võõrsõna

Võõrsõna is an Estonian term referring to a loanword, a word adopted from one language into another. Estonia, like many countries, has a rich history of borrowing words from other languages due to cultural, political, and economic interactions. The most significant sources of loanwords in Estonian are Germanic languages (particularly German and Swedish), Slavic languages (Russian), and more recently, English.

The integration of võõrsõnad into Estonian can occur in various ways. Some words are adopted directly with minimal changes to their pronunciation or spelling, while others are adapted to fit Estonian phonology and morphology. For example, the word for "information" in Estonian, "informatsioon," is clearly derived from English. Similarly, many technical and scientific terms enter Estonian through English.

The presence of võõrsõnad is a natural linguistic phenomenon and contributes to the dynamism of a language. However, there have been historical movements and ongoing discussions within Estonia regarding the preservation of the Estonian language and the extent to which foreign words should be assimilated. Efforts are sometimes made to create native Estonian equivalents for foreign terms, but many loanwords have become firmly established and are widely used in everyday communication. The study of võõrsõnad provides insights into the historical connections and influences on the Estonian language.