Tartu language

Tartu
tartu kiil
tarto kiil
Native toEstonia
RegionTartumaa
Native speakers
17,310 (2021 census)[1]
Standard forms
  • South Estonian literary language
Dialects
  • Sangaste-Karula
  • Puhja-Rannu
  • Võnnu-Kambja
  • Tartu-Maarja
  • Otepää
Latin script
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologtart1244
Linguistic map of southern Estonia. Tartu is found north of the Võro-speaking area.
Distribution of Tartu speakers according to the 2021 census.

The Tartu language (Estonian: tartu keel) is a variety of South Estonian spoken in Estonia, near the city of Tartu. It bears similarities to Mulgi, particularly the Tarvastu and Helme varieties. It has historically, along with northern Võro, been the basis for the South Estonian literary language.[2][3]

Usage

In the 2011 Estonian census, 4109 people were reported to be speaking the Tartu language, and in the 2021 census [et] 17310 people were reported to have spoken the language.[1]

It reached its peak in the 17th century and declined until the 2000s. Its speaker numbers have been increasing ever since, but the majority of speakers are aging, and there is a lack of media in Tartu. Revival movements for Tartu have not been as strong as those for the Seto, Mulgi and Võro languages.

Literature

Jakob Hurt's collection "Eesti mõtteloo" contains his sermons in the Rõngu dialect of Tartu. In modern literature, Mats Traat was the main user of Tartu.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "RL21446: POPULATION WITH ESTONIAN AS THEIR MOTHER TONGUE BY ABILITY TO SPEAK A DIALECT, AGE GROUP, SEX, AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE (ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT), 31 DECEMBER 2021". PxWeb. Retrieved 2024-07-21.
  2. ^ Erelt, Mati, ed. (2007). Estonian language (PDF). Linguistica Uralica. Supplementary series (2nd ed.). Tallinn: Estonian Academy Publishers. ISBN 978-9985-50-399-7. OCLC 321053986.
  3. ^ Velsker 2015.

Sources