North Sámi (davvisámegiella/sámegiella)

North Sámi or North Sámi is a Western Sámi language spoken by about 15-25,000 people in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

North Sámi was first documented in a grammar and dictionaries published in the mid-18th century by Knud Leem. The current orthography for North Sámi developed from the spelling system developed by Rasmus Rask and first published in 1832. Rask worked on the prinple of one letter per sound. Separate orthographies developed in Norway, Sweden and Finland, but the systems used in Norway and Sweden were combined from 1948, and an official orthography for use in all three countries was adopted in 1979, and last modified in 1985.

North Sámi alphabet and pronunciation

North Sámi alphabet

North Sámi pronunciation

Notes

b, d and g are unvoiced at the beginning of words
i = [j] when followed by a vowel
á = [a] before htt, hpp, hkk, hcc or hčč
d = [ð] between 2nd & 3rd syllables
t = [ʰt] when at the end of a word, but when a word ending in t is in the middle of a sentence, the t is dropped. For example, Bures dat manná [b̥ures d̥ah manna:]
p, t & k are often pre-aspriated after vowels, e.g. dat = [d̥aʰt]
A schwa (ə) can be added when a consonant is followed by two consonants, e.g. golbma = [g̥oləbma], and is always added between lg, rd, rv; e.g. olgun [oləg̥u:n]

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Sample text

Buot olbmot leat riegádan friddjan ja olmmošárvvu ja olmmošvuoigatvuoðaid dáfus dássásažžab, Sudhuude kea addib huervnu ha ianedivdym ha vyigjat gakget neabbydut gyunnuudeaset gyivdy vuekhakaš vuoiŋŋain.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Tower of Babel in North Sámi | Numbers in North Sámi