Editing Enets language (section)

== Dialects ==
There are two distinct dialects, {{ill|Forest Enets (Bai)|ru|Лесной энецкий язык}} and {{ill|Tundra Enets (Madu or Somatu)|ru|Тундровый энецкий язык}}, which may be considered separate languages.

Tundra Enets is the smaller of the two Enets dialects. In the winter of 2006/2007, approximately 35 people spoke it (6 in [[Dudinka]], 20 in  {{ill|Potapovo|ru|Потапово (Таймырский Долгано-Ненецкий район)}} and 10 in [[Tukhard]], the youngest of whom was born in 1962 and the oldest in 1945). Many of these speakers are [[multilingualism|trilingual]], with competence in Forest Enets, [[Tundra Nenets language|Tundra Nenets]] and [[Russian language|Russian]], preferring to speak Tundra Nenets.

The two dialects differ both in phonology and in lexicon. Additional variation was found in early Enets records from the 17th to 19th centuries, though all these varieties can be assigned as either Tundra Enets or Forest Enets.<ref>{{cite book|first=Eugen|last=Helimskij|author-link=Eugene Helimski|contribution=Die Feststellung der dialektalen Zugehörigkeit der encischen Materialen|title=Dialectologia Uralica: Materialien des ersten Internationalen Symposions zur Dialektologie der uralischen Sprachen 4.-7. September 1984 in Hamburg|series=Veröffentlichungen der Societas Uralo-Altaica|year=1985|isbn=3-447-02535-2}}</ref>

Phonological differences:
* In some words, Forest Enets {{IPA|/s/}} corresponds to Tundra Enets {{IPA|/ɟ/}} (from Proto-Samoyedic *ms, *ns, *rs and *rkʲ).
** Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|mese}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|meɟe}} 'wind' (from *merse < *märkʲä);
** Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|osa}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|uɟa}} 'meat' (from *ʊnsa < *əmså);
** Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|sira}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|silra}} 'snow';
** Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|judado}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|judaro}} 'pike';
** Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|kadaʔa}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|karaʔa}} 'grandmother';<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Künnap |first=Ago |url=https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Linguistics/Mega%20linguistics%20pack/Uralic/Enets%20%28K%C3%BCnnap%29.pdf |title=Enets |year=1999}}</ref>
* In some words, Forest Enets word-initial {{IPA|/na/}} corresponds to Tundra Enets {{IPA|/e/}} (from Proto-Samoyedic *a- > *ä-).
* Certain vowel + glide sequences of Proto-Samoyedic have different reflexes in Forest Enets and Tundra Enets.
* Forest Enets word-initial {{IPA|/ɟi/}} corresponds to Tundra Enets {{IPA|/i/}}.

Lexical differences:
* Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|eba}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|aburi}} 'head'
* Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|baða}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|nau}} 'word'
* Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|ʃaru}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|oma}} 'tobacco'
* Forest {{lang|enf-Latn|abbua}} — Tundra {{lang|enh-Latn|miʔ}} 'what'<ref name=":0" />