Votian/Plural Cases

== Plural cases ==

Plural marker
The plural marker was -i-, added between a stem and a following case ending.

It has been preserved this way after short  e̮ , u, ü, o     e.g. paŋke̮-i-ллa ('by buckets') < paŋge̮-ллa ('by a bucket'),  vävü-i-lē ('to sons in law') < vävü-lē ('to a son in law'), lintu-i-ллa ('by the birds') < linnu-ллa ('by a bird'), e̮htago-i-ллa ('in the evenings') < e̮htago-ллa ('in the evening').

It is less obvious now after numerous sound changes. See the "Pronunciation" chapter below.


 * A plural stem is always in the strong grade, if there is such a grade available e.g. lintu-i-ллa ('by the birds') < linnu-ллa ('by a bird').
 * Yet a plural stem of some dialects may be in the weak grade in front of a short  vowel, if it is in the weak grade in singular e.g. pezä-llä ('on a nest') > pezi-llä  ('on nests'), jaлga-ллa ('by a foot') > jaлgo-ллa ('by feet').


 * There has been a special plural counterpart  -sī    to the  emphatic   illative  suffixes  -sē, -sē̮      e.g. Kõrvõttula dialect pē̮sa-i-sī ('into bushes').
 * Usually ( depending in vowel harmony )  -sē  or  -sē̮  is used both in singular and plural.

Pronunciation

 * Long vowels and -i- melt together into diphthongs e.g. mā-ллa ('in a country') > mai-ллa ('in countries'), rattā-ллa ('by a wheel') > rattai-ллa ('by wheels').
 * Diphtongs e̮a  and iä lost their last component in front of the plural -i- e.g. ke̮rke̮a-лē̮  ('into a high (place)') > ke̮rke̮i-лē̮  ('into high (places)'), pimeä-llä  ('on a dark (way)') > pimei-llä  ('on dark (ways)').


 * Short vowels have disappeared in front of the plural -i- or melt together with it into a long ī e.g. sepä-lē ('to a blacksmith') > seppī-lē ('to blacksmiths'),  ärjä-lē ~ ärdžä-lē ('to an ox') > ärtšī-lē ('to oxen'),  tšäe-llä ('on a hand') > tšäzi-llä ~ tšäsī-llä  ('on hands'), naize̮-лē̮  ('to a woman') > naisī-лē̮  ('to women'), vanapa-лē̮  ('to an elder') > vanapī-лē̮  ('to elders'), sāttaja-лē̮  ('to an attendant') > sāttajī-лē̮  ('to attendants'), vokki-za  ('in a spinning wheel') > vokkī-za  ('in spinning wheels'). Yet:


 * a + -i- > e̮i in the second or third syllable, if the first syllable has  o, u  or  e̮  ( The majority of  e̮  stems belong here.)  : e.g.
 * nurka-ллa ('on a corner') > nurke̮i-ллa ('on corners')
 * poiga-лē̮ ('to her son') > poike̮i-лē̮ ('to her sons')
 * se̮bra-лē̮ ('to a friend') > se̮bre̮i-лē̮ ('to friends')


 * sāttaja-лē̮  ('to an attendant') > sāttaje̮i-лē̮  ('to attendants')


 * a + -i- > oi in the third or second syllable, if the first syllable has  i, a  or  e̮  ( Then it's counterpart in Kukkuzi dialect is probably a)  : e.g.
 * adra-ллa ('by a plough') > adroi-ллa ('by ploughs')
 * kataga-ллa ('on a juniper') > katagoi-ллa ('on junipers').
 * se̮na-ллa ('in a word') > se̮noi-ллa ('with his words')


 * siллa-ллa ('on a bridge') > siлtoi-ллa ('on bridges')
 * Also: koto-ллa ('by a home') > kotoi-ллa ~ koi-ллa ('by homes') & rōto-ллa ('by a fish-bone') > rōtoi-ллa ~ roi-ллa ('by fish-bones')


 * ä + -i- > oi in the second syllable of some words, if the first syllable has  ei  : e.g.
 * leivä-llä ('on a bread') > leipoi-ллa ('on breads')


 * The plural diphthongs oi, e̮i, ai, äi may lose their plural -i-  in unstressed syllables e.g. se̮bre̮-лē̮ ('to friends').

Dialectal alternatives

 * Votic of Ingria
 * Eastern Votic dialect
 * o has been preserved anywhere in front of the plural -i-.
 * Diphtongs e̮a  and iä and the plural -i- melt together into ī e.g. pimeä-llä  ('on a dark (way)') > pim̆mī-llä  ('on dark (ways)').
 * Short consonants were geminated in front of the long ī e.g. pimeä-llä  ('on a dark (way)') > pim̆mī-llä  ('on dark (ways)').


 * Western
 * In a group of villages the case endings are preceded by ai or äi ( depending in vowel harmony ) in plural
 * of some 2 syllable stems, if the stem vowel was  i, u, o, e  or  e̮   : e.g.  tšive-llä ('on a stone') > tšiväi-llä ('on stones'), лahze̮-лē̮  ('to a kid') > лahsai-лē̮  ('to kids'), pojo-лē̮  ('to a boy') > pojai-лē̮  ('to boys'), pilli-llä  ('by a musical instrument') > pilläi-llä  ('by instruments')
 * of some 3 syllable stems, if the stem vowel was  i  or  o   : e.g.  ahvako-лē̮  ('to a perch') > ahvakkai-лē̮  ('to perches'), karjuši-лē̮  ('to a shepherd') > karjuššai-лē̮  ('to shepherds')
 * Hill dialect:
 * Diphtongs e̮a  and iä and the plural -i- melt together into ī in ( Kattila and  Pihlaala  etc.) e.g. vaлke̮a-лē̮  ('onto a white (place)') > vaлkī-лē̮  ('onto white (places)'), pehmėä-llä  ('on a soft (place)') > pehmī-llä  ('on soft (places)').


 * Valley dialect:
 * All Votic (both eastern and western) dialects in contact with Soikkola ingrian dialect may use borrowed plural markers ( depending in vowel harmony )  -löi, -лoi  or  -läi, -лai  (all four in the very same dialects) e.g. Mati dialect püssü-löi-llä ('by guns'), jarvi-лoi-ллa ('on lakes'), Kõrvõttula dialect se̮tamehi-läi-l̄   ('by warriors'), vittso-лai-л̄     ('by twigs').
 * Mati dialect
 * The plural diphthongs oi, e̮i, ai, äi are usually replaced with long vowels in unstressed syllables of plural partitive  e.g. e̮hsa ('a tree branch') > e̮hsē̮ ('tree branches' - plural partitive), tšivi ('a stone') > tšiv̆vǟ  ('stones' - plural partitive).


 * Vaipooli


 * Jõgõperä dialect
 * o has been preserved anywhere in front of the plural -i-.
 * Short consonants were geminated in front of the long ī e.g. tšäe-llä ('on a hand') > tšässī-llä  ('on hands').

Declensions

 * XIV Declension: -s stems ending with -iz in singular nominative have the same stem for plural and singular e.g. kallī-ллa  ('on an expensive one') > kallī-ллa  ('on expensive (things)').