sääʹmǩiõll
Skolt Sámi
Uralic (Saami, Eastern)
Skolt Sámi (sääʹmǩiõll) is an Eastern Sámi language traditionally spoken across the Kola Peninsula and adjacent borderlands of Finland, Norway and Russia. After WWII most speakers were displaced from Petsamo (lost to USSR) to Sevettijärvi in Finnish Lapland; today only ~300 fluent L1 speakers remain. Critically endangered but with active revitalization through Saaʹmi Nueʹtt school, the Sevettijärvi-Näätämö nests and the SAAMINUETT app. Distinguishing features include consonant gradation, palatalization marked by ʹ, and the Skolt-specific letters Ǩ Ǥ Ǯ.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Skolt Sámi
Water
čääʹcc
/tʃæːtsʲː/
Fire
toll
/tolː/
Sun
peeiʹvv
/peːjvʲː/
Moon
mään
/mæːn/
Star
nâ´stt
/naːstː/
Mother
jeäʹnn
/jæːnʲː/
Father
eeʹǩǩ
/eːkʲː/
I
mon
/mon/
You
ton
/ton/
Name
nõmm
/nõmː/
Eye
čââlm
/tʃæːlm/
Hand
ǩeätt
/kʲætː/
Heart
väimm
/væimː/
Love
rääʹǩǩesvuõtt
/ræːkʲːesvuɘtː/
Tree
muõrr
/muɔrː/
House
kåʹdd
/kɔdʲː/
Dog
piânnaj
/pianːaj/
Cat
kõõšš
/kɵːʃː/
Eat
poorrâd
/porːad/
Drink
juukkâd
/juːkːad/
One
õhtt
/ɵhtː/
Two
kuõˊhtt
/kuõhtː/
Hello
tiõrv
/tiɵrv/
Thank you
späʹsseb
/spæsʲːeb/
Good
šiõǥǥ
/ʃiɵɣː/
Cuckoo
ǩiõkk
/ˈkʲiɔkː/
Sources
- Ethnologue 27: Skolt Sami
- Feist (2010) A Grammar of Skolt Saami
- UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Words compared
Compared with related Uralic (Saami, Eastern) languages
| Meaning | Skolt Sámi | Inari Sámi | Lule Sámi | Kildin Sámi | Northern Sami | Livonian | Southern Sámi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | čääʹcc /tʃæːtsʲː/ | čääci /tʃæːtsi/ | tjáhtje /tʃaːhtje/ | чадзь /tʃadzʲ/ | čáhci /tʃaːhtsi/ | vež /vɛʒ/ | tjaetsie /tʃaeʰtsie/ |
| Fire | toll /tolː/ | tollâ /tolːa/ | dålla /tolːa/ | тоалл /toallʲ/ | dolla /dolːa/ | tūl /tuːl/ | dolle /dolːe/ |
| Sun | peeiʹvv /peːjvʲː/ | peivi /peivi/ | biejvve /pie̯jvːe/ | пе̄ййв /peːjjv/ | beaivi /peɑjvi/ | pǟva /pæːva/ | biejjie /pie̯jːie/ |
| Moon | mään /mæːn/ | máánu /maːnu/ | mánno /maːnːo/ | ма̄нн /maːnn/ | mánnu /maːnːu/ | kūʼ /kuː/ | aske /askə/ |
| Star | nâ´stt /naːstː/ | násti /ˈnaːsti/ | náste /ˈnaːste/ | нӣзесь /nʲiːzesʲ/ | násti /ˈnaːsti/ | tēḑ /teːdʲ/ | naaste /ˈnaːste/ |
| Mother | jeäʹnn /jæːnʲː/ | enni /enːi/ | iedne /iedne/ | е̄ннҍ /jeːnnʲ/ | eadni /eɑdni/ | jemā /jɛmaː/ | tjidtjie /tʃitːʃie/ |
| Father | eeʹǩǩ /eːkʲː/ | eeči /eːtʃi/ | áhttje /aːhtːje/ | а̄джь /aːdʒʲ/ | áhčči /aːhtʃːi/ | izā /izaː/ | aehtjie /aeʰtʃie/ |
