keeleseisundites

Keeleseisundites is a term used in sociolinguistics to describe how languages or language varieties hold status and function within a community, across different contexts and over time. The word combines keel (language) and seisund (state or condition); keeleseisundites is the inessive plural form, typically translated as “in language statuses” or “in language situations.”

The concept covers official status (legally recognized languages), societal status (dominant versus minority languages), and domain-specific status (use in education, media, administration, home). It also includes prestige, norms of usage, attitudes toward varieties, and how these factors change with demographics, migration, or policy. Understanding keeleseisundites involves examining how different language varieties are valued, chosen, and transmitted in everyday life, as well as how authorities shape these dynamics through legislation and institutions.

Researchers study keeleseisundites by analyzing policy documents, conducting speaker surveys, and engaging in ethnographic observation. They map domains of language use (school, work, media, family), track code-switching and language shift, and assess indicators of vitality such as intergenerational transmission and domain flexibility. The goal is to reveal how language choices reflect social structures and power relations, and how policy can support inclusive language practice.

Applications of the concept include informing language planning, minority-language rights, education and media policy, and public signage and services. In multilingual societies, keeleseisundites help explain why certain languages flourish in some settings while fading in others, guiding efforts to balance linguistic diversity with practical needs. Related fields include sociolinguistics, language policy, diglossia, and language vitality.