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Latest revision as of 17:24, 18 March 2025
Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language spoken by the Estonian people and is the official language of Estonia. It is closely related to Finnish and distantly to Hungarian.
History[edit]
The Estonian language has been influenced by Swedish, German, and Russian, though it is not related to them. The first known book in Estonian was printed in 1525. The modern standard language is based on the dialect of Northern Estonia.
Classification[edit]
Estonian belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages, along with Finnish, Karelian, and other nearby languages. The Uralic languages do not belong to the Indo-European languages.
Geographic distribution[edit]
Estonian is spoken in Estonia. It is also spoken by Estonians abroad in various countries.
Dialects[edit]
There are two groups of Estonian dialects: Northern and Southern. These have been further divided into 24 dialects. Each of them has its own unique features and differences.
Phonology[edit]
Estonian has a three-way contrast between voiced, voiceless, and voiceless aspirated stops, which is unique among European languages.
Grammar[edit]
Estonian grammar is characterized by a rich inflectional system in both nominal and verbal categories with a complex system of declensions for nouns and adjectives and conjugations for verbs.
Writing system[edit]
Estonian uses the Latin script as the basis for its alphabet, which adds the letters ä, ö, ü, and õ, plus the later additions š and ž.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
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