Language Pointing to the Home of Estonia
At the entrance of a permanent exhibition of Estonian National Museum titled “Echo of the Urals” is displayed a language tree explaining the evolvement of Uralic languages including Estonian [1]. Saying, “The scientific-mythical primary home of the Finno-Ugric peoples can be found in the foothills of the Ural Mountains,” the caption describes that the Finno-Ugric peoples who migrated from the Urals to the Baltic Sea and the Danube came to shape their own nation – Estonia – and that their ethnic relatives are found in surrounding countries. The exhibition indicated that the sense of belonging to the Finno-Ugric is closely tied with the national identity of Estonia, and that Estonian as a language is the proof of the ethnic root.
Image: “The Uralic Language Tree” (photo taken at Estonian National Museum on February 24, 2023)
Establishment of Estonian as the Official Language
Estonian has not always been the official language of Estonia. Until the late 19th century, German was the language of the administration and education, for the Baltic German population comprised the social elite of Estonia [2]. The constitution compiled following the independence of the Republic of Estonia in 1918 defined Estonian as the nation’s official language, which led to the development of Estonian in higher education [3]. During the Soviet era from 1940, the Russian language proliferated in the state government and other sectors [4]. It was with the present constitution enacted in 1992 when Estonian was re-defined as the country’s official language [5]. The preamble of the constitution declares that the state “must guarantee the preservation of the Estonian people, the Estonian language and the Estonian culture through the ages.” [6]
The Multilingual Estonia
Estonia today is a multilingual society. According to the 2021 census, 243 languages are spoken as mother tongues and 76% of the inhabitants of Estonia speak a foreign language [7]. 84% of the population speak Estonian, 67% speak Russian, and 47% speak English [8]. The proportion, though, varies according to the age group. While the most spoken languages among people from 15 to 29 years old are Estonian and English, the Russian-speaking population outnumbers the Estonian-speaking population in older age groups [9]. The statistics that 29% of the whole population speak Russian as their mother tongue indicates that the “transition to Estonian-language education” initiative will bring a major impact on the society [10].
Transition to Estonian-language Education
In February 2022, the government announced the Estonian-language Education Action Plan, aiming to provide all children with “quality education in Estonian” which “supports the shaping of Estonian national identity, increases social integration and reduces educational and socio-economic segregation.” [11] In the academic year 2021/22, 73 out of 511 general education schools conducted their education in Russian or Estonian/Russian instructions. [12] With a plan to complete the transition by the beginning of the 2029/2039 academic year, the government decided to start the transition in the 1st and 4th grades in the 2024/2025 academic year [13]. Will this attempt to close the linguistic division in education narrow down socio-economic gaps?
The Voice
For a society, to be a multilingual means to be a multiethnic and multinational. Among people of 211 ethnic nationalities found in Estonia, Estonians account for 69% of the population, followed by Russians comprising 28% [14]. The ethnic diversity can matter not only statistically but also personally. Tartu Art Museum’s exhibition “Look at Me! Listen to Me!” features artworks by ten female artists who speak Russian as one of their primary languages and who have careers in Estonia [15]. Tanja Muravskaja’s installation Three Sisters (2015) invites the audience to watch video interviews where the artist hears from two of her relatives [16]. Born in Estonia, Muravskaja has family members in Estonia, Russia, and Ukraine. The interviews filmed after the Maidan protests in 2013 reveal that a sharp ideological division between Russia Ukraine have penetrated the family.
Photos of Three Sisters, provided by Tanja Muravskaja
The 10-day of stay was two short to understand the complexity of this country of a million individuals with over 200 ethnic nationalities. One thing clear to me was that, whether you call the country Eesti, Эстония, and Estonia, it is an intersection where people with individual voices intermingle and have dialogues with each other.
Notes
For details of the exhibition, refer to Estonian National Museum, “Echo of the Urals,” Exhibitions, accessed March 9, 2023, https://www.erm.ee/en/content/echo-urals.
Republic of Estonia Ministry of Education and Research, Language Education Policy Profile: Country Report Estonia (Tartu, 2008), https://rm.coe.int/language-education-policy-profile-estonia-country-report/16807b3b48, 13.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Riigi Teataja, The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia (1992, translation published in 2013), https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/530102013003/consolide.
Statistics Estonia, “Demographic and Ethno-cultural Characteristics of the Population,” Census 2021, accessed March 9, 2023, https://rahvaloendus.ee/en/results/demographic-and-ethno-cultural-characteristics-of-the-population.
Statistics Estonia, Population census. “76% of Estonia’s Population Speak a Foreign Language,” Census 2021, November 16, 2022, https://rahvaloendus.ee/en/news/population-census-76-estonias-population-speak-foreign-language.
Ibid.
Ibid.
European Commission, “Estonia: Action Plan Approved for Transition to Estonian-language Education,” Eurydice, December 16, 2022, https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news/estonia-action-plan-approved-transition-estonian-language-education.
Statistics Estonia, “General Education,” Education, 2021, https://www.stat.ee/en/find-statistics/statistics-theme/education/general-education.
Republic of Estonia Ministry of Education and Research, “Transition to Estonian-language Education,” Estonian Language, last modified January 10, 2023, https://www.hm.ee/en/node/234.
Statistics Estonia, “Demographic and Ethno-cultural Characteristics of the Population,” Census 2021, accessed March 9, 2023, https://rahvaloendus.ee/en/results/demographic-and-ethno-cultural-characteristics-of-the-population.
For details about the exhibition, refer to Tartu Art Museum, “Look at Me! Listen to Me!” Exhibitions, accessed March 9, 2023, https://tartmus.ee/en/exhibition/look-at-me-listen-to-me/.
For details about the artist and the artwork, refer to Tanja Muravskaja, “Portfolio,” Tanja Muravskaja, accessed March 9, 2023, http://www.tanjamuravskaja.com/.