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{{Estonia-sidebar}}''[[Europe]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] '''[[Estonia_Genealogy|Estonia]]'''
{{CountrySidebar
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|Name=Estonia
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|Topic Type=Background
|Background=Languages
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}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[Estonia Genealogy|Estonia]]
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==Description==
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken natively by about 1.1 million people; 922,000 people in Estonia and 160,000 outside Estonia.


The records are in Russian, German, Swedish, Latin, and Estonian.  In 1989 Estonian replaced Russian as the official state language. It is not an Indo-European language. It is related to Finnish and is written in the Latin script.  There are two principal dialects--northern and southern.  The northern has become the standard of language and literature.  Many Russian residents do not speak Estonian.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Estonia,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1994-2002.</ref>
'''Estonian''' belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. It is one of the four official languages of European Union that is not of an Indo-European origin. Despite some overlaps in the vocabulary due to borrowings, in terms of its origin, Estonian and Finnish are not related to their nearest geographical neighbors, Swedish, Latvian, and Russian (which are all Indo-European languages), however they are related to the nearby minority Karelian and Livonian languages. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Estonian language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_language, accessed 15 March 2021.</ref>


[http://www.postalhistory.com/results.asp?group=20&sort=3&cs=es Estonia Postal History] can be used to study writing.
* the Estonian language has borrowed nearly one third of its vocabulary from Germanic languages.
* South Estonian languages are spoken by 100,000 people and include the dialects of Võro and Seto.
* Russian is by far the most spoken minority language in the country. Russian is spoken as a secondary language by forty- to seventy-year-old ethnic Estonians. Russian was the unofficial language of the Estonian SSR from 1944 to 1991 and taught as a compulsory second language during the Soviet era.
* From the 13th to the 20th century, there were Swedish-speaking communities in Estonia, particularly in the coastal areas and on the islands. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Estonia," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia#Languages, accessed 15 March 2021.</ref>
 
The most common foreign languages learned by Estonian students are English, Russian, German and French. Other popular languages include Finnish, Spanish, and Swedish. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Estonia," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia#Languages, accessed 15 March 2021.</ref>
 
Historical records are written mostly in German but also in Russian, Swedish, Estonian, and Latin.
 
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Estonia#Minority_languages More details on the Minority languages in Estonia]
 
==Word List(s)==
* [https://1000mostcommonwords.com/1000-most-common-estonian-words/ 1,000 Most Common Estonian Words]
* [https://www.101languages.net/estonian/most-common-estonian-words/ 1,000 Most Common Estonian Words (Estonian 101) - with audio pronunciations]
 
For word lists and help researching in Estonian records, see:
* [[Estonian Genealogical Word List]]
* [[Russian Genealogical Word List]]
* [[German Genealogical Word List]]
* [[Latin Genealogical Word List]]
* [[Swedish Genealogical Word List]]
 
==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
Estonian employs the Latin script as the basis for its alphabet,
:and adds the letters ä, ö, ü, and õ, plus the later additions š and ž.
:The letters c, q, w, x and y are limited to proper names of foreign origin
:f, z, š, and ž appear in loanwords and foreign names only. <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Estonian language," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_language#Alphabet, accessed 15 March 2021.</ref>
 
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_orthography#Alphabet Estonian Alphabet - Wikipedia]
* [https://omniglot.com/writing/estonian.htm Estonian Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)]
 
==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
'''Language Aids'''
* [https://www.mustgo.com/worldlanguages/estonian/ MustGo Travel - Estonian (Dialects, Vowels, Consonants, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing)]
* Harms, Robert T. ''Estonian grammar.'' London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2017. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/998785429 WorldCat].
* Kurman, George. ''The development of written Estonian.'' London: RoutledgeCurzon, 1997. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/494507625 WorldCat].
* Laas, Andres. ''Estonian Language : 101 Estonian verbs.'' United States: Preceptor Language Guides, 2015. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1004770507 WorldCat].
 
