Ingrian language facts for kids

Ingrian, also known as Izhorian, is a special language spoken in a part of Russia called Ingria. This area is located on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. Ingrian is a Finnic language, which means it's related to languages like Finnish and Estonian.

Sadly, the Ingrian language is almost gone. Only about 142 people speak it as their first language. Most of these speakers are elderly people. This makes it a very rare and endangered language.

What is Ingrian Language?

The Ingrian language is very similar to the eastern dialects of Finnish. Over time, it has also been in close contact with the languages spoken by its neighbors, the Votes and the Finns. Because of this, these languages have influenced each other. They have shared words and ways of speaking.

Since the 1930s, the Russian language has also had a big impact on Ingrian. This influence can be seen in the words Ingrian uses, how words are pronounced, and even in its grammar rules.

A Brief History of Ingrian Writing

For a short time, between 1932 and 1937, the Ingrian language had its own way of being written down. This writing system used the Latin alphabet, which is the same alphabet English uses. During this period, several school books and a grammar book were created for Ingrian.

The language was even taught in schools in certain areas, like the Soikono Peninsula and near the Luda River. This was a time when the language was being officially supported.

When Writing Ingrian Was Forbidden

Unfortunately, things changed quickly in 1937. The government made it against the rules to write in Ingrian. The Ingrian, or Izhorian, people faced very difficult times. They, along with many other groups, were treated unfairly by the government. This made it very hard for the language to survive and be passed down to younger generations.

See also

• Idioma ingrio para niños (in Spanish)