Category: Finnic | Läänemeresoome - Maakeel: Estonian Language

Sunset (Loojang)

9/25/2016

A word for "sunset" in Estonian is loojang. The word loojang may derived from looma (to create), or from loe (northwest). It's not known which is its origin; there seems to be evidence for both, given the similarities between the words for "northwest" and "west" in various Finnic languages and the word for "sunset" in those languages, as well as connections between the two meanings of looja ("beyond the horizon" and "creator").

Comparison of the word for "sunset" (päikeseloojang) or "behind the horizon" (silmapiiri taha) in Finnic languages:
Estonian (standard): loojang, looja
Estonian (Tõstamaa dialect): loode
Estonian (Kodavere dialect): luajak (also: luuja)
    Estonian (Kihnu dialect): luõdõ (also: luuja)
   Võru: luuja
Livonian: lūojõ
Votic: loojaa
   Ingrian: loojaa

Comparison of the words for "northwest" (loe) and "west" (lääs) in Finnic languages (keep in mind that it is common for the meanings of these words to have shifted to different cardinal points over time, i.e. from west to northwest or vice versa:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): loe, meaning: northwest
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): loode, meaning: northwest
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): luõdõ, meaning: northwest
Võru: loodõh, meaning: northwest
Votic:  looõ (also: loo, looto), meaning: northwest
Finnish: luode, meaning: northwest
Ingrian:  looe (also: loove), meaning: northwest
Ludic: luodeh, meaning west
Livonian: lūod,  meaning: northwest
Veps: lodeh, meaning both west and northwest
Viena Karelian: luoteh, meaning both west and northwest
South Karelian: luodeh, meaning west, and luueh, meaning northwest
Aunuse Karelian: luodeh, meaning both west and northwest
   Estonian loettuul, (Prangli dialect), meaning "northwestern wind"
   Latvian: luodes vējš, meaning "northwestern wind" (borrowed from Livonian lūod)

Comparison of idiomatic phrases meaning "the sun sets" in Finnic languages:
Estonian (standard): päike läheb looja
Estonian (archaic): päev läheb looja
   Estonian (Hargla dialect): päiv lätt luuja
Livonian: pǟva lǟ’b lūojõ
Votic: päivükäz laskiijaa loojaa
Võru: päiv lätt Jumalihe, päiv lätt Jumalilõ

Allikad/sources:
Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat,  Väike murdesõnastik; Eesti fraseologismide elektrooniline alussõnastik, Prangli murdesõnastik, Kihnu sõnaraamat, Kodavere sõnaruamat, Võru-Eesti Synaraamat

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Dialect examples: numbers (murdekeele näited: numbrid)

11/15/2015

Üks, Kaks, Kolm, Neli | One, Two, Three, Four

Keskmurded | Central dialects
      Tallinn:                          Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Kose:                              Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
     Juuru:                             Üks, kaks, kolm, neli

Kirdemurded | Northeastern dialects
      Jõhvi:                             Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Vaivara:                        Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Kuusalu:                       Üks, kaks, kolm, nel'i

Idamurded | Eastern dialects
      Kodavere:                    Üks, kaks, kol'm, nel'i

Läänemurded | Western dialects
      Pärnu-Jaagupi:         Üks, kaks, kolm, nel'i
      Märtna:                         Üks, kaks, kolm, nel'i

Saarte murded | Island dialects
      Kihelkonna:                Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Pöide:                            Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Käina:                            Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Reigi:                              Üks, kaks, kolm, neli
      Muhu:                            Üks, kaks, kolm, neli

Tartu murded | Tartu dialects
     Tartu:                            Üits, kaits, kolm, neli
     Puhja:                             Üits, kaits, kolm, neli
     Nõo:                                Üits, kaits, kolm, nel'i

Mulgi murded | Mulgi dialects
      Tarvastu:                     Üits, kaits, kolm, neli
      Helme:                          Üt's', kat's', kolm, neli

Võru keele murded | Võru language dialects
      Vastseliina:                Üt's', kat's', kolm, nel'i
      Hargla:                          Üt's', kat's', kolm, neli
      Palo:                               Üt's', kat's', kolm, nel'l'i
      Verhulitsa:                 Üt's', kat's', kolq, nel'l'i
Lutsi: Üțș, kațș, kolq, nelli

Muud soome-ugri keeled | Other Finno-Ugric languages
    Soome | Finnish: Yksi, kaksi, kolme, neljä
    Karjala | Karelian: Yksi, kaksi, kolme, neljjä
    Livviko | Livvi: Üksi, kaksi, kolme, nell'i
    Isuri | Ingrian: Üks, kaks, kold, neljä
    Lüüdi | Ludian: Ükš, kakš, kolme, njelj
    Läänevadja | Votic: Ühs, kahs, kõm, nellä
    Idavadja | Votic: Ühsi, kahsi, kõlmõd, nellä
    Vepsa | Veps: Üks', kak's, koume, nelli
    Liivi | Livonian: Ikš, kakš, kuolm, nēļa

Kaheksa ilmakaart, 2. osa: the eight directions, part 2

11/10/2015

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Yesterday I wrote about the words for the eight directions used in Estonian and related Finnic languages. An interesting aspect of these words is that although all of the Finnic languages have them, there are many words for which the meaning has shifted by forty-five degrees in some of the languages. This is believed to be due to differing weather conditions in different regions around the Baltic Sea; wind and other weather conditions were used to determine direction rather than the stars. (Some of the Karelian words still include the word for "wind", tuuli, along with the direction: pohjatuuli, lounaštuuli.)

