Jump to content

Answering Votian questions

From Wikiversity
Attribution: User Mikk created this resource and is actively using it. Please coordinate future development with this user if possible.


Answering questions [1]

[edit | edit source]

Descriptive question

[edit | edit source]
Inflection of pronouns and pointers
  Interrogative Distal demonstrative Proximal demonstrative Alternative Indefinite Negative Universal
Adverbs
manner ( instructive ) kui (ku, ko) how nī (nennī, kannī, Eastern Votic dialect: kannīG) so muitē̮   elsehow, in another way; (for nothing) kuilēB [2] [3] somehow
cause-purpose ( translative ) mihsi (missi, mihē̮   , minē-peräs̄ , Mati dialect: mi) why senē perässä (senperäs̄ ) therefor muite̮z otherwise; for no reason, for nothing misse Luuditsa dialect [4] [5] for some reason or other
time ( essive) ke̮nz (kē̮z, kē̮) when sīz (size̮   , siz) then nüD (nüttä, Jõgõperä dialect: nüt̄ ; para.iko) now muinā other times - long ago [6] kē̮zlēB [7] sometimes
direction ( allative and illative ) kuhē̮   where (to) sinne (Eastern Votic dialect: sinneG) there (to) tänne (Eastern Votic dialect: tänneG) here (to) muvvaлē̮   (mūvvaлē̮   , Luuditsa dialect: mujā) elsewhere (to) kuhē̮lēB [8] somewhere (to)
location ( adessive and inessive ) kuza where siällä there tǟllä (kassenna) here muvvaллa elsewhere kuzalēB [9] somewhere
ablative-direction ( ablative and elative ) kussa where (from) siältä there (from) tǟltä here (from) muvvaлta elsewhere (from) kussalēB [10] somewhere (from)

Dialectal alternatives

[edit | edit source]
location sihēsē (sihē) here (to) sīnä here sītä here (from)


Syntax

[edit | edit source]
  • A simple descriptive question may be composed starting a sentence with an interrogative word. Often you may answer with one word or phrase [11].
    • kuhē̮ ke̮rjazit tširvē ? 'Where did you hide the ax?' Luuditsa dialect
    • sinne . 'Over there.'

You may answer with more informative adverbs, than the general ones displayed in the table above.

  • kuhē̮ , kuza, kussa 'where (to), where, where (from)'
    • 'somewhere'
      • kuhē̮lēB e.g. Itšäpäivä dialect: kuhē̮lēG mennǖD tüttäreD, ep kūluG näitä 'Daughters have gone somewhere, they can't be heard.' kuhē̮ [12]
    • 'outside'
      • akkunaлā e.g. лahze̮d ̮johsivad ̮akkunaлā 'The kids ran out.' kuhē̮
      • akkunaллa e.g. meil on akkunaллa vanat ̮kazge̮D 'We have old birchtrees outside (in our courtyard).' kuza
      • akkunaлta e.g. akkunaлta tultī jo rihēsē 'They came in already.' kussa (into the chamber from outside of the house)
    • 'down, below, under'
      • aлaz ~ aлā e.g. tämä tuli ähüpǟlt aлaz 'He came down from the oven.' kuhē̮
      • aллa e.g. koira on lavvā naллa, meni aлā 'The dog is under the table, went down.' kuza (The n of naллa is actually a Genitive ending, which has slided from lavvā to the beginning of the following word.)
      • aлta e.g. ve̮ta linad ̮aлta vällǟ 'Take the bedsheets away.' kussa (from below a blanket)
    • 'ahead, forward, onwards'
      • etezī ~ etēz e.g. ain ove̮s̄ etezī aje̮ Lempola dialect '(He) drove the horse forward all the time.' kuhē̮
    • 'back'
      • tagāz ~ tagaz e.g. vellet ̮tulivat ̮tagāz 'The brothers came back.' kuhē̮ ; täl tagāz ̮be̮ллu antā rahā 'She (the seller) had no money to give (return me) the change.'
    • 'back and forth, there and back, to and fro, up and down'
      • etēz ̮tagāz' e.g. tšäütteleb ̮etēz ̮tagāz '(Se) walks back and forth.' kuhē̮
  • kui 'how'
    • 'below'
      • aлe̮tsē̮   ~ aлe̮ttse̮   ~ aлattsē̮   e.g. menemmä aлe̮tsē̮   "Let's pass below (the obstacle)."
  • mihsi 'why'
    • ' otherwise, for no reason, for nothing'
      • muite̮z ~ muitez ~ muitaz [13]
    • ' anyway, still (regardless to that)'
    • ' of course'


Affirmative question

[edit | edit source]
suffix -ko Is it ... ? Did she ...? ... wether etc.
adverb vai Is it ... ? Did she ...? ... wether etc.
  • A simple question may be composed adding a suffix -ko to the first word of a sentence.
    • pesiko tšäet puhtāssi? 'Did he wash his hands (clean)?' < pesi tšäet puhtāssi. '(He) washed (his) hands (clean).'
    • ko üvä issua? 'Is it good to sit (like this)?' < on üvä issua. 'It is good to sit (like this).'
  • A simple question may be composed starting a sentence with vai.
    • vai siä karjuššin̄ e̮лe̮D? 'Are you (working as) a shepherd?' < siǟ e̮лe̮D karjuššin 'you are (working as) a shepherd?'

A vague answer may contain ku b lie (may be). [16]


Neighbouring languages

[edit | edit source]

There is a similar morpheme vai in Latvian with similar functions. [17]

  • Vai Ritai patīk aritmētika? 'Does Rita like arithmetic?' < Ritai patīk aritmētika? 'Rita likes arithmetic.'



Exercises

[edit | edit source]
  • 1. Compose questions and answers using the examples of the Syntax chapter.


See also

[edit | edit source]


References

[edit | edit source]
  1. Ariste, Paul Vadja keele grammatika. Tartu, 1948. p. 108-118
  2. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.276
  3. Potential-future : lēB
  4. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.3. p.327
  5. Translative: *mikse
  6. E. Adler, M. Leppik: Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v. 3; p. 340
  7. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.274
  8. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.274
  9. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.321
  10. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.319
  11. E. Adler, M. Leppik: Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v. 2; p. 273
  12. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.274
  13. E. Adler, M. Leppik: Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v. 3; p. 340
  14. E. Adler, M. Leppik: Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v. 3; p. 340
  15. E. Adler, M. Leppik: Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v. 3; p. 340
  16. Словарь водского языка - Vadja keele sõnaraamat. v.2. p.270
  17. [1] Latvian Language: Lesson 6
Type classification: this is a lesson resource.
Completion status: Deliberately incomplete for educational purposes.
Search Wikiquote for quotations related to: Answering Votian questions
Wikibooks has more on the topic of Answering Votian questions.
Look up Answering Votian questions in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Search Wikinews for news items related to Answering Votian questions.