удиэ кэйэвэни
Udege
Tungusic (Northern, Udege-Oroch subgroup — sister to Oroch and Negidal)
Udege (autonymously "удиэ кэйэвэни" Udihe Keyeveni or "Udeγe") is a Northern Tungusic language of the Russian Far East spoken by traditional taiga hunter-gatherers known as "tiger-and-taiga people". The Udege were romanticized in Vladimir Arsenyev's "Dersu Uzala" (1923) — Dersu was an Udege hunter-guide. Severely endangered: only ~100 fluent speakers remain among ~1,500 ethnic Udege, with younger generations Russian-dominant. The Bikin Valley Udege community in Krasnyy Yar is the largest contemporary settlement and the focus of cultural preservation through the Bikin National Park established 2015. Linguistically, Udege has rich vowel harmony, complex spatial case morphology, and distinctive evidentiality marking.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Udege
Water
уй
/uj/
Fire
тогбо
/toɡbo/
Sun
даигаси
/daiɡasi/
Moon
биа
/bia/
Star
ваикта
/ˈwaikta/
Mother
энэ
/ene/
Father
амэ
/amə/
I
би
/bi/
You
си
/si/
Name
гэгбэ
/gəgˈbə/
Eye
яа
/jaː/
Hand
нала
/nala/
Heart
миаван
/miavan/
Love
чисанай
/tʃisanaj/
Tree
мо
/mo/
House
дзугди
/dzuɡdi/
Dog
инай
/inaj/
Cat
кошк
/koʃk/
Eat
джевэ
/dʒevə/
Drink
омимэ
/omimə/
One
омо
/omo/
Two
дюэ
/dʒuˈə/
Hello
бандиба
/bandiba/
Thank you
нюхча
/ɲuxtʃa/
Good
ая
/aja/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Tungusic (Northern, Udege-Oroch subgroup — sister to Oroch and Negidal) languages
| Meaning | Udege | Nanai | Evenki | Even (Lamut) | Jurchen | Manchu | Sibe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | уй /uj/ | муэ /mue/ | мӯ /muː/ | мӯ /muː/ | muke /muke/ | ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ | ᠮᡠᡴᡝ /mukə/ |
| Fire | тогбо /toɡbo/ | това /tova/ | того /toɡo/ | тоог /toːɡ/ | tuwa /tuwa/ | ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ | ᡨᡠᠸᠠ /tuwa/ |
| Sun | даигаси /daiɡasi/ | сиун /siun/ | дылача /dɯlatɕa/ | нөлтэн /nølten/ | šun /ʃun/ | ᡧᡠᠨ /ʃun/ | ᠰᡠᠨ /sun/ |
| Moon | биа /bia/ | биа /bia/ | бега /beɡa/ | бяг /bjaɡ/ | biya /bija/ | ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ | ᠪᡳᠶᠠ /bija/ |
| Star | ваикта /ˈwaikta/ | хосякта /xoˈsʲakta/ | осикта /oˈsikta/ | осикат /oˈsikat/ | usiha /usixa/ | ᡠᠰᡳᡥᠠ /usiˈχa/ | ᡠᠰᡳᡥᠠ /usˈχa/ |
| Mother | энэ /ene/ | энин /enin/ | эни /eni/ | эньэн /eɲen/ | eme /eme/ | ᡝᠨᡳᠶᡝ /ənijə/ | ᡝᠨᡞᠶᡝ /ənije/ |
| Father | амэ /amə/ | ама /ama/ | амин /amin/ | аман /aman/ | ama /ama/ | ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ | ᠠᠮᠠ /ama/ |
