Livonian

[@Luischocolatier]

So a sad story... I'm learning Livonian even if I'm Spanish, ans that's because I want to keep this beautiful language alive. I pray you, everybody, to please help me to keep it alive.

[@Prussia_]

how are you doing on that language :)

[@joalexsg9741]

Oh my goodness, this is an utterly precious linguistic and cultural material! Please, don´t let this endangered lesson die!

[@VanBurenOfficial]

Livonia will live on in our hearts brothers and sisters

[@hirvaner]

I have tried to transcribe the interview. I did not understand everything, but here's what I got. I think the orthography is also off in some places. Minā um sindõn Lețmōl, Dundags pagāstõs, Zūonko kōrands. Min izā vȯļ Pētõr un jemā vȯļ Līž. Un min vȯļ ikš veļ, Jōņ. Un mēg jelīzmõ Zūonko kōrands amād sugūd. Sǟl vȯļ min izā un veļ un sõzār un munt sugūd. Un min um se bīlda ka um täsõ, siedā võiks nǟdõ, kus mēg amād ūomõ. Un sindõn tuontīdõkssadākimmõs āigastõs. Un skūolsõ lǟnd Mazirbes kilās. Aga se vȯļ set seļļi ežmiz skūol, siz tuoiz skūol vȯļ kakštuoistõn kilomētrõ mäd kūodstõ jarā, sīņõ vȯļ lēmõst amād nädīļpäuvõ. Ežmizpǟvan ku ... siz vȯļ võtāmõst [break] No sīes āigas ku minā vel lekš skūolõ, siz mäddõn līvõ kīelsõ iz ūo mitīdtõ rōntõztõ. Set siedā mis skūolmēstõr mäddõn vȯiž, kītõ, mis ta tīediz. Aga irgiji rōntõzi(?) vȯļ väg ... un nei riktigt mēg mittõ - kis ju iz mūošta līvõ kīeldõ, se iz tīeda ka midēgõst oppõ, set ne kis ... rõkāndizmõ ... võiž ... midēgõst ... oppõ. Un nei(?) ku kēratimizt(?) ... riktigt kīeldõ mitikš riktig iz tīeda, set kēratiz nei kui rõkāndiz. Vȯiž ... õigi(?)... sīel āigal või iz ūo, siedā um lǟlam kītõ. Līvõd, ežmizt līvõd ju um väg vanā, vanād rovzt, sǟl ātõ jellõnõd miernaigās ja jougīdaigās un ātõ pūŗitõnõd mier pǟlõ. Un eņtšta nǟnõd ?? rovzt ?? tōtõ mier pǟlõ ?? īend ?? un nei ku kalāmīed ka ātõ īenõd väggi veitiks. Siz näntõn äb ūo mingizt interest emīņ iļ siedā mis um vȯnd net(?) set mõtlõbõd jeddõpēḑõn ku ne võikstõ kuskis pä’zzõ kougõn un tīedõ siedā mis ne tōbõd. Ku īrgiz suodāāiga, siz amād rāndast vȯļ lēmõst jedspēḑõn. Ju siz tuļtõ zōldatõd sīņõ sillõ un mierrõ ka iz ūo emīņ, vȯi lǟdõ kalḑi vejām. Jõvīst(?), se amā rānda kabāl vȯļ seļļi kūož, kus iz lask privātrovšti sillõ ja iz ūo mingizt ... riktig mingizt vajāg. Un sīepierāst amādõn vȯļ lēmõst rāndast jarā kim kilomētõrtõ mō sizzõl(?). Translation: I am born in Latvia, in the municipality of Dundaga, at the farm Zūonko. My father was Peter and my mother was Liž. And I had one brother, Jan. And we all lived at the Zūonko farm, all relatives. There were my father, my brother and sister and the other relatives . And I also have this picture here, here it can be seen how we're all there. And born in 1910. And went to school in the village of Mazirbe. But this was only this first school, the second school then was twelve kilometers away from our home, we had to go there every weekday. On Monday when ... you had to take ... Well at that time when I went to school, then we didn't have any books in Livonian. Only what the teacher told us, could tell us, what he knew. But beginner's books were very ... and we didn't properly - if you don't understand Livonian, you can not learn anything, because those who ... we spoke ... could ... anything ... learn. And like to write ... proper language no one really knew and one just wrote like one spoke. Whether this was right or wrong at that time, that is difficult to say. The Livonians, the first Livonians, are a very old, old people, there they have lived at the seaside and beside rivers and have sailed the sea. And self seen ... people ... want to the sea ... remained ... and because the fishermen have become very small in number. They are no longer interested in what has been and they just think further that they could go somewhere far away and do what they want to. When the war time began, the whole coast line had to be left. And then the soldiers came here and you could not go to the sea anymore, could not go fishing. Well, the whole coast was such a place where civilians were not let in and there was no ... proper anything needed. And therefore everyone had to go away from the coast ten kilometers into the land.

