About the material

This learning material is intended to help English-speaking learners gain a basic understanding of Olonets Karelian, also known as Livvi or Liygi. It aims to introduce Livvi grammar and vocabulary in an engaging and approachable way, hopefully making the task of learning a largely unfamiliar language feel a little less daunting for those willing to take on the challenge.

At the time of writing this, I have found that resources for learning Livvi are largely only available in Finnish or Russian. This can make the language difficult to approach for learners who speak neither language, and my goal is to make it more accessible to everyone in the world. I believe a comprehensive in-English material is a great start, considering the Lingua Franca status of the English language.

I would like to give special thanks to the brilliant L’udmila Markianova for writing the original Livvi Karelian grammatical guide which I have often referenced in writing this, as well as family and friends for helping me check various spellings and wordings.

The material is designed to be viewed on PC and laptop screens, but is usable on mobile devices as well.

What is Livvi?

Livvi is a language traditionally spoken by the Karelian population of the Olonets area of the Republic of Karelia in northwestern Russia and along the shores of Lake Ladoga. It belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family, and is closely related to for example Karelian Proper, Ludic, Veps, Finnish, and Estonian.

For much of its history Livvi was primarily a spoken language, and while written Livvi has existed for a long time, different orthographies and conventions have been used at different times and in different places. This, combined with the existence of regional varieties and the influence of neighboring languages, means that older Livvi texts can sometimes differ considerably from modern written Livvi. Consequently, some grammatical forms and conventions may not always be straightforward to categorize as belonging to a single, fixed standard. This material is written with the most modern standards in mind, but upon reading other texts it is very possible that you may stumble upon inconsistancies.

Like many other minority groups, Livvi Karelians have experienced considerable pressure to assimilate to majority cultures in both Finland and Russia. This has affected the number of speakers and the transmission of the native language between generations negatively, leading to it's current status as endangered. Due to this I believe that it is important to show pride in our language as well as to make resources like this available to anyone who may show interest, be it an estranged native or a curious foreigner.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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