Saami, North
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Fact corner
- Language: Saami, North
- Alternate names: "Northern Lappish", "Norwegian Lapp", Saami, Same,
Samic, "Lapp", Northern Saami, Davvisápmi, Davvisámi, Davvisaami
- SIL-code: Ethnologue:sme
- Language family: Uralic, Sami, Western, Northern
- Number of speakers: 21,000
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Introduction
Northern or North Sami is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. The speaking area of Northern Sami covers the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland as well as northwestern parts of Russia.
The Verb
The verbs have four moods: Indicative (declarative function), imperative (Mana! 'go!', mannot 'let's go'), potential (manaz*an 'I may go') and conditional (manas*in 'I would go; (if) I went'). The actor is expressed by personal endings, including separate endings for three persons (1st, 2nd and 3rd) in three numbers (singular, dual and plural).
Sample verb: bargat to work
| Indicative | ||
| Present | Preterite | |
| Sg.1 | barggan | bargen |
| Sg.2 | barggat | barget |
| Sg.3 | bargá | barggai |
| Du.1 | barge | barggaime |
| Du.2 | bargabeahtti | barggaide |
| Du.3 | bargaba | barggaiga |
| Pl.1 | bargat | barggaimet |
| Pl.2 | bargabehtet | barggaidet |
| Pl.3 | barget | barge |
The verbs are inflected also in a simple past (preterite) tense (mun mannen 'I went' don mannet 'you (1) went' etc.) as well as perfect (xxxx) and pluperfect (xxxx).
References
- http://www4.ur.se/gulahalan/(approve sites)