# Votian/Present Tense Indefinite Voice
## Indefinite voice

The indefinite voice describes an action without giving any information about it's agent. Hence a present tense indefinite expression like juvvaz could be translated approximately as: "Somebody drinks!". We don't bother ourselves clarifying, who is drinking.
| Mood | Negation verb | Main verb ending |
| Present tense indicative | | -t'aksen |
| Present tense indicative negation | epi | -t'ak |
* The -t'ak suffix is composed of an indefinite voice marker -tta and a present tense marker -k.
But it seems to have been replaced with the -tak infinitive by metanalysis. See the morphophonology chapter below.
* The *-t'aksen suffix was composed of the previous one and 3. person's singular hen.
** The ks cluster was replaced later with ss both in Votian (like) dialects of Ingria and Estonia hence producing -t'aksen > -tassen.

### Morphophonology

* The final -k is pronounced as -G only in Eastern Votic dialect e.g. ep tuллaG ('Nobody comes'). All the other dialects both in Ingria and Estonia have lost the phoneme *k in the end of words e.g. ep tuллa.
* The final -n was pronounced as a prolongation of the preceding vowel e.g. pan+t'aksen > pannassē̮ ('Somebody puts' - Pontizõõ dialect ).
** In Votian like dialects of Estonia the long vowels without primary stress have been shortened (influenced by Mid Estonian dialect) e.g. süö+t'aksen > süässe ('Somebody eats.' - Lüganuse dialect).
The vowel a alternates with ä and e̮ alternates with e according to vowel harmony rules.
* pan+t'aksen > pannassē̮ ('Somebody puts' ) - Pontizõõ dialect
* pes+t'aksen > pesässē ('Somebody washes' ) - Pontizõõ dialect
* The -ta component of the suffix has usually been assimilated with preceding dental consonants: l, л, n, r, s, t like the -t'ak infinitive e.g. epi tuл+t'ak > ep tuллaG ('Nobody comes').
* The -ta component of the suffix will be assimilated also with preceding stressed long (labialized) vowels: o, u, ö, y like the -t'ak infinitive producing:
** ō + ta > uvva
** ū + ta > uvva
** ȫ + ta > üvvä
** ǖ + ta > üvvä
*** e.g. jō+t'aksen > juvvassa ('Somebody drinks').
* The -ta component of the suffix will lose it's t after unstressed vowels like the -tak infinitive e.g. se̮ve̮tta+t'aksen > se̮ve̮ttāssē̮ ('Somebody dresses') - Pontizõõ dialect.
* Indefinite voice suffixes take a consonant stem if available.
* But verbal stem is always in the same grade as the -tak infinitive and plural of the second person imperative.
** лuke̮assa ('Somebody reads.') ~ лuke̮a ('to read') ~ лuke̮gā ('Read!' - plural) X лuge̮G ('Read!' - singular)
** vs. magatassa ('Somebody sleeps.') ~ magata ('to sleep') ~ magatkā ('Sleep!' - plural) X makā ('Sleep!' - singular)
It seems to be a metanalytic feature, because a verbal stem is always in the weak grade in front of any indefinite voice marker in other Baltic-Finnic dialects.

