Votian/Present Tense Indefinite Voice

Indefinite voice
The indefinite voice describes an action without giving any information about it's agent. Hence a present tense indefinite expression like juvvaz could be translated approximately as: "Somebody drinks!". We don't bother ourselves clarifying, who is drinking.

But it seems to have been replaced with the -tak infinitive by metanalysis. See the morphophonology chapter below.
 * The -t'ak suffix is composed of an indefinite voice marker -tta and a present tense marker -k.
 * The *-t'aksen suffix was composed of the previous one and 3. person's singular hen.
 * The ks cluster was replaced later with ss both in Votian (like) dialects of Ingria and Estonia hence producing -t'aksen > -tassen.

Morphophonology

 * The final -k is pronounced as -G only in Eastern Votic dialect e.g. ep tuллaG ('Nobody comes'). All the other dialects both in Ingria and Estonia have lost the phoneme *k in the end of words e.g. ep tuллa.
 * The final -n was pronounced as a prolongation of the preceding vowel e.g. pan+t'aksen > pannassē̮ ('Somebody puts' - Pontizõõ dialect ).
 * In Votian like dialects of Estonia the long vowels without primary stress have been shortened (influenced by Mid Estonian dialect) e.g. süö+t'aksen > süässe ('Somebody eats.' - Lüganuse dialect).

The vowel a alternates with ä and e̮ alternates with e according to vowel harmony rules.
 * pan+t'aksen > pannassē̮ ('Somebody puts' ) - Pontizõõ dialect
 * pes+t'aksen > pesässē ('Somebody washes' ) - Pontizõõ dialect


 * The -ta component of the suffix has usually been assimilated with preceding dental consonants:  l, л, n, r, s, t  like the -t'ak infinitive e.g. epi tuл+t'ak > ep tuллaG ('Nobody comes').
 * The -ta component of the suffix will be assimilated also with preceding stressed long (labialized) vowels: o, u, ö, y  like the -t'ak infinitive producing:
 * ō + ta > uvva
 * ū + ta > uvva
 * ȫ + ta > üvvä
 * ǖ + ta > üvvä
 * e.g. jō+t'aksen > juvvassa ('Somebody drinks').
 * The -ta component of the suffix will lose it's t after unstressed vowels like the -tak infinitive e.g. se̮ve̮tta+t'aksen > se̮ve̮ttāssē̮ ('Somebody dresses') - Pontizõõ dialect.

It seems to be a metanalytic feature, because a verbal stem is always in the weak grade in front of any indefinite voice marker in other Baltic-Finnic dialects.
 * Indefinite voice suffixes take a consonant stem if available.
 * But verbal stem is always in the same grade as the -tak infinitive and plural of the second person imperative.
 * лuke̮assa ('Somebody reads.') ~ лuke̮a ('to read') ~ лuke̮gā ('Read!' - plural) X лuge̮G ('Read!' - singular)
 * vs. magatassa ('Somebody sleeps.') ~ magata ('to sleep') ~ magatkā ('Sleep!' - plural) X makā ('Sleep!' - singular)

Dialectal alternatives

 * Dialectal alternatives of the negation verb epi were described in the lesson about present tense negation e.g. ep tuллa vs. ei tulla ('Nobody comes.').


 * In Ingria:
 * 1)  Eastern Votic dialect
 * 2) The final -k is pronounced as -G e.g. eb e̮ллaG.
 * 3) The geminated ss is degeminated e.g. kutsu+t'aksen > kutsuasē̮ ('Somebody invites' ).
 * 4)  Western
 * 5)  Hill Votic dialect: Kattila and surroundings
 * 6) The suffix -t'aksen has became -tassa or -tässä according to vowel harmony rules e.g. ripussa+t'aksen > ripussāssa ('Somebody hangs' ) vs. repi+t'aksen > repiässä ('Somebody tears' )
 * 7) The suffix -t'aksen may have lost its final syllable and became -tas̄ or -täs̄ according to vowel harmony rules e.g. лauлa+t'aksen > лauлās̄ ('Somebody sings')
 * 8)  Valley Votic dialect: Mati and surroundings
 * 9) The suffix -t'aksen has became -taz or -täz according to vowel harmony rules e.g. sȫ + t'aksen > süvväz ('Somebody eats' ) vs. ve̮tta+t'aksen > ve̮ttāz ('Somebody takes' )
 * 10) The suffix -t'aksen may still occur with it's final syllable e.g. -taze̮ or -täze according to vowel harmony rules.
 * 11)  Pontizõõ dialect
 * 12) The suffix -t'aksen has became -tassē̮ or -tässē according to vowel harmony rules e.g. pan+t'aksen > pannassē̮ ('Somebody puts' ) vs. pes+t'aksen > pesässē ('Somebody washes' )
 * 13)  Vaipooli
 * 14)  Jõgõperä dialect
 * 15) The suffix -t'aksen has been replaced with -tā or -tǟ  (influenced by Ingrian dialects) e.g. лauлo+t'aksen > лauлotā ('Somebody sings') vs. tšüsü+t'aksen > tšüzütǟ ('Somebody asks' )
 * 16) In front of any indefinite voice marker the stem-vowel  a alternates with e̮  and ä alternates with e e.g. levvetǟ ('Somebody finds'  vs. levvä - the 2. person's singular imperative). This example is composed for Wikiversity and needs verification.
 * 17) Verbal stem is always in the weak grade in front of any indefinite voice marker e.g. itke̮+t'aksen > idge̮tā ('Somebody cries').

