Sõnavara

Sõnavara is the Estonian term for vocabulary or lexicon, referring to the set of words known and used by a person or the corpus of words that constitute a language. Etymology: a compound of sõna (word) and vara (stock, property). In linguistics it denotes the lexicon of a language, separately from its grammar and rules of syntax. Scope: It covers all lexemes including roots, inflected forms, derivations, and compounds; includes both widely used core vocabulary and specialist terms; loans from other languages; proper names; and functional words like prepositions and conjunctions. Active vs passive: Active or productive vocabulary refers to words a speaker uses in speech or writing; passive or receptive vocabulary comprises words recognized and understood but not regularly used. Measurement and pedagogy: In education, building sõnavara is a central goal; teachers focus on high-frequency words; vocabulary is expanded through reading and exposure; methods include word lists, spaced repetition, and usage in context; corpora and frequency analyses are used in research to analyze a language's lexicon. Relation to dictionaries and lexicography: Sõnavara underpins dictionaries and language teaching; lexical databases, corpora, and frequency analyses map the size and structure of the lexicon. Estonian specifics: Because Estonian is highly inflected with many case endings and compounding, the productive vocabulary includes many derived forms and compounds, which expands the usable lexicon for speakers. Conclusion: The concept is central to linguistics and language learning.