User:Neitrāls vārds/Livonian conjugation

1

• jellõ
• jelā
• jelīz
• jel

Is the short root really used in subjunctive negative singular? (how can it be told apart from indicative then.)

What form of the base verb is used in quotative negative and jussive negative?

Key for Viitso's conjugation table

A 1999 dictionary has the same table as LEL but with full names (in Latvian) which are translated here.

• InfInf – nenoteiksme – infinitive
• Ger – nelokāmais divdabis – ("indeclinable participle") apparently gerund
• Sup – supīns – supine
• IndPr3 – īstenības izteiksmes tagadnes vienskaitļa 3. persona – indicative present sg. 3rd pers.
• IndPr2Pl – same as above but pl. 2nd person
• IndIpf3 indicative past sg. 3rd person
• IndIpf2-3Pl 10 indicative past plural 3rd person
• IndSgK 11 indicative singular negation
• Knd3 12 conditional singualr 3rd person
• Imp2 13 imperative sg. 2nd person
• Imp2K 14 imperative sg. 2nd person negation
• Imp2Pl 15 imperative plural 2nd
• JusSg 16 jussive singular 3rd person
• KvoSg 17 quotative singular 3rd
• AktPtPpSg 4 declinable active past participle
• PsPtPp 5 declinable passive participle

The table on LEL has one less column 3rd pl. Almost always it is derived by adding plural -õd ending to 3rd sg. however there are some cases (­~4) with grade shift e.g. lāngõb – langõbõd, ōŗõb – ouŗõbõd. Perhaps an irregularity of one specific dialect that Viitso decided to abandon?

Conjugation example (with grade shift)

andõ give likkõ move

Present

ma āndab   mēg āndam
sa āndad   tēg āndat
ta āndab   ne  āndabõd

ma likūb   mēg likkõm
sa likūd   tēg likkõt
ta likūb   ne  likkõbõd

Past

ma āndiz   mēg āndizmõ
sa āndizt  tēg āndiztõ
ta āndiz   ne  āndiztõ

ma likīz   mēg likīzmõ
sa likīzt  tēg likīztõ
ta likīz   ne likīztõ

Conditional

ma āndaks   mēg āndaksmõ
sa āndakst  tēg āndakstõ
ta āndaks   ne  āndakstõ

ma likkõks  mēg likkõksmõ
sa likkõkst tēg likkõkstõ
ta likkõks  ne  likkõkstõ

Negation word

In indicative it is conjugated in present and past. In conditional quotative and jussive one uses the negation word in present.

Present

ma äb mēg äb
sa äd tēg ät
ta äb ne  äb

Past

ma iz  mēg iz
sa izt tēg izt
ta iz  ne  izt

The base verb doesn't change for time, it doesn't change (in any of the 3 persons?) in singular together with negation word its root is used which is monosyllabic vowel root, weak grade a root or in other cases consonant root:

In plural base verb acquires personal endings of indicative and conditional (the latter apparently *when* it's used in conditional negative?)

Present

ma äb jūo mēg äb jūomõ
sa äd jūo tēg ät jūotõ accord. to viitso yes
ta äb jūo ne  äb jūobõd if õd plural of 3rd.sg. then yes

Past

ma iz  jūo  mēg iz  jūomõ
sa izt jūo  tēg izt jūotõ
ta iz  jūo  ne  izt jūobõd

Conditional

ma äb jūo mēg äb jūoksmõ
sa äd jūo tēg ät jūokstõ
ta äb jūo ne  äb jūokstõ

Present

ma äb ānda mēg äb āndam
sa äd ānda tēg ät āndat
ta äb ānda ne  äb āndabõd

Past

ma iz  ānda  mēg iz  āndam
sa izt ānda  tēg izt āndat
ta iz  ānda  ne  izt āndabõd

Conditional

ma äb ānda mēg äb āndaksmõ
sa äd ānda tēg ät āndakstõ
ta äb ānda ne  äb āndakstõ

Other forms

Unlike other Finnic languages Livonian verbs don't have a specific impersonal form. Impersonal constructs are communicated with the 3rd person form of the respective mood. (läbūd rabīz vizzõ the windows were shut closed); if more than one agent is suspected 3rd person plural form can be used (läbūd rabīztõ vizzõ).

Indicative mood has two regular simple tenses: present and past.

