Editing Veps language (section)

====Principal parts====

Nouns have four [[principal parts]], from which all other noun forms can be derived by replacing the endings:
* Nominative singular: Forms no other forms.
* Partitive singular: Forms the prolative singular. Can usually be formed from the genitive singular by replacing ''-n'' with ''-d'', but some words have an unpredictable form with ''-t'' and a different stem.
* Genitive singular: When ''-n'' is removed, forms all remaining singular forms, and the nominative and accusative plural. It is often unpredictable due to historical [[apocope]].
* Illative singular: Forms the illative, terminative I and additive I singular. The illative singular is predictably formed from the genitive singular stem, so it's not a principal part as such.
* Partitive plural: When ''-d'' is removed, forms all remaining plural forms.

The illative singular stem is the same as the genitive singular stem, except that the final vowel is dropped in some cases. The vowel is retained if ''at least one'' of these is the case, and dropped otherwise:
# The final vowel is a diphthong.
# The nominative singular is of the form "consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel".
# The genitive singular has 1 or 3 syllables.
# There is contraction of a syllable in the genitive singular stem (compared to the nominative stem), e.g. nom sg {{lang|vep|vauged}} > gen sg {{lang|vep|vauktan}} (contraction ''-ged'' > ''-kt-''), nom sg {{lang|vep|lambaz}} > gen sg {{lang|vep|lambhan}} (contraction ''-az'' > ''-h-'').
# The final consonants of genitive singular stem are ''ll'' or ''lʹlʹ''.

Thus:
{| class="wikitable"
! Nom sg
! Gen sg
! Ill sg
! Rules
|-
| {{lang|vep|voi}}
| {{lang|vep|voin}}
| {{lang|vep|voihe}}
| 1, 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|kukoi}}
| {{lang|vep|kukoin}}
| {{lang|vep|kukoihe}}
| 1
|-
| {{lang|vep|tullei}}
| {{lang|vep|tullein}}
| {{lang|vep|tulleihe}}
| 1, 5
|-
| {{lang|vep|pä}}
| {{lang|vep|pän}}
| {{lang|vep|päha}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|vezi}}
| {{lang|vep|veden}}
| {{lang|vep|vedehe}}
| 2
|-
| {{lang|vep|labid}}
| {{lang|vep|labidon}}
| {{lang|vep|labidoho}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|piring}}
| {{lang|vep|piringon}}
| {{lang|vep|piringoho}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|tervhuzʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|tervhuden}}
| {{lang|vep|tervhudehe}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|vauged}}
| {{lang|vep|vauktan}}
| {{lang|vep|vauktaha}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|kaste}}
| {{lang|vep|kastken}}
| {{lang|vep|kastkehe}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|kondi}}
| {{lang|vep|kondjan}}
| {{lang|vep|kondjaha}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|velʹlʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|vellen}}
| {{lang|vep|vellehe}}
| 5
|-
| {{lang|vep|malʹlʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|malʹlʹan}}
| {{lang|vep|malʹlʹaha}}
| 5
|-
| {{lang|vep|norʹ}}
| {{lang|vep|noren}}
| {{lang|vep|norhe}}
| None
|-
| {{lang|vep|kädetoi}}
| {{lang|vep|kädetoman}}
| {{lang|vep|kädetomha}}
| None
|}

If the genitive singular stem has ''h'' before the final vowel, then the ending {{lang|vep|-ze}} ({{lang|vep|-že}} after ''i'') is used, and the vowel is never dropped:

{| class="wikitable"
! Nom sg
! Gen sg
! Ill sg
! Rules
|-
| {{lang|vep|tuha}}
| {{lang|vep|tuhan}}
| {{lang|vep|tuhaze}}
| 2
|-
| {{lang|vep|veneh}}
| {{lang|vep|venehen}}
| {{lang|vep|veneheze}}
| 3
|-
| {{lang|vep|laineh}}
| {{lang|vep|lainhen}}
| {{lang|vep|lainheze}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|lomineh}}
| {{lang|vep|lominehen}}
| {{lang|vep|lomineheze}}
| None
|-
| {{lang|vep|lambaz}}
| {{lang|vep|lambhan}}
| {{lang|vep|lambhaze}}
| 4
|-
| {{lang|vep|madokaz}}
| {{lang|vep|madokhan}}
| {{lang|vep|madokhaze}}
| 3, 4
|}