From the Estonian Public Broadcasting Company ERR:
''Another European group has highlighted the issue of legal status for other languages in Estonia – but this time the focus is on the Finno-Ugric languages in the country's south.
The European Language Diversity for All research group, a three-year project that started in March involving eight universities, says that local languages such as Võro and Seto should also be protected to contribute to preservation of linguistic diversity in Europe.
A research project symposium on minority languages was recently held in Võru, the capital of a region with two local language varieties that are spoken by thousands. Estonia's linguistic diversity is considered less than in a number of other European countries, according to the news program Aktuaalne Kaamera.
But the Estonian state has not used all the available options for preserving linguistic diversity. For years there has been a running dispute about recognition of the southern Estonian varieties Võro and Seto as regional languages.
The result is that the southern Estonian languages are still not governed by law, so language inspectors – if Estonia had such officious oversight – could in theory fine hospitality and travel companies that use signs in the local language without a translation into Estonian.
"Actually it's part of the Tartu literary language that has remained extant," explains linguist and professor Mart Rannut. "How to formulate this in Europe's legal space is a question that requires expert analysis."
Former politician and local activist Kaido Kama has a clear position on the matter. "It is a value […] that is worth maintaining, preserving and developing," said Kama, the vice chairman of the Võro Institute's research council.
Europe has several examples of new languages that were considered dialects not so long ago, such as Frisian. Kama says other dialects are seeing the same trend of acceptance as full-fledged languages.''
If you would like to know more about Võro, the Võro Institute have a great website in English, Estonian, and Võro
http://www.wi.ee/index.php/welcome?lang=en-GB
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