‘ABOUT BALTO-FINNIC PEOPLES Most European peoples speak Indo-European languages. Thre are sill doses of maton, however, who speak languages of fern language fails. Among thse sre Fimo-Ugre peoples speaking Hungarian (15 milion people) Finns 3 milion people) and Estonian 1 milion people). Poms, Econans and other Bato Fini peoples - Livonans, Votan, Loran. Kavelians and Vopions are natives of th Eat European frst one Fr mile, ther forefathers have iad vast sesione from the Balti Ss to th Ural mountains ix he East, and the wpper reaches of the Vola [River in the South, Gradually thtr areas of habitation diminished To dae, Yoians, chris, Karclions and Vepsans have, forthe mot pat been osinlted wih Russians, who penoted int the area about a millentum ago. In adition ‘Karctns have asiniloted with Fas, and Livnans with Lavan. The mamber of people who sill speak dhe Livan and Vote languages let canbe counted on one's finger. The disappearance ofthe small Balto-Pnic nations was ‘cceleatd bythe Rassfeation policy o th Soe govern “Livonians used Yo bait he eon on the Livonia Ra) Gul tthe south of Estonia. Th founding ofthe ton of Riga nthe Dangava estar 1207, aed feet wars onthe rior nthe antares that flowed, sealed ie fate of ‘the Livonia. nti conta, he Livonia langage oul be heard only na few fing vlogs. (On the cout of the Gal of Finland, Secon Exoniz and Lake Ladoga, les Ingemanland (Inria). which was inhabited by Votan Ichorans and gran Fins, Toy, bower, thy are few ix mamber.Votans and Tshorians are natives ofthe troy, whereas Dra Ps migrated thre rm Bast Finland ve 17 century. These peoples were ‘Doomed he te new capital of Fassia, St Peeraburg Leningrad fra tne) was bl the etary of he Nev Fiver in 41705, The Vote language isl spoken by about doz people te Isoran by a couple of hundred The Ingrian Finns fare more populous Before the Second World War they numbered 130000. During the war, the inhabitants of lngermanlnd fIngri) were evacuated to Finland, Later, the Soviet gverament claimed the evacvaes back but didnt lt them ret 10 ther home villages. It war ony ltr that some Ingrian Fim were able to move sly back to Ingermanlan. The majorty, however, ste n Kreis and Exona where thir loss Kindred languages are spoken. At ‘the moment, Karas happens tobe the place where ma! Inrian Fans~aboat1800—lie rm, wit 16000 tn Estonia ‘and 13000 in Ingerman A tle Fn, tf of tom are ong thir wy bach o Pan Vepwans have rived in he creo thr native fart among swamp and bos At preset, the area Belong tothe Karlin, Leningrad and Volopéa regions of Rasta. More thn haf of the peoples lng ote former Soviet Union Vepsians nce, arent cn offal its, hich mao tht iy sed tobe rgltred as Rusians, ve or the purpose of econ Thr exact mumber therefore, ina known Aecarding the 18D census, they mambered 12,500, but the real igre might have boo nearer fo 2,000. Th 1989 consisted the mer of Kaela as 131,00. 79,000 of thn live in Kari. nthe 17 century, a lage ‘part of Karcions migrated to Rsvonstlement in the regins of Ter and Novgorod. Toda, ther are ill some 23,000 ‘Karlin acand Ter Votan, Izhrians and Livonians will evdety soon daappar from the map of he world. In this er of change, Karlians, Vpsions and Ingrian Fos have no ot succumb ond ar svg hard for national rebirth (some Vepsians ‘and ingran Finns are een scking antonony). Karena and Vepaon hae alo taken the fist tps om ther way towards ‘storing ther Standard language. Mare Solid KEY TO PRONUNCIATION Jn Ingemanland a regional varity Finish spoken. The language is pons ie the same eters re use forthe Se sound, Short nels and consonants are writen iho, ong wih ees vowels 1 sounds ike“ inthe Enlith woud “bu? : (winged pn : 7 a ° = ‘pur : x nd 3 = a SP in the German ‘aber’ or" inthe French une" y ‘CONSONANTS. Tina and nl", p° are pronounced asthe comespodingEnaish sounds- but with no aspiration. nthe middle of ‘word pi, Become weak (voles, b 2). Finish), be are always Voiced. {sound key" inthe English Word yes" satel forme wit be tp ofthe tongue “The remsining consonants re wry much te sane a in Engi Compiled by Ane Alpore