In addition in the 1st (and less often 3rd) person a form without an ending can be used that expresses all tenses (past. present, future) for example in a general description (spīģiji päärla, ammõ krāsõ ta laistõ – "shiny pearl, glistening in every color," cf., nei ku touvotēģ ta laistõb – "like a star in the sky it is glistening [right now]" Or retelling memories Ma nustā jālga ilzõ, ma nää, ku minnõn pizār um akkõn jālga jūrõ... – "I'm lifting my leg and I see that I have a leech attached to my leg..." Minā ak kriukõm, ma krīukõb nei jen kildzistiz. – "I start to scream. I'm screaming so loud." Jemā kītõb, mis sa krīukõd, tul, ma võtāb jarā. – "Mother says 'why are you screaming, come, I will get it off.'" Nu ma nei määdlõb, jemā võtāb päästõ krīzdag moozõ un võtīz se pizār minnõn jālga jūstõ jarā. – "Well I remember it like that, mother takes her headscarf off un takes the leech off my leg." Agā ma nää, ku tulāv vier sīest jālgast ulzõ. Ma ak tegīž kriukõm. Un ma krīukõb. – "But I see that blood starts coming out of this leg. I start to scream again. And I scream."

Indicative present and past as well as in conditional singular 1st and 3rd person forms have merged. ma nääb I see ta nääb. ma kei I went ta kei he went ma võtāks I would take ta võtāks he would take

Indicative present and conditional plural 2nd and 3rd person forms have merged tēg keitõ you went ne keitõ they went; tēg võtākstõ you would take ne võtākstõ they would take.

Indicative past some verbs in some persons have retained an a in ending lkšmā we went, lekštā you went sāima we got, sāita you got; more regular forms are lekšmõ : lekštõ, saimõ : saitõ.

Indicative past has the most ways of being marked: -ž (vīž "carried, brought away" toož "wanted" võiž "could, was able to"), -īz (piezīz "washed," võtīz "took"), -iz (neiz "saw", sīndiz "was born" kēratiz "wrote"), -i (sai "got", tuoi "brought here"), softening (vo.ļ "was", tuļ "came", paņ "put")

Spoken Livonian transcript

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeEgxHEpL2w

I was born in Latvia, in Dundaga parish, in Zonki homestead/farm, my father was Pētõr (~ Pēteris) and mother was Līž (~ Līze/Elizabete) and I had one brother – Jooņ (Jānis) and we lived in Zonki homestead/farm, all relatives/whole family.

There was my father and brother and sister and other relatives and I ?????? And I was born in 1910 and I went to school in Mazirbe village but it was only this first school, then the other school was 12 kilometers ??? away ??? there I had to see(?) for entire week, the first day (Monday?) ??? ??? I had to take... [cuts off]

Well, in this year, when I still went to school, then we ??? up didn't have a single book only high school principal could ??? us one, that he knew ??? book was very ???

And so ??? we ??? who already don't speak the Livonian language ??? also don't know any ??? only they who speak at home ??? ??? ??? ???

Livonians... The first Livonians ??? is very old... ancient peoples ??? lived on sea coast and banks of rivers and were ??? on sea and their boobs(?), but ??? peoples

Minā um sindõn Letjmool, Dundags pagastõs, Zuonku koorands, min izā voļ Pētõr un jemā voļ Līž un min (minnõn?) voļ ikš veļ Jooņ un mēg jelīzmõ Zuonku koorands, amād sugūti(?).

Saeae voļ min izā un(?) veļ un sõzār un vel munt sugūti un minnõn ?????? un ma um sindõn tuont īdõkssadā kimmõs āigastõs un skūols laeaend Mazirbes kilās agā se voļ set seļļi ežmi skūol, siz tuoi skūol voļ kakštuoistõn kilomettõr met ??? jarā ??? sīņõ voļ naeaemõst amād naedīļ paeael, ežmis paeaevan ??? ??? voļ võtāmõst...

Nu sīes āigasts, ku minā vel lekš skūolõ, siz maddõn ??? ilzõ iz ūo mittõ īdtõ roontõst(õ) set sidāmiskūolmeistar maeddõn võiž īdtõ, mis ta tīediz agā ku īrgiz? roontõz voļ vaeggi ???

Un nei ??? mēg ??? kis jo iz mūoštõ līvõ kīeldõ ??? tīeda ka mittõ ??? set ne, kis kuonnõ rõkāndizmõ ??? ??? ??? ??? up to 3:33

Līvõdd... Ežmis līvõd ??? um vaeggi vanā... vanād rovzt ??? jellonõd mier aigās, ja jougīd aigās un ātõ ???? mier paeael un eņšt(ta)naeaenad, bet ??? rovzt

Something understandable starts at around 4:50 again