#### Dialectal alternatives

* Dialectal alternatives of the negation verb epi were described in the lesson about present tense negation e.g. ep tuллa vs. ei tulla ('Nobody comes.') .
* In Ingria:
* Eastern Votic dialect
** The final -k is pronounced as -G e.g. eb e̮ллaG.
** The geminated ss is degeminated e.g. kutsu+t'aksen > kutsuasē̮ ('Somebody invites' ).
* Western
** Hill Votic dialect: Kattila and surroundings
*** The suffix -t'aksen has became -tassa or -tässä according to vowel harmony rules e.g. ripussa+t'aksen > ripussāssa ('Somebody hangs' ) vs. repi+t'aksen > repiässä ('Somebody tears' )
*** The suffix -t'aksen may have lost its final syllable and became -tas̄ or -täs̄ according to vowel harmony rules e.g. лauлa+t'aksen > лauлās̄ ('Somebody sings')
** Valley Votic dialect: Mati and surroundings
*** The suffix -t'aksen has became -taz or -täz according to vowel harmony rules e.g. sȫ + t'aksen > süvväz ('Somebody eats' ) vs. ve̮tta+t'aksen > ve̮ttāz ('Somebody takes' )
*** The suffix -t'aksen may still occur with it's final syllable e.g. -taze̮ or -täze according to vowel harmony rules.
** Pontizõõ dialect
*** The suffix -t'aksen has became -tassē̮ or -tässē according to vowel harmony rules e.g. pan+t'aksen > pannassē̮ ('Somebody puts' ) vs. pes+t'aksen > pesässē ('Somebody washes' )
** Vaipooli
*** Jõgõperä dialect
**** The suffix -t'aksen has been replaced with -tā or -tǟ (influenced by Ingrian dialects) e.g. лauлo+t'aksen > лauлotā ('Somebody sings') vs. tšüsü+t'aksen > tšüzütǟ ('Somebody asks' )
**** In front of any indefinite voice marker the stem-vowel a alternates with e̮ and ä alternates with e e.g. levvetǟ ('Somebody finds' vs. levvä - the 2. person's singular imperative). This example is composed for Wikiversity and needs verification.
**** Verbal stem is always in the weak grade in front of any indefinite voice marker e.g. itke̮+t'aksen > idge̮tā ('Somebody cries').
* Alutaguse dialects
* The suffix -t'aksen has became -tasse or -tas̆se (after an unstressed syllable) e.g. tuo+t'aksen > tuasse ('Somebody brings' ) - Lüganuse dialect vs. tuo+t'aksen > tūvas̆se ('Somebody brings' ) - Iisaku dialect
** The suffix -t'aksen may substitute -t'ak suffix by negation e.g. epi tuo+t'aksen > ei tuvas̆se ('Nobody brings' ) - Lüganuse dialect
* In front of any indefinite voice marker the stem-vowel a alternates with e̮ and ä alternates with e e.g. laula+t'aksen > laulet̆tasse ('Somebody sings') - Jõhvi dialect.
* Verbal stem is always in the weak grade in front of any indefinite voice marker e.g. keittä+t'aksen > keitet̆tässe ('Somebody boils').
The suffix -t'aksen may have been replaced with -ta or -Da (possibly influenced by Estonian coastal dialects) e.g. vestä+t'aksen > vestetä ('Somebody whittles')
* The suffix -t'aksen may have been replaced with -tta or -t̆ta (after an unstressed syllable) (possibly influenced by Estonian coastal dialects) e.g. kisku+t'aksen > kisut̆ta ('Somebody tears' )
* The -ta component of the suffix has usually been assimilated with preceding dental consonants: l, n, r, s, t like the -tak infinitive e.g. me̮ttel+t'aksen > me̮ella ('Somebody thinks'), pes+t'aksen > pessäs̆se ('Somebody washes') - Lüganuse dialect.
* The -ta component of the suffix will be assimilated also with preceding stressed long (labialized) vowels and diphtongs: uo, ū, üö, ǖ like the -tak infinitive producing
** in archaic Lüganuse dialect
*** uo + ta > ua
*** ū + ta > ua
*** üö + ta > üä
*** ǖ + ta > üä
** elswhere in Alutaguse dialects
*** uo + ta > ūva
*** ū + ta > ūva
*** üö + ta > ǖvä
*** ǖ + ta > ǖvä
**** e.g. tuo+t'aksen > tua - Lüganuse dialect ~ tūva - Jõhvi dialect ('Somebody brings' )
Both suffixes with -sse component and without it may be found in Alutaguse runic songs, what makes it difficult to decide which option was the endemic one.

### Other Finnic dialects

* Standard Finnish : lue-taan ('Somebody reads.') / ei lue-taʔ ('Nobody reads.')
* Vesjegonski Karelian dialects : lugie-tah ('Somebody reads.') / ei lugie-ta ('Nobody reads.')
* Central Vepsian dialects : luge-das ('Somebody reads.') /
* Hevaha Ingrian dialects : lue-Dān ('Somebody reads.') / ei lue-DaG ('Nobody reads.')
* Standard Estonian : loe-takse ('Somebody reads.') / ei loe-ta ('Nobody reads.')
* Räpina South Estonian dialects : loe-ttas̀ ('Somebody reads.') / ei loe-ttaʔ ~ loe-tta ̮aiʔ ('Nobody reads.')