Using The Neahttadigisánit Dictionary To Translate Sami Texts
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Translating Sami texts requires a dictionary that understands how the language actually works.
Sami languages are highly inflected, meaning words change shape depending on their role in a sentence.
This makes standard dictionaries frustrating for beginners because words in a text rarely look like their dictionary base forms.
The Neahttadigisánit dictionary solves this problem entirely.
I’ll show you exactly how to use this powerful tool to translate Sami texts efficiently.
Table of contents:
What is Neahttadigisánit?
Neahttadigisánit is an intelligent online dictionary created by researchers at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
It currently supports several Sami regional variations, including North Sami, Lule Sami, South Sami, and Inari Sami.
The main advantage of this dictionary is its built-in morphological analyzer.
This means the dictionary recognizes a word no matter how much its ending has changed.
If you type a conjugated verb or a plural noun into the search bar, it’ll instantly tell you the original base word.
How to search for inflected Sami words
Using the dictionary to read a text is very straightforward.
First, select your language pair on the main website screen.
If you’re reading a North Sami text and want English translations, select the “sme-eng” option.
Next, type the exact word you see in your text directly into the search bar.
You don’t need to guess what the base form of the word is.
For example, if you see the word viesus in a text, simply type it in as it is.
The dictionary will return the base noun viessu (house) and provide the English translation.
It’ll also tell you that viesus is the locative singular form, meaning “in the house”.
Mun lean viesus.
This feature saves you hours of frustration when you’re trying to read a native Sami text.
Understanding the grammar tags
When you search for a word, Neahttadigisánit gives you a series of grammatical abbreviations.
These tags are crucial for translating a full sentence accurately.
They tell you who is doing the action, when it happened, or where an object is located.
Here’s a simple table of common grammar tags you’ll see in the dictionary:
| Tag | Meaning | Function |
|---|---|---|
| N | Noun | Identifies a person, place, or thing. |
| V | Verb | Identifies an action word. |
| Sg | Singular | Indicates there is only one of the noun. |
| Pl | Plural | Indicates there is more than one of the noun. |
| Loc | Locative | Translates to “in”, “on”, or “from” a location. |
| Ill | Illative | Translates to “into” or “to” a location. |
| Com | Comitative | Translates to “with” someone or something. |
| Prs | Present | Indicates the action is happening right now. |
| Prt | Preterite | Indicates the action happened in the past. |
By reading these tags alongside the English translation, you can piece together the exact meaning of complex sentences.
If a word is tagged as “Illative”, you immediately know the sentence involves movement toward something.
If a verb is tagged as “Prt”, you know you must translate it into the past tense.
Building fluency beyond translation
Translating texts is a fantastic way to build your vocabulary.
However, you still need a structured path to understand how to build these sentences yourself.
If you’re serious about learning the language, Talk In Sami is the absolute best platform available.
Our interactive courses break down the complex grammar rules that you see inside the dictionary tags.
We provide clear audio, interactive speaking exercises, and simple lessons that guide you from complete beginner to conversational fluency.
Using Talk In Sami alongside Neahttadigisánit will give you everything you need to confidently read, write, and speak the language.
