Vepsians and Veps language

Vepsians and Veps language

Karelia

Karelia (Karelian and Finnish Karjala; Russian: Карелия, Kareliya; Swedish: Karelen), the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden. It is currently divided between the Russian Republic of Karelia, the Russian Leningrad Oblast, and Finland (the regions of South Karelia and North Karelia).

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Vepsians

Veps or Vepsians are Finnic people that speak the Veps language, which belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. The self-designations of these people in various dialects are vepslaine, bepslaane, and (in northern dialects, southwest of Lake Onega) lüdinik and lüdilaine. According to the 2002 census, there were 8,240 Veps in Russia. Of the 281 Veps in Ukraine, 11 spoke Vepsian. (Ukr. Census 2001). The most prominent researcher in Finland is Eugene Holman.[5] Western Vepsians have kept their language and culture. Nowadays almost all Vepsians speak fluently in Russian. The young generation in general does not speak the language.

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Veps language

The Veps language (also known as Vepsian, natively as vepsän kel’, vepsän keli, or vepsä), spoken by the Vepsians (also known as Veps), belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic languages. Closely related to Finnish and Karelian, Veps is also written using Latin script.

According to Soviet statistics, 12 500 people were self-designated ethnic Veps at the end of 1989.

According to the location of the people, the language is divided into three main dialects: Northern Veps (at Lake Onega to the south of Petrozavodsk, to the north of the river Svir, including the former Veps National Volost), Central Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region and Vologda Oblast), and Southern Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region). The Northern dialect seems the most distinct of the three; however, it is still possible for speakers of one dialect group to understand those of another. Speakers of the Northern dialect call themselves "Ludi" (lüdikad), or lüdilaižed.

In Russia, more than 350 children learn the Vepsian language in a total of 5 national schools.[3]

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Veps proverb

@ Ed rada, ka ed śö.
Idiomatic translation: He that will not work, shall not eat.

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References

Vepsians

[1]^ Russian census 2010
[2]^ Ukrainian census 2001
[3]^ Population of Estonia by ethnic nationality, mother tongue and citizenship
[4]^ Национальный состав населения Республики Беларусь
[5]^ http://www.eng.helsinki.fi/staff/holman.html

Veps language

[1]^ http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/europe_report.html#Vepsian
[2]^ Законодательные акты: О государственной поддержке карельского, вепсского и финского языков в Республике Карелия
[3]^ http://gov.karelia.ru/News/2004/12/1209_03_e.html

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vepsians
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veps_language
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Veps_proverbs