# Seto dialect

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Dialect of South Estonian

Not to be confused with the Seto dialect of the [Fon language](/source/Fon_language).

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Seto seto kiil´ Native to Estonia Region Setomaa Ethnicity Setos Native speakers 25,080 (2021 census)[1] Language family Uralic Finnic South Estonian Võro-Seto Seto Writing system Latin Language codes ISO 639-3 – Glottolog seto1244 South Estonian today. Seto is marked with light red colour. Distribution of Seto speakers according to the 2021 census.

**Seto** (*seto kiil*;[2] [Estonian](/source/Estonian_language): *setu keel*) is a dialect of [South Estonian](/source/South_Estonian) spoken by 25,080 people.[3] It is sometimes identified as a variety under [Võro](/source/V%C3%B5ro_language), or the two are described as Võro-Seto. [Setos](/source/Setos) (*setokõsõq*) mostly inhabit the area near [Estonia](/source/Estonia)'s southeastern border with [Russia](/source/Russia) in [Setomaa](/source/Setomaa), and are primarily [Eastern Orthodox](/source/Eastern_Orthodox_Church), while [Võros](/source/V%C3%B5ros) (*võrokõsõq*) are traditionally [Lutherans](/source/Lutheranism) and live in historical [Võru County](/source/V%C3%B5ru_County).

## Phonology

### Vowels

Front Back unrounded rounded unrounded rounded Close i y ɯ u Mid e ø ɤ o Open æ ɑ

- Vowel length is also distinctive.

### Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal plain pal. plain pal. plain pal. plain pal. Plosive p pʲ t tʲ k kʲ ʔ Affricate t͡s t͡sʲ Fricative v vʲ s sʲ h hʲ Nasal m mʲ n nʲ Approximant l lʲ j Rhotic r rʲ

- Stop, affricate and fricative sounds can also be heard as voiced [b, bʲ, d, dʲ, ɡ, ɡʲ, d͡z, d͡zʲ] and [z, zʲ], when between vowels or within voiced consonants. They also may be written as such ⟨b, b’, d, d’, g, g’, ds, ds’, z, z’⟩.

- Other sounds /f, x/ appear only in loanwords.

## Language sample

Article 1 of the [Universal Declaration of Human Rights](/source/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights):

- Seto: *Kõik inemiseq sünnüseq vapost ja ütesugumaidsist uma avvo ja õiguisi poolõst. Näile om annõt mudsu ja süämetun'stus ja nä piät ütstõõsõga vele muudu läbi kjauma.*

- [Võro](/source/V%C3%B5ro_language): *Kõik inemiseq sünnüseq vapos ja ütesugumaidsis uma avvo ja õiguisi poolõst. Näile om annõt mudsu ja süämetunnistus ja nä piät ütstõõsõga vele muudu läbi käümä.*

- [Estonian](/source/Estonian_language): *Kõik inimesed sünnivad vabadena ja võrdsetena oma väärikuselt ja õigustelt. Neile on antud mõistus ja südametunnistus ja nende suhtumist üksteisesse peab kandma vendluse vaim.*

- [Finnish](/source/Finnish_language): *Kaikki ihmiset syntyvät vapaina ja tasavertaisina arvoltaan ja oikeuksiltaan. Heille on annettu järki ja omatunto, ja heidän on toimittava toisiaan kohtaan veljeyden hengessä.*

- [English](/source/English_language): *All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.*

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["RL21446: POPULATION WITH ESTONIAN AS THEIR MOTHER TONGUE BY ABILITY TO SPEAK A DIALECT, AGE GROUP, SEX, AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE (ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT), 31 DECEMBER 2021"](https://andmed.stat.ee/pxweb/en/stat/stat__rahvaloendus__rel2021__rahvastiku-demograafilised-ja-etno-kultuurilised-naitajad__voorkeeleoskus-murded/RL21446.px/). *PxWeb*. Retrieved 2024-07-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Google Scholar"](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Seto+language%22&hl=en&lr=&btnG=Search). *scholar.google.com*. Retrieved 2024-07-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["RL21446: POPULATION WITH ESTONIAN AS THEIR MOTHER TONGUE BY ABILITY TO SPEAK A DIALECT, AGE GROUP, SEX, AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE (ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT), 31 DECEMBER 2021"](https://andmed.stat.ee/pxweb/en/stat/stat__rahvaloendus__rel2021__rahvastiku-demograafilised-ja-etno-kultuurilised-naitajad__voorkeeleoskus-murded/RL21446.px/). *PxWeb*. Retrieved 2024-07-17.

- Alekseev, F. (2016). ["Opyt polevogo issledovanija jazyka seto" Опыт полевого исследования языка сето](https://www.academia.edu/29055826) [Field research experience in the Seto language]. *Finno-ugorskij Mir* (in Russian). **3**: 14–17.

- Eichenbaum, Külli; Pajusalu, Karl (2001). ["Setode ja võrokeste keelehoiakutest ja identiteedist"](https://www.digar.ee/arhiiv/et/download/143169). *Keel ja Kirjandus*. **7**: 483–489.

- Eller, Kalle (1999). *Võro-Seto Language*. Võro Institute. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9985914953](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9985914953).

- Pajusalu, Karl (2022). *Seto South Estonian*. In Marianne Bakró-Nagy and Johanna Laakso and Elena Skribnik (eds.), The Oxford guide to the Uralic languages: Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 367–379.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location))

v t e Languages of Estonia Official language Estonian Regional languages South Estonian Seto Tartu Võro Minority languages German Russian Swedish Sign languages Estonian Sign Language Russian Sign Language Extinct languages Laiuse Romani

v t e Uralic languages List of Uralic languages Finnic Estonian Laiuse Romani Northeastern coastal South Estonian Seto Võro Mulgi Tartu Ludza Kraasna Leivu Finnish Fingelska Eastern Finnish Siberian Finnish Sweden Finnish Western Finnish Kven Meänkieli Gällivare Lannankieli Torne Valley Karelian Karelian Proper Northern Southern Livvi Ludic Others Bjarmian Finnic Ingrian Siberian Ingrian Finnish Livonian Salaca Veps Votic Krevinian Kukkuzi Sámi Eastern Sámi Akkala Inari Kainuu Kemi Kildin Skolt Ter Western Sámi Lule Northern Pite Southern Ume Unclassified Bjarmian Sámi Mordvinic Erzya Shoksha [de; ru] Moksha Mari Hill Mari Meadow Mari Northwestern Mari Permic Komi Permyak Yazva Zyryan Udmurt Udmurt Ugric Eastern Ugric Khanty Northern Khanty Southern Khanty Eastern Khanty Mansi Northern Mansi Western Mansi Eastern Mansi Southern Mansi Western Ugric Hungarian Samoyedic Enets Forest Enets [ru] Tundra Enets Mator Taygi [ru] Karagas [ru] Nenets Forest Nenets Tundra Nenets Selkup Northern Southern Other Kamas Koibal Nganasan Yurats Unclassified Merya Meshcherian Muromian Proto-Uralic Homeland Proto-Finnic Proto-Karelian Proto-Sámi Proto-Samoyedic Italics indicate extinct languages Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Seto dialect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seto_dialect) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seto_dialect?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.