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in reply to a message by Kätlin
Hi,
I'm just curious. I know the Finnish and Estonian languages are related (both of the Finno-Ugric language family), and to the outsider who speaks neither they certainly LOOK very similar. But are they close enough that most Estonians can read or understand some Finnish without any Finnish language training, and vice versa?
I've read that Finnish and Hungarian (another related language) probably separated about 6,000 years ago. Do you know how long it's been since Finnish and Estonian were a common language, if they ever were?
Thanks,
- Da.
I'm just curious. I know the Finnish and Estonian languages are related (both of the Finno-Ugric language family), and to the outsider who speaks neither they certainly LOOK very similar. But are they close enough that most Estonians can read or understand some Finnish without any Finnish language training, and vice versa?
I've read that Finnish and Hungarian (another related language) probably separated about 6,000 years ago. Do you know how long it's been since Finnish and Estonian were a common language, if they ever were?
Thanks,
- Da.
1
Replies
Miss,
The two languages are quite similar due to their common origin. The split too place about 1200 years ago, about the time the two countries were settled. For the Estonians, a large number of them do learn Finnish, this caused by the heavy amount of media (television, newspapers) that come in from Finland and the strong commerce Finland has with Estonia. But the average Finn will not learn much if any Estonian. The sounds and appearance retains its common root, but the Estonian language has words have a completely different meaning. To answer your question, many Estonians with a little study can and do read and speak the Finnish language, while for the Finn it is almost like a completely foreign language. Please contact me if you have any further inquiries,
Matti Korhonen
The two languages are quite similar due to their common origin. The split too place about 1200 years ago, about the time the two countries were settled. For the Estonians, a large number of them do learn Finnish, this caused by the heavy amount of media (television, newspapers) that come in from Finland and the strong commerce Finland has with Estonia. But the average Finn will not learn much if any Estonian. The sounds and appearance retains its common root, but the Estonian language has words have a completely different meaning. To answer your question, many Estonians with a little study can and do read and speak the Finnish language, while for the Finn it is almost like a completely foreign language. Please contact me if you have any further inquiries,
Matti Korhonen
1
Yes, Finnish is related to both Hungarian and Estonian. Finnish and Hungarian separated so long ago that Hungarian is incomprehensible to a Finn and vice versa. But Estonians and Finns can understand pretty much of each other's languages. Estonian actually derived from Finnish, so in a way the Estonian language is simpler and shorter, but basically they are very much alike. The Finno-Ugric languages are not related to the Indo-European languages (English, German, French, Russian etc.), so it's rather difficult for a native speaker of Finnish, Hungarian, or estonian to learn the other languages commonly spoken in Europe, as the essential structure and the vocabulary of the languages are so different.
But speaking of names, it is true that the Finnish names and the Estonian names look similar, but I agree that Estonian names should be included. Not all of them are related or even known in both countries!
But speaking of names, it is true that the Finnish names and the Estonian names look similar, but I agree that Estonian names should be included. Not all of them are related or even known in both countries!
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