Estonian and Finnish directions / eesti ja soome ilmakaared. Image source (pildi allikas): Jimpaz via Wikimedia Commons.

South and Southwest in Estonian and Finnish / Lõuna ja Edel eesti ja soome keeles

All of the Finnic languages have in common related words for "north":
Estonian (standard and most dialects, including Võru): põhi
   Votic: põhja
Finnish: pohjoinen
Ingrian: pohja
Ludic: pohď
Livonian: pūoj
Veps: pohjoine
Viena Karelian: pohjoine
South Karelian: pohjońi
Tver Karelian: pohjatuuli
Aunuse Karelian: pohďaine

Estonian's word for "northeast," kirre, is rather unique, shared only with Ingrian and Votic. The other Finnic languages have words for "northeast" as well, but they aren't etymologically related to Estonian's word kirre.
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): kirre
  Ingrian: kirre
  Votic: cirre
The Finnish word is koillinen, related to Viena Karelian's koilińi, South Karelian's koiľľińi, and Aunuse Karelian's koiľľińe.

Estonian's word for "east," ida, is shared by many other Finnic languages. However, it some of these other languages its meaning is "northeast" rather than "east".
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): ida, meaning: east
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): ida, meaning: northeast
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): idä, meaning: northeast
Votic: itä, meaning: east
Finnish: itä, meaning: east
Ingrian: itä, meaning: east
Livonian: idā,  meaning: northeast

The Estonian word for "southeast," kagu, is shared by only a few of the Finnic languages, and means "southeast" in all of them (no meaning shifts here):
Estonian (standard and some of the dialects): kagu
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): kakko
Votic: kaako
Ingrian: kaakkoi
Finnish: kaakko

The Estonian word for "south," lõuna, has many shifts in meaning; in some Finnic languages it means "south," in others "southeast," and in others "southwest":
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): lõuna, meaning: south
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): lõunet, meaning: south
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): lõona, meaning: southeast
Võru: lõunõq, meaning: south
Votic: lõunaz, meaning: south
Finnish: lounas, meaning: southwest
Ingrian: lounaz, meaning: south
Livonian: lȭnag,  meaning: southeast
Viena Karelian: lounaštuuli, meaning: southwest
South Karelian: lounaštuuli, meaning: southwest
Tver Karelian: louna, meaning: southwest
Aunuse Karelian: lounaine , meaning: southwest

The Estonian word for "southwest," edel, means either "south" or "southwest" in other Finnic languages:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): edel, meaning: southwest
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): ädal, meaning: southwest
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): edäl, meaning: south
Votic: etelä, meaning: southwest
Finnish: etelä, meaning: south
Ingrian: etteelä, meaning: southwest
Livonian: jedāl,  meaning: south
Veps: ehtbok, meaning southwest

The Estonian word for "west," lääs, similarly means either "west" or "southwest" in other Finnic languages:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): lääs, meaning: west
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): läns, meaning: west
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): liäs, meaning both south and southwest
   Estonian (Muhu dialect): leas, meaning southwest
Votic:  länsi, meaning: west
Finnish: länsi, meaning: west
Ingrian:  läns, meaning: west
Livonian: lēņtš,  meaning: southwest

Last but not least, Estonian's word for "northwest", loe, means either "west," "northwest", or, in some cases, both:
Estonian (standard, but not some of the dialects): loe, meaning: northwest
Estonian (Lüganuse dialect): loode*, meaning: northwest
Estonian (Kihnu dialect): luõdõ, meaning: northwest
Võru: loodõh, meaning: northwest
Votic:  looõ, meaning: northwest
Finnish: luode, meaning: northwest
Ingrian:  looe, meaning: northwest
Ludic: luodeh, meaning west
Livonian: lūod,  meaning: northwest
Veps: lodeh, meaning both west and northwest
Viena Karelian: luoteh, meaning both west and northwest
South Karelian: luodeh, meaning west, and luueh, meaning northwest
Aunuse Karelian: luodeh, meaning both west and northwest

Sources (allikad):
Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat
Väike murdesõnastik
Eesti murrete sõnaraamat
UIT Sátnegirjjit and related sites Netidigisõnad and Nettidigisanat
Az égtájnevek vizsgálata a karjalai nyelvjárásokban
Image source (pildi allikas): Jimpaz via Wikimedia Commons.

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Sunset (Loojang)

Dialect examples: numbers (murdekeele näited: numbrid)

Kaheksa ilmakaart, 2. osa: the eight directions, part 2

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Sunset (Loojang)

Dialect examples: numbers (murdekeele näited: numbrid)

Kaheksa ilmakaart, 2. osa: the eight directions, part 2

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