subject: Estonian Vocabulary [print this page] Germanic languages Germanic languages
The heaviest external contribution, nearly one third of the vocabulary, comes from Germanic languages, mainly from Low Saxon (Middle Low German) during the period of German rule, and High German (including standard German). The percentage of Low Saxon and High German loanwords can be estimated at 2225 percent, with Low Saxon making up about 15 percent.
Ex nihilo lexical enrichment
Estonian language planners such as Ado Grenzstein (a journalist active in Estonia in the 1870s90s) tried to use formation ex nihilo, Urschpfung, i.e. they created new words out of nothing. Examples are Ado Grenzstein's coinages kabe raughts, chequers and male hess.
The most famous reformer of Estonian, Johannes Aavik (18801973), also used creations ex nihilo (cf. ree constructions, Tauli 1977), along with other sources of lexical enrichment such as derivations, compositions and loanwords (often from Finnish; cf. Saareste and Raun 1965: 76). Aavik belonged to the so-called Noor-Eesti (oung Estonia) movement, which appeared in Tartu, a university town in south-eastern Estonia, around 1905 (for discussion, see Raun 1991). In Aavik dictionary (1921), which lists approximately 4000 words, there are many words which were (allegedly) created ex nihilo. Consider ese bject, kolp kull, liibuma o cling, naasma o return, come back, nme tupid, dull, range trict, reetma o betray, solge lim, flexible, graceful (which did not gain currency, cf. Contemporary Estonian graatsiline raceful, although the word itself, interestingly, is used for a certain kind of parasitic worm, namely the Ascaris lumbricoides), and veenma o convince. Other Aavikisms ex nihilo (not appearing in Aavik 1921) include nentima o admit, state, nrdima o grow indignant, sme onscience, and tik act."
Note, however, that many of the coinages that have been considered (often by Aavik himself) as words concocted ex nihilo could well have been influenced by foreign lexical items, for example words from Russian, German, French, Finnish, English and Swedish. Aavik had a broad classical education and knew Ancient Greek, Latin and French. Consider relv eapon versus English revolver, roim rime versus English crime, siiras incere versus English sincere/serious embama o embrace versus English embrace, and taunima o condemn, disapprove versus Finnish tuomita o judge (these Aavikisms appear in Aavik 1921 dictionary). Consider also evima o have, possess, own (cf. also Estonian omama o own, and mul on, lit. o me is, i.e. or me there is, meaning have) versus English have; laup orehead versus Russian lob orehead; mrv urder and mrvama o murder versus English murder (these Aavikisms do not appear in Aavik 1921); and laip orpse versus German Leib ody and German Leiche ody, corpse. These words might be better regarded as a peculiar manifestation of morpho-phonemic adaptation of a foreign lexical item. The often irregular and arbitrary sound changes could then be explained not as subconscious foreign influence but rather as conscious manipulation by the coiner. Aavik seems to have paid little attention to the origin of his neologisms. On occasion, he replaced existing native words or expressions with neologisms of foreign descent. Therefore, Aavik cannot be considered a purist in the traditional sense, i.e. he was not nti-foreignisms/loanwords as such.
Table of word production
Proposed origin
No. of word roots
Period
Examples
Nostratic (hypothetical, highly controversial)
130?
