THE V

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THE VÕRO LANGUAGE - "FACING THE BRIGHT
FUTURE?Kadri Koreinik University of
Tartu/Võru Institute

• Lesser Used Languages in Estonia and Europe
• September 30 October 1, 2005, Roosta, Estonia

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What is Võro?

• A language (võro kiil) or dialect (Võru murre)
  different from standard (eesti kirjakeel) and
  common Estonian (eesti ühiskeel) spoken in SE
  Estonia.
• Until 20th century two ancient tribal languages
  of North and South Estonian existed in the
  Estonian territory.
• In course of nation-building North Estonian
  became a basis for the standard Estonian.
• The Võru and Setu differ the most from the
  standard and common Estonian in all levels of
  language, the most manifest include vowel
  harmony, glottal stop in nominative plural,
  different 3rd person singular in the indicative
  mood, negative particle follows the verb, etc.
• In terms of status, Võro has been considered as a
  dialect or sub-variety or subordinate language in
  the Estonian linguistic tradition and
  public/language policy.
• Today, despite of the functional inferiority of
  Võro, a number of linguists maintain that there
  is (a) separate language(s) or a language group
  (e.g. South Estonian, Võro and Seto, Võro-Seto).
  

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A fragment from the map Finno-Ugric and
Samoyedic Languages. Source Urmas Sutrop.
Estonian Language. Estonian Institute 2004
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Võro in everyday use

• According to the case study from 1991 in Sutõ
  village, the users can be divided into three
  groups
• informants/people born before 1935 (prior to WW
  II, many archaic features, prioritised the
  dialect over the standard )
• between 1935-1960 (pretty levelled use, differs
  radically from the oldest group, respond in
  Estonian when approached, interference, learned
  Estonian in school)
• and after 1960 (large individual in-group
  differences, limited register, use the standard
  with each other)
• According to the representative survey from 1998
• up to 70, 000 local residents claimed the
  frequent or occasional use of Võro, considered as
  passive and active users of Võro
• less prestigious language - women, younger
  residents, people with higher education, and
  urban dwellers reported less frequent use
• spoken more with elderly parents rather than with
  children
• both code shifts and alternations are widespread
• perceived mostly as local community language with
  rather limited register, but still normal,
  expected, and legitimate in SE Estonia

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Institutionalising Võro

• Since the end of 1980s (the Estonian new
  awakening!) the Võro movement has been active in
  language planning and maintenance activities.
• Today, NGOs and other organisations of civic
  engagement that support the use of Võro include
  Võro Selts VKKF, Talna Võro Selts, Toronto
  Võrokeste Selts, Haanimiihhi Nõvvukoda, many
  village organisations.
• In 1995 the Estonian government founded Võru
  Institute, a RD institution, which aims at the
  preservation and revitalisation of Võro.
• Since the end of 1980s the new Võro standard has
  been elaborated, its guiding line has been
• to find compromise between sharp sociolinguistic
  markers
• to maintain specific South Estonian features
• to follow the tradition of Tartu literary
  language (Agenda Parva 1622, Wastne Testament
  1686)
• Since 2000 activities in Võro and in other local
  languages are supported by the state programme
  Southern Estonian language and culture

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Institutionalising Võro

• In 2002 the bilingual Võro-Estonian dictionary
  was published with 15,000 entries, Estonian-Võro
  will follow soon
• Increasing use in public signs and texts
  (commercials, marketing), including Võro
  toponymes to the basic map
• Adaptation of software (e.g. Opera, Total
  Commander)
• Since the end of 1990s Võro has been very popular
  in theatre the Estonian-wide popularity came
  with a number of plays by Madis Kõiv and Kauksi
  Ülle, staged by Ingo Normet, Ain Mäeots, Taago
  Tubin.
• All authors who have been writing in Võro have
  received the positive attention from both critics
  and wider Estonian audience (from Adson to
  Contra, from Studia Memoriae to ). The list of
  authors writing in Võro is gradually increasing,
  including young promising poets and prosaists.
• Two songs in Võro made to the top of national hit
  lists Kõnõtraat in 1994 and Tii in 2004 as a
  winner of local Eurovision song contest.

