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The Veps language (also known as Vepsian, natively as ''vepsän kel’, vepsän keli,'' or ''vepsä''), spoken by the Vepsians (also known as ''Veps''), belongs to the Finnic group of the Uralic languages. Closely related to Finnish and Karelian, Veps is also written using Latin script. According to Soviet statistics, 12,500 people were self-designated ethnic Veps at the end of 1989. According to the location of the people, the language is divided into three main dialects: Northern Veps (at Lake Onega to the south of Petrozavodsk, to the north of the river Svir, including the former Veps National Volost), Central Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region and Vologda Oblast), and Southern Veps (in the Saint Petersburg region). The Northern dialect seems the most distinct of the three; however, it is still mutually intelligible for speakers of Veps language. Speakers of the Northern dialect call themselves "Ludi" (''lüdikad''), or ''lüdilaižed''. In Russia, more than 350 children learn the Vepsian language in a total of 5 national schools.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=09.12.2004 - The Vepsian Culture Society in Karelia celebrates its 15th anniversary )〕 ==Classification and history== Veps is the easternmost surviving member of the Finnic languages. Having developed in relative isolation, the language lacks several features found in its relatives, such as consonant gradation and the length contrast in consonants. Original vowel length has mostly been lost as well (with the exception of Northern Veps, which retains ''ii'' and ''uu''). At the same time, it retains a number of archaic features. The closest relatives of Veps are Ludic and Livvi, which connect Veps to the wider Finnic dialect continuum. Veps shows also characteristic innovations, such as the vocalization of original syllable-final *l, and the expansion of the local case system. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Veps language」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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