Liv
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Fact corner
- Language: Liv
- Alternate names: Livonian, Līvõ kēļ
- SIL-code: Ethnologue:liv
- Language family: Uralic, Finnic
- Number of speakers: 15-20
- Script: Latin script
Introduction
Liv is a moribund language now spoken by some 35 people, of whom only 10 are fluent. It is closely related to Estonian. The native land of the Livonian people is Livonia, located in Latvia, north of the Kurzeme peninsula.
The alphabet
The Livonian alphabet is a hybrid which mixes Latvian and Estonian orthography.
A/a, Ā/ā, Ä/ä, Ǟ/ǟ, B/b, D/d, Ḑ/ḑ, E/e, Ē/ē, F/f, G/g, H/h, I/i, Ī/ī, J/j, K/k, L/l, Ļ/ļ, M/m, N/n, Ņ/ņ, O/o, Ō/ō, Ȯ/ȯ, Ȱ/ȱ, Õ/õ, Ȭ/ȭ, P/p, R/r, Ŗ/ŗ, S/s, Š/š, T/t, Ț/ț, U/u, Ū/ū, V/v, Z/z, Ž/ž
The Verb
Sample verb: mōļtõ 'to paint'
| Affirmative | Negative | |
| Sg.1 | mōļtõb | äb mōļt |
| Sg.2 | mōļtõd | äd mōļt |
| Sg.3 | mōļtõb | äb mōļt |
| Pl.1 | mōļtõm | äb mōļtõm |
| Pl.2 | mōļtõt | ät mōļtõt |
| Pl.3 | mōļtõbõd | äb mōļtõt |