Võro Institute
Encyclopedia
The Võro Institute is an Estonia
n state research and development institution dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Võro language
and culture.
. The first directors of the institute were Enn Kasak and Kaido Kama. The present director of the institute is Külli Eichenbaum, researches at the institute include the toponymist Evar Saar
and the lexicographer Sulev Iva
.
), publishing Võro-language scholarship and school textbooks, and organizing annual language conferences. The aim of these activities is to encourage the Võro people to speak their own language and to preserve their characteristic life-style.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n state research and development institution dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Võro language
Võro language
The Võro language is a language belonging to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. Traditionally it has been considered a dialect of the South Estonian dialect group of the Estonian language, but nowadays it has its own literary language and is in search of official recognition as an...
and culture.
History
The institute was founded by the Estonian government in 1995 and is located in a Southern Estonian town VõruVõru
Võru is a town and a municipality in south-eastern Estonia. It is the capital of Võru County and the centre of Võru Parish.-History:Võru was founded on 21 August 1784, according to the wish of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, by the order of Riga Governor general count George Browne, on the...
. The first directors of the institute were Enn Kasak and Kaido Kama. The present director of the institute is Külli Eichenbaum, researches at the institute include the toponymist Evar Saar
Evar Saar
Evar Saar is an Estonian linguist, journalist, toponymist a Võro language activist. He has traveled extensively around the historical county of Võrumaa and documented the original names of all major geographical features there...
and the lexicographer Sulev Iva
Sulev Iva
Sulev Iva, born 3 October 1969 in Võru, also known under the Võro-styled pen name of Jüvä Sullõv, is a Võro identity advocate, and a founding fellow at the Võro Institute...
.
Activities
The Institute is engaged in a wide range of activities to meet the challenges facing lesser-spoken languages, including establishing school programs, conducting linguistic and regional research, preserving place-names and their corresponding stories (mostly by Evar SaarEvar Saar
Evar Saar is an Estonian linguist, journalist, toponymist a Võro language activist. He has traveled extensively around the historical county of Võrumaa and documented the original names of all major geographical features there...
), publishing Võro-language scholarship and school textbooks, and organizing annual language conferences. The aim of these activities is to encourage the Võro people to speak their own language and to preserve their characteristic life-style.