sõnaliste

Sõnaliste is a term used in Estonian linguistics to refer to a broad class of words that carry lexical meaning and function as content words within sentences. The word is derived from sõna (word) and is used to distinguish elements that primarily convey semantic information from function words which primarily provide grammatical relationships. In many grammatical descriptions, sõnalised (the corresponding adjective form) include nouns, adjectives, verbs, numerals, and adverbs—word classes that form the core lexical content of utterances.

Morphology and syntax are central to the study of sõnaliste. These words typically inflect for various grammatical categories such as number, case, tense, mood, or degree, depending on the word class. They are often able to act as subjects, predicates, objects, attributes, or modifiers within clauses, contributing to the main meaning of a sentence. By contrast, function words like prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, and pronouns primarily express grammatical relations rather than substantive meaning.

The exact scope of the category can vary among grammarians and theoretical frameworks. Some analyses further subdivide sõnaliste into subgroups aligned with traditional word classes (for example, nominal versus verbal cues) or according to derivational and inflectional behavior. The term is most common in Estonian-language linguistic resources, where it serves as a concise label for the parts of speech that carry substantial lexical content.

See also: Estonian language, word class, content word, morphology, syntax.