Skolt Sámi (sääʹmǩiõll)

Skolt Sámi is an Eastern Sámi language with about 320 speakers in Finland and Russia. There are about 300 speakers of Skolt Sámi in Sevettijärvi (Čeʹvetjäuʹrr), a village in the municipality of Inari in northern Finland. There are also about 20 speakers of the language in the area surrounding Lake Lovozero on the Kola Peninsula in the Murmansk Oblast in the northwest of Russia.

After the Second World War Skolt Sámi people living in Finnish territory in what is now Russia were evacuated to the villages of Inari, Sevettijärvi and Nellim in the Inari municipality.

In Finland Skolt Sámi has offical recognition as one of the Sámi languages, and can be used in dealings with officialdom. It has offical status in Inari and is taught in schools there, although only a small number of students study it. There has also been an immersion programme since 1993, and since 2005 it has been possible to sit a matriculation exam in Skolt Sámi.

A quarterly magazine in Skolt Sámi, Sää´mođđâz, was publised between 1978 and 1986. Recently Skolt Sámi has been used for rock songs.

Skolt Sámi alphabet and pronunciation

The Latin orthography for Skolt Sámi was officially adopted in 1973.

Skolt Sámi alphabet

Notes

The letters q, w, x, y and ö are also used, although only in foreign words or loans.
' after vowels causes centralization, and before consonants it causes palatalization

Skolt Sámi pronunciation

Notes

cc, čč, kk, ǩǩ, pp and tt are pre-aspirated after vowels and sonorant consonants, e.g. jo'kke /jo̟ʰk̟k̟e/
Voiced stops and affricates are usually weakly voiced.
h is pronounced /h/ in initial position.
i = [j] and u [w] after vowels and at the ends of syllables

Download alphabet charts for Sámi languages (Excel)

Sample text

Mon leäm Erkki Lumisalmi šõddâm Aanar kåå'dd Njeällem siidâst. Leäm nuõrttsämlaž. Peäcc, peäccmsämlaž. Puärrâs lee puättâm Peäccmest mâŋŋa väinn ko Peäccam joouti e pet Ruõššnjânnma, nu'tt ko tõt lij leämmoški ääi jeb. Ko li'jjim u'cc pä'rnn de mij doma maainstin pâI säämas da seämma tõn siõm siidâst puk maainste säämas, nääi't ǩiõll jie'li. Puärsab olmmo maainste nubben ǩiõllân ruõššǩiõll de tõt ǩiõll še leäi tõl touddsab ko täbbe.

Source: http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szerkeszt%C5%91:Eino81/Inari_hang

Sample videos in Skolt Saami

Information about Skolt Sámi | Numbers

Links

Information about Skolt Sámi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skolt_Sami_language

Sámi languages

Akkala Sámi, Inari Saami, Kildin Sámi, Lule Sámi, Northern Sámi, Pite Sámi, Skolt Sámi, Southern Sámi, Ter Sámi, Ume Sámi

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 04.06.22

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