Between Ingrian and Votic: More marginal than core consonants in Lower Luga Ingrian (Finnic)

Kuznetsova, Natalia (2026) Between Ingrian and Votic: More marginal than core consonants in Lower Luga Ingrian (Finnic). ACTA LINGUISTICA ACADEMICA, 73 (2). pp. 286-326. ISSN 2559-8201

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Abstract

The paper provides a detailed fieldwork-based comparative analysis of the consonant systems of three cognate Finnic varieties: Soikkola Ingrian, Lower Luga Ingrian, and Lower Luga Votic, conducted along unified principles. Consonants are divided into core (appearing in native non-expressive lexicon), robust marginal, and unstable marginal. The consonant inventories of Soikkola Ingrian (North Finnic) and Lower Luga Votic (South Finnic) are different as regards contrasts based on duration and voicing, s/ʃ distinctions, affricates, and palatalised consonants. Still, both varieties contain more core phonemes than marginal phonemes. Lower Luga Ingrian is a convergent variety formed in contact between the Votes and the Ingrians. Its consonant system is closer to that of Lower Luga Votic, but the inventory of core consonants is simplified in comparison with both Soikkola Ingrian and Votic. As an outcome, in Lower Luga Ingrian, marginal consonants outnumber core consonants, which is cross-linguistically rare. However, the system appears unstable and transitory.

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