Estonian Swedish

Estonian Swedish (Swedish: estlandssvenska; Estonian: rannarootsi keel, lit. 'Coastal Swedish') are the eastern varieties of Swedish that were spoken in the formerly Swedish-populated areas of Estonia (locally known as Aiboland) on the islands of Ormsö (Vormsi), Ösel (Saaremaa), Dagö (Hiiumaa) and Runö (Ruhnu), and the peninsula (former island) of Nuckö (Noarootsi), by the local Estonian Swedes.

Estonian Swedish
Estonian Swedes on Ruhnu, 1937
RegionEstonia, Ukraine
Native speakers
Unknown
Indo-European
  • Germanic
    • North Germanic
      • East Scandinavian
        • Swedish
          • East Swedish
            • Estonian Swedish
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologesto1259
IETFsv-EE
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Teaching
  • Swedish as a foreign language
  • Mandatory Swedish
  • Swedish for immigrants
Higher category: Language

Until the evacuation of the Estonian Swedes near the end of World War II, both Swedish and Estonian were commonly spoken on the named islands. It is not clear if there are any native speakers left. After Estonia's independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Estonian Swedish experienced a revival, with courses in the language being offered on Dagö and Ösel.

Currently, the number of native speakers is unknown, but assumed to be low.

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