Difference between revisions of "Southern Saamic"
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=== Dialectal differences === | === Dialectal differences === | ||
| − | In [[South Saami]], consonantal gradation is lost, and unaccented vowels are reduced in the second syllable of trisyllabic words. In [[Ume Saami]], both are preserved. | + | In [[South Saami]], consonantal gradation is lost altogether, and unaccented vowels are reduced in the second syllable of trisyllabic words. In [[Ume Saami]], both are preserved. |
In [[Ume Saami]], contracted non-low vowels are raised in certain verb forms. In the illative singular, ''-je'' has analogically spread to all stem classes. | In [[Ume Saami]], contracted non-low vowels are raised in certain verb forms. In the illative singular, ''-je'' has analogically spread to all stem classes. | ||
Revision as of 10:09, 6 December 2009
The Southern Saamic languages constitute the southern branch of Western Saamic. Two languages are distinguished: Ume Saami in the north, and South Saami in the south.
Characteristic features
Typical features of Southern Saamic include:
- Preservation of word-final vowels in the third syllable.
- Splitting of original short stressed vowels according to the original openness or closeness of the syllable.
- Gemination of consonants after short stressed vowels, leading to the effect that consonantal gradation is reduced in Ume Saami and totally absent from South Saami.
- Heavy umlaut in the stressed syllable that was strongly phonologized by neutralization of unstressed short vowels.
Dialectal differences
In South Saami, consonantal gradation is lost altogether, and unaccented vowels are reduced in the second syllable of trisyllabic words. In Ume Saami, both are preserved.
In Ume Saami, contracted non-low vowels are raised in certain verb forms. In the illative singular, -je has analogically spread to all stem classes.