[@elalliance]

Thank you so much, Hirvaner!

[@olliek7601]

Great work! Unsurpisingly, I recognize the same words as you. Or maybe there is one sentence I can add more words: set ne kis [kuonnõ = at home] rõkāndizmõ [ne võižtõ = they could] midēgõst [ie-oppõ = "learn" with Latvian verb prefix ie-]. And perhaps there was "võiž vȱlda õigistiz ja ka või iz ūo, siedā um lǟlam kītõ", õigistiz = correctly

[@MegaPlexy]

The English translation texts are not following her. In the beginning, she speaks about her brother and other siblings.

[@makermeeter7562]

Can confirm this. I am a Finnish speaker. Though I can only understand a little but I can still understand that the text is definitely not following her that well.

[@saimaleon5638]

@@makermeeter7562 As an Estonian speaker I found it annoying too that the English "translation" barely touched on what she actually said.

[@legjobb1]

Yo también. I have a Livonian antique grammar book and dictionary in German language, plus I study even Latvian, too, next of reading Estonian newspapers, just for the sake I can keep this beautiful code alive as well as getting more data about it. The Livonian won't die out; I don't let it happen either, don't worry please. Nevertheless, it's good to know about people who are thinking similarly. Greetings from Hungary! ^^

[@unixlv708]

Én pedig a te nyelvedet tanulok, egy finn vagyok

[@legjobb1]

@@unixlv708 De klassz. And, this way also your dmn (default mode network) gets a revamp, too, you can reinforce your brain’s plasticity in adulthood, id est jailbreak the effects of your mother-tongue’s wiring. Your personality becomes even more substrate-independent. Toivon sinulle paljon menestystä!

[@unixlv708]

@@legjobb1 Aitäh, ma soovin teile õnne eesti keele õppimisega ka (don’t know if that was correct.) And actually, I’m not an adult. But yeah, I agree that learning language really developes your brains, especially if the language is not close in relation and in grammar, because makes you to have to think in a completely new way in many things. I think Hungarian is still relatively easy (still a unique and interesting language in a good way), especially when I speak an agglutinating language plus there are many similarities between my and your languages. But let’s look at for example the Yupik or the Nuxalk language, at least to me, they look quite hard. But anyways, have a good day. (for me it’s actually night soon).

[@legjobb1]

@@unixlv708 Tänan vihje eest. Jah, take a closer look at my icon here. ;) I love eesti keele and its contemporary abstract impressionist paintings, too (e.g. my all time favourite is Kelli Gedvil’s Seaside I, yay). About those very hard but beautiful unique languages you mention, I completely agree. I also was blown away just by the fact theatre plays have been created in ancient South America in the same period as the ancient Greeks created Odyssey, yet in Europe you can’t read anything about that, only if you start to learn Quetchua the hard way and happen to delve into their literary treasure. (This language is also pretty hard in their finesse.) There is also the distinction between tapasztalat & élmény, or reality vs Reality, or Traum/Trauma. Language learning helps you to achieve goals you never ever have dreamed of it before. Soovin sulle kõike head.

[@csundita]

May she rest in peace.

[@juha-lassitast4628]