| I | mon /mon/ | mun /mun/ | mån /mɔn/ | мунн /munː/ | mun /mun/ | minā /ˈminaː/ | manne /ˈmanːe/ |
| You | ton /ton/ | tun /tun/ | dån /tɔn/ | тонн /tonː/ | don /ton/ | sinā /ˈsinaː/ | datne /ˈtatne/ |
| Name | nõmm /nõmː/ | nommâ /ˈnommɑ/ | namma /ˈnamːa/ | нэмм /nemː/ | namma /ˈnamma/ | nim /nim/ | nomme /ˈnomːe/ |
| Eye | čââlm /tʃæːlm/ | čalme /tʃalme/ | tjalmme /tʃalmːe/ | чальм /tʃalʲm/ | čalbmi /tʃalpmi/ | sīlma /siːlma/ | tjelmie /tʃelmie/ |
| Hand | ǩeätt /kʲætː/ | kietâ /kieta/ | gietta /kietːa/ | кэдт /kʲedt/ | giehta /kiehta/ | kež /kɛʒ/ | gïete /kiːte/ |
| Heart | väimm /væimː/ | váimu /vaːjmu/ | vájmmo /vajmːo/ | кӯттҍк /kuːtʲːk/ | váibmu /vajpmu/ | sidām /sidaːm/ | vaajmoe /vaːjmoe/ |
| Love | rääʹǩǩesvuõtt /ræːkʲːesvuɘtː/ | rähisvuotâ /ræhisvuotɐ/ | ráhkesvuohta /raːhkesvuɔhta/ | шоабпшэ /ʃoabpʃe/ | ráhkisvuohta /raːhkisvuɔhta/ | ārmaztõ /aːrmastə/ | gieriesvoete /ɡieriesvuəte/ |
| Tree | muõrr /muɔrː/ | muorâ /muɔra/ | muorra /muɔrːa/ | муэрр /muerr/ | muorra /muɔrːa/ | pū /puː/ | moere /moːrə/ |
| House | kåʹdd /kɔdʲː/ | stuobbâ /stuɔbːa/ | viesso /viesːo/ | пэ̄ҏҏт /peːrrt/ | viessu /viesːu/ | kuodā /kuədaː/ | gåetie /ɡoətie/ |
| Dog | piânnaj /pianːaj/ | peenâg /peːnaɡ/ | bena /pena/ | пенне /penne/ | beana /peɑna/ | piņ /piɲ/ | bïenje /piːnje/ |
| Cat | kõõšš /kɵːʃː/ | kissá /kisːaː/ | kássa /kaːsːa/ | ке̄ршш /keːrʃː/ | bussá /pusːa/ | kaš /kaʃ/ | gaahtoe /ɡaːhtoe/ |
| Eat | poorrâd /porːad/ | porrâđ /porːað/ | bårråt /porːot/ | пӯрраҥе /puːrraŋe/ | borrat /porːat/ | sīedõ /siːədə/ | byöpmedidh /pyœpmedih/ |
| Drink | juukkâd /juːkːad/ | jukkâđ /jukːað/ | juhkat /juhkat/ | югкаҥе /jukkaŋe/ | juhkat /juhkat/ | jūodõ /juːədə/ | jovkedh /jovkəh/ |
| One | õhtt /ɵhtː/ | ohtâ /ohta/ | aktan /aktan/ | ыкт /ɨkt/ | okta /okta/ | ikš /ikʃ/ | akte /aktə/ |
| Two | kuõˊhtt /kuõhtː/ | kyehti /ˈkyehti/ | guokta /ˈkuoktɑ/ | кӯхьть /kuːxʲtʲ/ | guokte /ˈkuokte/ | kakš /kakʃ/ | göökte /ˈkøːkte/ |
| Hello | tiõrv /tiɵrv/ | tiervâ /tierva/ | buoris /puɔris/ | тиерв /tʲierv/ | bures /pures/ | tervīst /tɛrviːst/ | buerie biejjie /puerie pie̯jːie/ |
| Thank you | späʹsseb /spæsʲːeb/ | tiittu /tiːtːu/ | gijttuo /kijtːuɔ/ | пасьпе /pasʲpe/ | giitu /kiːtu/ | tienū /tiɛnuː/ | gæjhtoe /kæjhtoe/ |
| Good | šiõǥǥ /ʃiɵɣː/ | pyere /pyere/ | buorre /puɔrːe/ | шӣгг /ʃiːɡː/ | buorre /puɔrːe/ | jõvā /jəvaː/ | hijven /hijven/ |
| Cuckoo | ǩiõkk /ˈkʲiɔkː/ | kiehâ /ˈkie̯hɐ/ | giehka /ˈkie̯hka/ | кӣгк /kiːɡk/ | giehka /ˈkie̯hka/ | kēg /keːɡ/ | gïeke /ˈɡie̯ke/ |
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