Dialects to Languages - a study of Võro from Estonia

Estonian Public Broadcasting took a look this week at the status of minority languages in Estonia and in particular the language of Võro.



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

10 good reasons why you should learn a minority language

People often dismiss choosing to study minority languages, and say that there are no good reasons to learn them.

In fact, even if you have no family or cultural ties to your target language, there are many valid reasons to learn a minority languages.

Here are 10 reasons why we believe you should learn a minority language:

1. You can help preserve it
By learning a minority language, you will be helping preserve a unique aspect of global culture. It will benefit you, and the language will benefit from another speaker.

2. Make new friends in a close-knit group of learners
Learners of minority languages are sometimes few in number. However, this can be an advantage as learners tend to be a more close-knit group than learners of global languages, and will usually be more accommodating to new speakers.

3. Helps your career
Job adverts will receive hundreds of applicants for speakers of Spanish or French, but if you have a language such as Albanian or Danish on your CV, it can be a unique selling point and work to your advantage when applying for a new job.

4. Native speakers might be more receptive to you
A Frenchman in Paris may have come across many foreigners who have learnt his language and whilst appreciative, may not view your proficiency in French as remarkable. But speak to someone in Latvian in Riga or to someone in Basque in San Sebastián and the appreciation and admiration that you have learnt their native language is likely to be much higher. Because of this, learners of minority languages often comment that native speakers will go the extra mile to help learners, simply because they are appreciative of their efforts to speak their language.

5. Unique insight into a unique culture
Learning a minority language will give you a unique insight into a unique culture. With minority languages especially, many works of literature may not be available in translation, so by learning the language you will be able to gain an insight into your target language's culture than you would not have been able to achieve as a monoglot English speaker.

6. It's a challenge and one which will impress your friends
Learning a foreign language is a challenge and people are usually impressed by anyone who has taken the effort to learn more than one language. For people who make the effort to learn a minority language, the 'wow factor' is even greater. Say to your friends that you have learnt Finnish or Icelandic and watch their reaction!.

7. It's Fun!
You can't escape the fact that it's plain fun to learn a new language!

8. Travel
Learning a minority language can be a perfect excuse to travel. In the age of cheap air travel, weekends away in an area that speaks your target language are a very real possibility, and when you speak the local language, you will see and experience more of the culture than if you were just a monoglot foreign tourist.

9. Love
Countless linguists haven't just fallen in love with the language, but also a minority language speaker too!

10. Secrets
Perhaps some will view this as a negative, but speaking a language that few speak can have its advantages should you wish to keep your conversation a secret. Especially if you are speaking in a minority language that few can speak.
Often not speaking a global language can also be to your advantage - don't want to get hassled by a market vendor in a bazaar in Egypt? Speak Estonian or Basque!