... 10 000 BC
m(in)a 'I', s(in)a 'thou', vesi 'water', tabama 'to catch, seize, capture, hit', arbuma 'to magic, charm', puur 'auger', poeg 'son', pkk 'ball of the foot', keel 'tongue', pelgama 'to be afraid, fear', sva 'deep-seated, profound', vedama 'to pull, draw, drag, carry, drive', ks 'one', nimi 'name', too 'that', kes 'who'
Uralic
120
50004000 BC
ala 'under, sub', la 'upper, top', esi 'front', taga 'behind'; see 'this, it', mis 'what', ei 'no'; minema 'to go', tulema 'to come', tundma 'to feel', ujuma 'to swim', pelgama 'to be afraid, fear', kaduma 'to disappear', mskma 'to wash'; puu 'tree', kuusk 'spruce, fir(-tree)', kiv 'birch', murakas 'cloudberry', suvi 'summer', pev 'day', kaja 'echo', kuu 'moon, Luna', lumi 'snow', soo 'marsh, bog, swamp', juga 'jet; falls, waterfall', kala 'fish', k 'snake; blindworm', sisalik 'lizard'; keel 'tongue; language', krv 'ear', luu 'bone', maks 'liver', plv 'knee', psk 'cheek', silm 'eye', muna 'egg', neelama 'to swallow', pala 'piece', sulg 'feather', tuli 'fire', ssi 'ember(s), coal', suusk 'ski', nool 'arrow', sudma 'to row', punuma 'to knit', vask 'copper', v 'belt, girdle'; elama 'to live; to dwell', koolma 'to die, pass away, decease', vgi 'power, vigour, strength, might, force', sala 'secretly', naine 'woman'; kaks 'two', viis 'five'
Finno-Ugric
270
40003000 BC
aju 'brain', di 'marrow', hing 'soul', pea 'head', pii 'tooth', sapp 'gall, bile', vats 'belly, stomach'; aru 'sense, reason', j 'ice', koit 'dawn, daybreak, Aurora', voor 'drumlin', paju 'willow', pihl 'rowan', kask 'birch', mari 'berry', pohl 'cowberry', kamar 'rind', rebane 'fox', nugis 'marten', siil 'hedgehog', utt 'ewe', hiir 'mouse', p 'grouse', mtus 'capercaillie', vares 'crow', psuke 'swallow', sga 'catfish', sinas 'ide', srg 'roach', ti 'louse', kusilane 'ant', koi 'moth, bug'; koda 'house, hall', kla 'village'; plema 'burn, blaze', kdema 'burn, heat', pada 'pot', leem 'soup, broth, brew', vi 'butter', vits 'knife', vestma 'carve', sau 'clay; stock for walking'; sba 'robe'; kolm 'three', neli 'four', kuus 'six'; nid 'witch', ise 'self', ilm 'weather, air'; talv 'winter', sgis 'autumn', iga 'age'; isa 'father', poeg 'son', kdi 'brother-in-law', kond '-hood'; valge 'white', hahk 'gray; eider', uus 'new', sepp 'blacksmith'
Finno-Permic
50140
25001500 BC
kht 'stomach', kri 'throat', sr 'leg, shank', koobas 'cave', prm 'dust, earth', snnik 'dung', peda(jas) 'pine tree', kuslapuu 'honeysuckle', oks 'branch', phkel 'nut', kiud 'fiber', peni 'dog', orav 'squirrel', kotkas 'eagle'; rehi 'threshing barn', kuduma 'to weave, to knit', amb 'crossbow', mla 'oar, paddle', ng 'angle', i 'father-in-law', ike 'thunder', parem 'right, better', vana 'old'; luna 'south, midday', meel 'mind'
Finno-Volgaic
100150
15001000 BC
selg 'back', koon 'snout', kpp 'paw', vaim 'spirit'; kevad 'spring', tht 'star', jrv 'lake', haab 'aspen', saar 'ash tree', tamm 'oak', vaher 'maple', sarapuu 'hazel', lg 'straw', lehm 'cow', siga 'pig', pett 'buttermilk', jahvatama to grind', kurg 'crane, stork', kurvits 'sandpiper', parm 'horse fly', ssk 'midge'; keema 'to boil', hiilgama 'to glow, to gleam', kis 'sleeve', piir 'border'; vene 'boat'; lell 'uncle, father's brother'; jumal 'god'; aher 'barren', jahe 'cool', kva 'hard', sva 'deep'; kargama 'to jump', pesema 'to wash', psima 'to stay, to remain', lpsma 'to milk'
Finno-Lappic
130150
1000500 BC
vihm 'rain', sammal 'moss', org 'valley', vili 'grain, fruit', psas 'bush', pud 'draught', nn 'happiness, fortune', veli 'brother', ime 'miracle', luule 'poetry', taga 'back, behind', tsi 'truth',nlg 'hunger', kll 'surely'
Baltic-Finnic
600800
500 BC 800 AD
pder 'elk', oja 'stream', udu 'fog', hobu 'horse', mnd 'pine tree'; kne 'talk, speech', sna 'word'; aeg 'time', eile 'yesterday'; laps 'child', rahvas 'people', linn 'town'; nuga 'knife', king 'shoe'; julge 'bold'