The suffix -t'aksen may have been replaced with -ta or -Da (possibly influenced by Estonian coastal dialects) e.g. vestä+t'aksen > vestetä ('Somebody whittles') Both suffixes with -sse component and without it may be found in Alutaguse runic songs, what makes it difficult to decide which option was the endemic one.
 * Alutaguse dialects
 * 1) The suffix -t'aksen has became -tasse or -tas̆se (after an unstressed syllable) e.g. tuo+t'aksen > tuasse ('Somebody brings' ) - Lüganuse dialect vs. tuo+t'aksen > tūvas̆se ('Somebody brings' ) - Iisaku dialect
 * 2) The suffix -t'aksen may substitute -t'ak suffix by negation e.g. epi tuo+t'aksen > ei tuvas̆se ('Nobody brings' ) - Lüganuse dialect
 * 3) In front of any indefinite voice marker the stem-vowel  a alternates with e̮  and ä alternates with e e.g. laula+t'aksen > laulet̆tasse ('Somebody sings') - Jõhvi dialect.
 * 4) Verbal stem is always in the weak grade in front of any indefinite voice marker e.g. keittä+t'aksen > keitet̆tässe ('Somebody boils').
 * 1) The suffix -t'aksen may have been replaced with  -tta or -t̆ta (after an unstressed syllable) (possibly influenced by Estonian coastal dialects) e.g. kisku+t'aksen > kisut̆ta ('Somebody tears' )
 * 2) The -ta component of the suffix has usually been assimilated with preceding dental consonants:  l, n, r, s, t  like the -tak infinitive e.g. me̮ttel+t'aksen > me̮ella ('Somebody thinks'), pes+t'aksen > pessäs̆se ('Somebody washes') - Lüganuse dialect.
 * 3) The -ta component of the suffix will be assimilated also with preceding stressed long (labialized) vowels and diphtongs: uo, ū, üö, ǖ like the -tak infinitive producing
 * 4) in archaic Lüganuse dialect
 * 5) uo + ta > ua
 * 6) ū + ta > ua
 * 7) üö + ta > üä
 * 8) ǖ + ta > üä
 * 9) elswhere in Alutaguse dialects
 * 10) uo + ta > ūva
 * 11) ū + ta > ūva
 * 12) üö + ta > ǖvä
 * 13) ǖ + ta > ǖvä
 * 14)  e.g.  tuo+t'aksen > tua - Lüganuse dialect ~ tūva - Jõhvi dialect ('Somebody brings' )

=== Other Finnic dialects ===


 * Standard Finnish : lue-taan ('Somebody reads.') / ei lue-ta&#x0294; ('Nobody reads.')
 * Vesjegonski Karelian dialects : lugie-tah ('Somebody reads.') / ei lugie-ta ('Nobody reads.')
 * Central Vepsian dialects : luge-das ('Somebody reads.') /
 * Hevaha Ingrian dialects : lue-Dān ('Somebody reads.') / ei lue-DaG ('Nobody reads.')
 * Standard Estonian : loe-takse ('Somebody reads.') / ei loe-ta ('Nobody reads.')
 * Räpina South Estonian dialects : loe-ttas̀ ('Somebody reads.') / ei loe-tta&#x0294; ~ loe-tta ̮ai&#x0294;  ('Nobody reads.')