| I | би /bi/ | ми /mi/ | би /bi/ | би /bi/ | bi /bi/ | ᠪᡳ /bi/ | ᠪᡳ /bi/ |
| You | си /si/ | си /si/ | си /si/ | хи /hiː/ | si /ʃi/ | ᠰᡳ /si/ | ᠰᡳ /ɕi/ |
| Name | гэгбэ /gəgˈbə/ | гэрбу /gərˈbu/ | гэрбӣ /gərˈbiː/ | гэрбэ /gərˈbə/ | gebu /gəbu/ | ᡤᡝᠪᡠ /ɡəbu/ | ᡤᡝᠪᡠ /ɡəˈvu/ |
| Eye | яа /jaː/ | насал /nasal/ | эса /esa/ | яса /jasa/ | yasa /jasa/ | ᠶᠠᠰᠠ /jasa/ | ᠶᠠᠰᠠ /jasa/ |
| Hand | нала /nala/ | нгала /ŋala/ | нгалэ /ŋale/ | нгал /ŋal/ | gala /ɡala/ | ᡤᠠᠯᠠ /ɡala/ | ᡤᠠᠯᠠ /ɡala/ |
| Heart | миаван /miavan/ | миаван /miavan/ | меван /mevan/ | мяван /mjavan/ | niyaman /nijaman/ | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨ /nijaman/ | ᠨᡳᠶᠠᠮᠠᠨ /nijaman/ |
| Love | чисанай /tʃisanaj/ | эйини /ejini/ | аявдави /ajavdavi/ | аякан /ajakan/ | gosi /ɡosi/ | ᡥᠠᡳᡵᠠᠮᠪᡳ /xairambi/ | ᠴᡳᠯᡨᡠᠮᠪᡳ /tʃiltumbi/ |
| Tree | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | мо /mo/ | mo /mo/ | ᠮᠣᠣ /moː/ | ᠮᠣᠯᠣ /molo/ |
| House | дзугди /dzuɡdi/ | дё /dʒo/ | дю /dʒu/ | дьу /dʒu/ | boo /boː/ | ᠪᠣᠣ /boː/ | ᠪᠣᠣ /boː/ |
| Dog | инай /inaj/ | инда /inda/ | нгинакин /ŋinakin/ | нгин /ŋin/ | indahǔn /indahuːn/ | ᡳᠨᡩᠠᡥᡡᠨ /indaxuːn/ | ᡳᠨᡩᠠᡥᡡᠨ /indaxun/ |
| Cat | кошк /koʃk/ | коси /kosi/ | кошка /koʂka/ | кошка /koʂka/ | kesike /kesike/ | ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝ /kəsikə/ | ᡴᡝᠰᡳᡴᡝ /kəsikə/ |
| Eat | джевэ /dʒevə/ | депу /depu/ | дептэ /depte/ | дьэб /dʒeb/ | jefu /dʒefu/ | ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡳ /dʒəmbi/ | ᠵᡝᠮᠪᡞ /dʒəmbi/ |
| Drink | омимэ /omimə/ | омичи /omitʃi/ | умӣ /umiː/ | ум /um/ | omi /omi/ | ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡳ /omibi/ | ᠣᠮᡳᠪᡞ /omibi/ |
| One | омо /omo/ | эмун /emun/ | умун /umun/ | омэн /omen/ | emu /emu/ | ᠡᠮᡠ /əmu/ | ᡝᠮᡠ /əmu/ |
| Two | дюэ /dʒuˈə/ | дюэр /dʒuˈər/ | дюр /dʒuːr/ | дёр /dʲoːr/ | juwe /dʑuwə/ | ᠵᡠᠸᡝ /dʒuwə/ | ᠵᡠᠸᡝ /dʒuə/ |
| Hello | бандиба /bandiba/ | банди-банди /bandi bandi/ | дорообо /doroːbo/ | дорова /dorova/ | — /—/ | ᠰᡳ ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /si sain/ | ᠨᡳᠩᡤᡝ ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /niŋɡe sain/ |
| Thank you | нюхча /ɲuxtʃa/ | банихан /banihan/ | пасиба /pasiba/ | пасиба /pasiba/ | — /—/ | ᠪᠠᠨᡳᡥᠠ /banixa/ | ᠪᠠᠨᡳᡥᠠ /banixa/ |
| Good | ая /aja/ | ая /aja/ | ая /aja/ | ай /aj/ | sain /sain/ | ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /sain/ | ᠰᠠᡳᠨ /sain/ |
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