''džg''' {{IPA|/dʒɡ/}} || ''botška'' → ''bodžgad'' || 'barrel' → 'barrels' || A recent Russian loanword.
|-
| '''lk''' → '''lg''' || ''jalka'' → ''jalgad'' || 'foot' → 'feet' || From Proto-Finnic *lk → *lɣ.
|-
| '''rk''' → '''rg''' || ''purkā'' → ''purgad'' || 'to take apart'' → ''you take apart'' || From Proto-Finnic *rk → *rɣ.
|}

The alternations involving the voiced affricate '''dž''' are only found in the Eastern dialects. In the Western dialects, there are several possible weak grade counterparts of '''tš''':

{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center; margin:auto;"
|+ Gradation of ''tš'' in Western Votic
|-
! Gradation !! Example !! Translation !! Notes
|-
| '''tš''' → '''∅''' || ''retši'' → ''rēd'' || 'sleigh' → 'sleighs'
|-
| '''ntš''' → '''nď''' {{IPA|/ndʲ/}} || ''tšentšä'' → ''tšenďäd'' || 'shoe' → 'shoes'
|-
| '''ltš'''  → '''ll''' || ''jältši'' → ''jälled'' || 'footprint' → 'footprints'
|-
| '''rtš''' → '''rj''' || ''särtši'' → ''särjed'' || '[[Common roach|roach]]' → 'roaches'
|-
| '''htš''' → '''hj''' || ''mähtšä'' → ''mähjäd'' || 'rye porridge' → 'rye porridges'
|-
| '''stš''' → '''zz''' || ''iskeä'' → ''izzed'' || 'to strike' → 'you strike'
|}

Further minor variation in these gradation patterns was found down to the level of individual villages.

Votic also has a number of alternations between [[continuant]]s which are short in the 'weak' grade, and geminates in the 'strong' grade (''kassā'' 'to sprinkle/water' vs. ''kasan'' 'I sprinkle/water'), as well as more voicing alternations between [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]] stops, and the alternations between nasal+consonant~nasal+chroneme found in Finnish.  Votic also includes alternations in which the 'strong' grade is represented by a short consonant, while the 'weak' grade is represented by a geminate: ''ritõlõn'' vs. ''riďďõlla''.  For comparison, the Finnish equivalents of these is ''riitelen'' 'I quarrel' vs. ''riidellä'' 'to quarrel'.