Estonian language

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2.5-North-Estonian

2.6-South-Estonian

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Estonian

Pronunciation
Native to
Region	Baltic region
Ethnicity
Speakers	1.1 million
Language family	Uralic
Early forms
Writing system
Official status
Regulated by

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

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

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

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

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

Verbs

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

Dialects

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

Writing System

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

Literature

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

• Estonia
• Finnic languages
• Uralic languages
• Finnish language
• Hungarian language
• Baltic region