Keelekirja

Keelekirja is a term used in Estonian-language linguistic contexts to refer to a written record of a language. The exact usage varies, but it commonly denotes a document that records linguistic data such as phonology, grammar, lexicon, and orthography, either as a field notebook, a descriptive grammar, or a dictionary created for a language.

Etymology and form: The word is a compound of keele ('language') and kirja ('book' or 'writing'), reflecting a straightforward designation as a language-related book or compilation.

Contexts: Keelekirja appears in documentation projects for endangered languages or in historical linguistic studies where researchers compile corpora and descriptive data. It is not a standardized term for a specific publication; rather, it describes the kind of artifact produced in fieldwork and documentation.

Relation to other concepts: It overlaps with language documentation, field notes, grammars, dictionaries, and orthography notes. In some communities, keelekirja may be a communal record maintained by language speakers or researchers.

See also: language documentation, grammar, dictionary, corpus linguistics.