Preservation of Malenian language

[Sandis]

Malenians live on the border with Estonia. They speak Malenian language which is recognized as part of Latgalian language (dialect), although it has a different pronunciation and they were separated from Latgalians some centuries.
Malenians mean "outsiders" in Latvian.
There are just a few hundred pure Malenian speakers left because Latvian literary language displaces it, however there are several thousand who speak Latvian with Malenian pronunciation or Malenian mixed with Latvian literary.
Children learn literary language in schools. Some time ago many were ashamed when they went to Riga and spoke with Malenian accent. It is immediately recognizable.
Even today some are ashamed for their accent, what is absurd.
There is a movement for language preservation: voluntary Malenian language school and camps. A Malenian dictionary has been created in collaboration with senior students. Unfortunately younger people are less interested.

Here is a video with Malenian speech. This man from 9:10 has very strong and pure Malenian pronunciation. He is 1/2 Malenian and 1/2 Estonian and lives near the border.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV_g8tORzkQ&t=547s

Sample from Malenian school with discussions for correct Malenian word pronunciation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIdH2mjX30E

In this video from 21:40 woman says that in Estonian Võru region their local dialect is taught in public schools, but it does not happen in Latvia and many dialects are forgotten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSwbSFxognY

All sources are in Latvian and Malenian.

https://i.ibb.co/5rL6r4q/Maliena.png

[Satem]

I didn't know such language exists

Very interesting thread, sounds to me like Latvian with Estonian/Finnish pronounciation

[Sandis]

I didn't know such language exists

Very interesting thread, sounds to me like Latvian with Estonian/Finnish pronounciation

Yes, for me it also sounds like Latvian with Estonian/Finnish pronounciation. Probably because this region was inhabited by many Estonians who converted to Latvian.
I can talk a bit with Malenian pronunciation, but not as good as in childhood.
It would be interesting what our Finnish members would say about Malenian pronunciation. How Finno-Ugric it sounds to them?

[El_Jibaro]

Fascinating, thanks for sharing.

[Sandis]

Malenian language most likely has a strong influence from both Võro and Leivu, which are dialects of South Estonian language (Leivu like Lutsi and Kraasna is not survived to the present day):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauja_Estonians

Map from 17th-19th century.
https://i.ibb.co/PcMLbXy/EST.jpg

[Komintasavalta]

Malenia sounds like the name of an evil country, similar to Mordovia.

They are fitting names for uncharted lands populated by wild Easterling tribes.


Here is a video with Malenian speech. This man from 9:10 has very strong and pure Malenian pronunciation. He is 1/2 Malenian and 1/2 Estonian and lives near the border.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV_g8tORzkQ&t=547s

Lol, he stresses the first syllable of words really strongly.

Even regular Latvian sounds kinda like Finnic languages, because it has fixed word-initial stress. In WALS, the only IE languages of Europe which are classified as having fixed initial stress are Latvian, Czech, Slovak, Sorb, Icelandic, Faroese, Irish, Gaelic (Scots), and Manx (https://wals.info/feature/14A#5/61.815/6.416):

https://i.ibb.co/Snfs4xd/20210716190623.jpg

[Sandis]

Malenia sounds like the name of an evil country, similar to Mordovia.

They are fitting names for uncharted lands populated by wild Easterling tribes.


Name Malenia was used partly in derogatory sense. There were much satire about Malenians.
In the past it was used for all the farthest eastern places of Vidzeme, but now Malenia is only region on the Estonian border where the Malenian language exists.