I was born in Latvia, in Dundaga, in the parish, in the house of Zuonko. My father was Peter, and mother was Leef, and I had one brother, Jon. And we lived in the house of Zuonko, all the relatives. (1.16) There was my father’s brother, and sister, and even other relatives. And I have even the picture here, it could be seen where we all are. (1.35) And I was born in the year of 1910. And gone to school in Mazirbe, in the village. But that was only such a first school. (2.04) Then the other school was 12 kilometers from our home away. There had to go all week-days. On Monday when we went, then one had to take. (2.23) Well, at the time when I yet went to school, then we did not have a single book in Livonian, only that what the school-master could say to us, what he knew. (2.42) But when the book began, it was very late. And so really, as who did not know the Livonian language, did not even know anything to learn. (3.02) Only they, we who spoke Livonian at home, they could something JIELPÕ. And when writing correctly the language, nobody really knew, only wrote as one spoke, if that was correct then or if not, it is difficult to say. (3.31) The Livonians, the first Livonians indeed is a very old, old people, there have lived at the sea coast, and at the river coasts. And they have sailed on the sea, and seen themselves. (3.56) But young people any more do not want so much to go on the sea, and, as even the fishermen have become very few. Then they do not have any more interest of that which has been. (4.16) They only think forward, that they could somewhere get further, and do that what they want. (4.29) When the war time began, then all had to go from the coast away. Because then came the soldiers there in, and to the sea one could not even any more go, to catch fish. (4.50) Because the whole stretch of coast was such a place where did not let private people in. And there was really not need of anything. (5.14) And therefore all had to go from the coast away, 10 kilometres inland. (5.28)

[@saimaleon5638]

Appreciate your translation. Pretty close to Estonian.

[@hirvaner]

Great translation! I suspect that at the point where you wrote JIELPÕ she's saying "ieoppõ", so oppõ with a latvian prefix.

[@juha-lassitast4628]

@@hirvaner You are right, Johannes. Thank you for the completion. I met Grizelda Kristina in Mazirbe (Ire), Livonian coast, in August, 1992, when she was 82, and paying a visit to her native places. She mastered well her mother tongue, as this recording also shows, although she had lived in Canada since the WW II. A special thing in her Livonian was the word "nice" that she used frequently. This was something that could not be heard from the Livonians who lived in Latvia.

[@maijadanilovawest1222]

Thank you so much for this.

[@marinahennies4459]

rest in peace

[@freddy909ful]

If we hadnt been conquered by Russia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany. I think that Livonia and livonian would have been spoken today. No offense to the countries i know its history but so much could be different for us.

[@georgegordonbrown9522]

It´s funny you didn´t mention the Latvians.

[@valt8025]

I am learning livonian

[@tuntematonolematon2727]

LIVONIAN IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD.

[@Luischocolatier]

Oh, thanks!!!!! It's great to know that I'm not the only one! I wish I could use that German dictionary, but as I can't speak German...

[@SebastianMaki]

I don't know if the names are written correctly at all but in the beginning she is saying I was born in Leppmaa(or somewhere that sounds like Leppmaa) My father was Peter and mother was Liif and I had one brother Joon (something I could not understand: "un mei kialisma zvong koorent. anat suvut") Säävoi, my father's brother and daughter and my relatives. (something I could not understand: onwynäncä iltaka on tässä zeta voiks näätö kuus me kama tuomaa) and I was born in 1910

[@timomastosalo]

un mei kialisma zvong koorent. anat suvut - something further about the family, the kin - suvut - would be a from of the word kin, or the bigger family than the core family. Starts maybe: And in our language ...

[@saimaleon5638]

Juha-Lassi translated it perfectly at the beginning of the thread.

[@MegaFukuoka]

The intonation is perfectly Latvian but sounds like nonsense to a Latvian if one does do not know Livonian. :)

[@traktortarik8224]

RIP Livonian :((

[@tuntematonolematon2727]

No "RIP Livonian*!!! Livonian alive forever.

[@karleduard7725]

She speak and answer in latvian or livonian?

[@JukkaX]

In livonian. She speax about school ( the1st slide in the video) from about 2:05 I'm Finnish and I understand some parts very well.

[@PedroPaulo-ij5id]

JukkaX awesome :D

[@karkkimarkkinat2109]

@@JukkaX hittolainen ei meikä kyllä tosta paljoo ymmärtänyt, jokunen sana siellä täällä. Ymmärtäisköhän virolaiset paremmin? 🤔

[@sbydri]

@Kristian yeah, Estonian here, it sounds a lot like an Estonian dualect but then its suddenly gibberish again, then sounds like Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish.

[@nikita2174]

@@sbydri lol it doesn’t sound Lithuanian or Polish at all. It sounds like Estonian with Latvian accent

[@Russian220088]

RIP

[@tuntematonolematon2727]

THIS LANGUAGE WILL NOT DIE!!!!!!!!!!

[@legolaz77]

war time, "soda aega" in finnish sota-aika.