South Estonian

The extant varieties of the South Estonian language area are Mulgi, Tartu, Võro and Seto. Võro and Seto have remained furthest from the standard written Estonian language and are most difficult for speakers of standard Estonian to understand. == Characteristics ==

The distinction between South Estonian and North Estonian is starker than any other contrast between Estonian dialects, and is present at every level of the language. Phonological differences include: Morphological differences: == History ==

The two different historical Estonian languages, North and South Estonian, are based on the ancestors of modern Estonians' migration into the territory of Estonia in at least two different waves, both groups speaking differing Finnic vernaculars. Comparison of old literary South Estonian (Tartu), modern literary South Estonian (Võro) and modern standard Estonian: '''''Lord's Prayer (Meie Esä) in old literary South Estonian (Tartu):' '''''Lord's Prayer (Mi Esä) in modern literary South Estonian (Võro):' '''''Lord's Prayer (Meie isa) in modern standard Estonian:' The South Estonian literary language declined after the 1880s as the northern literary language became the standard for Estonian. Under the influence of the European liberal-oriented nationalist movement it was felt that there should be a unified Estonian language. The beginning of the 20th century saw a period for the rapid development of the northern-based variety. == Present situation ==

South Estonian began to undergo a revival in the late 1980s. Today, South Estonian is used in the works of some of Estonia's most well-known playwrights, poets, and authors. Most success has been achieved in promoting a new literary standard based on Võro. Mulgi and especially Tartu, however, have very few speakers left. The 2011 census in Estonia counted 101,857 self-reported speakers of South Estonian: 87,048 speakers of Võro (74,499 when excluding 12,549 Seto speakers), 9,698 Mulgi speakers, 4,109 Tartu language speakers and 1,002 who didn't specify a variety. The 2021 census in Estonia counted 128,590 self-reported speakers of South Estonian among native speakers: 97,320 speakers of Võro (72,240 when excluding 25,080 Seto speakers), 17,310 Tartu language speakers and 13,960 Mulgi speakers. Language sample of modern literary (Võro) South Estonian: Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Kõik inemiseq sünnüseq vapos ja ütesugumaidsis uma avvo ja õiguisi poolõst. Näile om annõt mudsu ja süämetunnistus ja nä piät ütstõõsõga vele muudu läbi käümä. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. == See also ==