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Võro in education

• Theoretically it is possible to study Võro
  between grades 1-9 in 21 schools in Põlva, Valga
  and Võru counties - half schools in a region,
  that constituted the administrative unit between
  1783-1920
• Yet the possibility depends on several factors
  if school administration is positive towards
  Võro, if the teacher is available and if the
  timetable allows to participate
• Võru Institute has provided schools with teaching
  materials (e.g. primer, reader, workbook, tapes),
  has elaborated and proposed draft curriculum
• As the subject is optional and does not belong to
  the national curriculum, the Võro class like the
  local culture/history in general has been
  described as peripheral in the school environment
  (Brown forthcoming)
• Although the peripheral status gives teachers
  some independence in teaching, there is a need
  for support and legitimacy that national
  curriculum could provide.

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Võro in media

• South Estonian appears first in print media with
  Tarto maa rahwa Näddali-Leht in 1806
• Võro has appeared occasionally in local county
  newspapers and its content has been mainly
  jokes, sometimes pejorative, quotations in
  interviews with Võro speakers, a travelogue, etc.
• In early 1990s Võro Radio was shortly
  broadcasting (mainly news-reporting, programme
  for children, interviews). Today the national
  radio broadcasts short news in Võro every other
  week
• In national TV, a number of documentaries and
  talk shows (e.g. Kaemi perrä!, Kihoq,
  Mõtõlus) were produced resulting from the state
  programme
• Võro is also present in the Internet (e.g.
  http//wi.werro.ee/bibliograafia,
  http//www.ekk.ee/avka)
• Since 2000 the regular Uma Leht(UL) was
  published in every other week in 10,000
  exemplars. Also available online
  (http//www.umaleht.ee)

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• UL is rather typical example of community media
  -giving voice to various (older and newer)
  social movements, minorities, and
  sub/counter-cultures, and the emphasis on
  self-representation Carpentier et al. 2003)
• UL is read regularly or occasionally by 3/4
  residents of Võru and Põlva county between 15-74
  ca. 32,000 (Source Saar Poll 2005).
• an example of alternative media
• not by opposing the power structure/governing
  ideologies or undermining them
• but rather by providing news from a different
  perspective (c.f. standard Estonia, local
  identity) and
• about the local community and matters, which are
  of little interest for mainstream media (everyday
  life at the local level, environmental, gender
  issues, minorities - e.g. Saami, Udmurts)
• independent from market but not from state
  (direct mail, free)
• horizontally structured and small-scale, oriented
  towards a specific community (Võro speakers or
  readers)

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Discourse on the status of language

• In 2004 a proposal to Estonian Government to
  recognise South Estonian (incl. Võro) as a
  language in order
• to improve its prestige,
• to widen its domains
• and remove the legal vacuum
• Articles concerning the status were analysed
• Two opposing ideologies were found
• hegemonic, nationalistic ideology, anti Russian,
  europessimistic, inclusive
• antagonistic, minority supportive ideology,
  innovative, still inclusive
• Two kinds of argumentation were explicit
• convincing the audience to follow 19th century
  nationalistic course
• finding support for (linguistic) minorities, to
  promote general tolerance

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To sum up or to leave it open?

• Both empirical studies imply that the diglossic
  situation of pre-war period, which even existed
  shortly after World War II, has changed to
  individual bilingualism, which is rapidly
  disappearing.
• To paraphrase Skutnabb-Kangas and Fishman
  schools alone cannot save languages whereas they
  can kill a language
• Dominant nationalistic ideologies do not allow
  multiple identities
• Lack of recognition and local solidarity to
  revitalise the language
• Many dilemmas for the speech community and the
  Estonian society
• is my mother tongue a dialect (emamurre)?
• who is legitimate to judge over the status and
  standard - linguists, the state or the community?
  What is the community? Will the imagined
  community count?
• is language planning (resources!) needed for
  dialects
• ?