Estonian language

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2.6-South-Estonian
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File:WIKITONGUES- Liisi speaking Estonian.webm

Estonian
RegionBaltic region
Speakers1.1 million
Language familyUralic
This language related article is a stub.


Estonian (eesti keel) is a Uralic language spoken as the official language of Estonia. It is a member of the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family, closely related to Finnish and distantly related to Hungarian.

History[edit | edit source]

The Estonian language has evolved over several centuries. The earliest written records in Estonian date back to the 13th century. The language has undergone significant changes, especially during the 19th and 20th centuries, influenced by German, Swedish, and Russian due to historical occupations.

Phonology[edit | edit source]

Estonian phonology is characterized by its use of vowel harmony and three degrees of phonemic length: short, long, and overlong. The language has 9 vowels and 17 consonants.

Grammar[edit | edit source]

Estonian grammar is notable for its lack of grammatical gender and the use of 14 cases. The language employs a rich system of inflection for nouns, pronouns, and verbs.

Nouns[edit | edit source]

Nouns in Estonian are declined in 14 cases, including the nominative, genitive, partitive, and illative cases.

Verbs[edit | edit source]

Verbs in Estonian are conjugated for tense, mood, person, and number. The language has three simple tenses: present, past, and future.

Dialects[edit | edit source]

Estonian has two main dialect groups: Northern and Southern. The standard language is based on the Northern dialect, specifically the Tallinn dialect.

Writing System[edit | edit source]

Estonian uses the Latin alphabet, with the addition of the letters õ, ä, ö, and ü. The alphabet consists of 27 letters.

Literature[edit | edit source]

Estonian literature has a rich history, with notable authors such as Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, who is considered the father of Estonian literature, and Jaan Kross, a prominent 20th-century writer.

Related Pages[edit | edit source]

Categories[edit | edit source]

Template:Uralic-lang-stub

Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD