Where does “emakeel” come from?
emakeel (Estonian) comes from Estonian keel, from Proto-Finnic keeli, from Proto-Uralic käle — tongue; language.
emakeel (Estonian): mother tongue
Ancestry of “emakeel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Estonian | keel | language; tongue; string of musical instrument |
| 2 | Proto-Finnic | keeli | tongue; language |
| 3 | Proto-Uralic | käle | tongue; language |