Estonian

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

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

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

Estonian is spoken in Estonia. It is also spoken by Estonians abroad in various countries.

Dialects

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

Estonian has a three-way contrast between voiced, voiceless, and voiceless aspirated stops, which is unique among European languages.

Grammar

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

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

• Estonian literature
• Estonian culture
• Estonian history

External links

• Omniglot - Estonian alphabet, pronunciation and language

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