Vanakõne

Vanakõne is a term used in Estonian linguistics and folklore to describe a speech style associated with older generations. The word combines vana ('old') and kõne ('speech'), literally "old speech." Historically linked to rural communities, vanakõne is commonly encountered in storytelling, admonition, and ritual or ceremonial orations, where elder speakers address younger audiences or the group as a whole.

Linguistic characteristics include a slower tempo and measured articulation, a preference for concrete reminiscence and moralizing content, and the frequent use of proverbs and idiomatic expressions. The vocabulary often includes archaic or regionally specific terms, and speakers may employ direct address to listeners, rhetorical questions, and didactic framing. The style can combine narrative reminiscence with normative statements about conduct or tradition.

In Estonian culture, vanakõne is used in oral literature, theater, and media to evoke tradition and authority or to anchor communal memory. In sociolinguistics, it serves as a lens to study age-related language variation, social prestige, and intergenerational dynamics. While the term is most often associated with rural or folkloric contexts, it also appears as a literary device in urban and national storytelling to evoke heritage.