The Diachronic Development of the Seto South Estonian Case System: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The present thesis analyses the diachronic development of the Seto case system within the South Estonian branch and the broader Finnic language subfamily. The main goal of this work is to demonstrate that Seto should not be considered a dialect of (North) Estonian, but rather a distinct South Estonian language with its own historical development. Through a comparative morphophonological approach, the study examines conservative and innovative features in Seto. By comparing Seto with other Finnic languages such as Estonian, V˜oro, Finnish, Votic and Livonian, the analysis shows that many similarities between Seto and Estonian are due to Sprachbund effects rather than direct genetic inheritance. The findings suggest that a purely tree-based classification is insufficient to describe the complex relationships within the Finnic languages. This research also seeks to contribute to the description of an endangered, lesser-known South Estonian variety and supports its recognition and further study.