'''Dictionaries'''
* Word order is considerably more flexible than English, but the basic order is subject–verb–object.
* ''Estonian - English : Estonian dictionary.'' n.p.: n.p., 2005. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1012534639 WorldCat].
* Saagpakk, Paul F, and Johannes Aavik. ''Estonian-English dictionary.'' Tallinn: Koolibri, 2000. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/64663464 WorldCat].
* Benyukh, Ksenia. ''Estonian-English/English-Estonian dictionary and phrasebook.'' Gazelle, New York, Lancaster: Hippocrene, 2002. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/50432821 WorldCat].
 
==Additional Resources==
===Estonian Language Resources===
*[http://aboutworldlanguages.com/estonian Estonian language overview]
*[http://dict.ibs.ee/ Online Estonian dictionary]
*[http://www.lexilogos.com/english/estonian_dictionary.htm Estonian language resources]
*[http://learn101.org/estonian_grammar.php Estonian grammar and basics]
* Erelt, Mati. ''Estonian language.'' Tallinn: Estonian Academy Publishers, 2007. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/321053986 WorldCat].
* Sutrop, Urmas, and Jaagup Roomet. ''Estonian language.'' Tallinn: Eesti Instituut, 2000. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/247963372 WorldCat].
* Kitsnik, Mare, and Leelo Kingisepp. ''Complete Estonian.'' London: John Murray Learning, 2019. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1136488985 WorldCat].
* Moseley, Christopher. ''Colloquial Estonian : the complete course for beginners.'' London: Routledge, 2015. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/935666300 WorldCat].
* Klaas, Birute, Sirje Rammo, and Maarika Teral. ''Teach yourself Estonian.'' London: Teach Yourself, 2006. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/71347330 WorldCat].


== References  ==
== References  ==

Latest revision as of 12:12, 20 March 2024


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Description

Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken natively by about 1.1 million people; 922,000 people in Estonia and 160,000 outside Estonia.

Estonian belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. It is one of the four official languages of European Union that is not of an Indo-European origin. Despite some overlaps in the vocabulary due to borrowings, in terms of its origin, Estonian and Finnish are not related to their nearest geographical neighbors, Swedish, Latvian, and Russian (which are all Indo-European languages), however they are related to the nearby minority Karelian and Livonian languages. [1]

  • the Estonian language has borrowed nearly one third of its vocabulary from Germanic languages.
  • South Estonian languages are spoken by 100,000 people and include the dialects of Võro and Seto.
  • Russian is by far the most spoken minority language in the country. Russian is spoken as a secondary language by forty- to seventy-year-old ethnic Estonians. Russian was the unofficial language of the Estonian SSR from 1944 to 1991 and taught as a compulsory second language during the Soviet era.
  • From the 13th to the 20th century, there were Swedish-speaking communities in Estonia, particularly in the coastal areas and on the islands. [2]

The most common foreign languages learned by Estonian students are English, Russian, German and French. Other popular languages include Finnish, Spanish, and Swedish. [3]

Historical records are written mostly in German but also in Russian, Swedish, Estonian, and Latin.

More details on the Minority languages in Estonia

Word List(s)

For word lists and help researching in Estonian records, see:

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Estonian employs the Latin script as the basis for its alphabet,

and adds the letters ä, ö, ü, and õ, plus the later additions š and ž.
The letters c, q, w, x and y are limited to proper names of foreign origin
f, z, š, and ž appear in loanwords and foreign names only. [4]

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Language Aids

Dictionaries

  • Word order is considerably more flexible than English, but the basic order is subject–verb–object.
  • Estonian - English : Estonian dictionary. n.p.: n.p., 2005. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Saagpakk, Paul F, and Johannes Aavik. Estonian-English dictionary. Tallinn: Koolibri, 2000. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Benyukh, Ksenia. Estonian-English/English-Estonian dictionary and phrasebook. Gazelle, New York, Lancaster: Hippocrene, 2002. Available at: WorldCat.

Additional Resources

Estonian Language Resources

References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Estonian language," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_language, accessed 15 March 2021.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Estonia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia#Languages, accessed 15 March 2021.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Estonia," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia#Languages, accessed 15 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Estonian language," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_language#Alphabet, accessed 15 March 2021.
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