New dialect dictionary booklet revives forgotten Estonian words

Estonian dialect words are far from archaic or forgotten, and many are being brought back into use, Mari Kendla, a senior lexicographer at the Institute of the Estonian Language, writes in ERR’s “Language Minutes” series.

The latest, 40th booklet of the Dictionary of Estonian Dialects has been published, covering the words from segadus to sokitama. While segadus usually means disorder or confusion, in dialects it can also refer to a mixed crop or malt. In Seto, sokitama means to crush or press something into pieces and is not related to the Estonian word for sock.

The booklet also includes numerous homonyms with several meanings. In dialect use, siil, normally meaning hedgehog, can also refer to chaff, a loach or the adverb “here”. Silmus, meaning a loop, can also mean a small ditch, a jellyfish or a lamprey. Sits can refer to a syringe, a pretentious person, or, in children’s language, sprat or meat.

The dialect verb siunama can mean pulling, stretching, lying around or crawling. The word soejulgusi comes from susi, meaning wolf, and means timid or cowardly. This reflects the traditional view of the wolf as a cautious and fearful animal rather than a brave one.

The publication of the 40th booklet also marks the completion of Volume VIII of the dictionary. The work now covers two-thirds of its planned total, with 8,332 pages of material. The dictionary includes words from more than 100 Estonian dialects once spoken across the country.

The dictionary is available online through the Institute of the Estonian Language and can also be bought as a printed publication. It provides information on dialect words, their forms, use and distribution, while also offering synonyms for familiar words. For example, dialect words including arukila, irsa-arsa, kägämällä, mässal, raadikus and seites can all mean “messy” or “in disorder”.

Dialect words are also returning through new terminology. This year, the word rahke was chosen as one of the best new food words, with the meaning “al dente”. It is in fact a widely used dialect word meaning partly boiled or partly raw.