Estonian Swedish

Estonian Swedish (Swedish: estlandssvenska; Estonian: rannarootsi keel, lit. 'Coastal Swedish') are the eastern varieties of the Swedish language that were until the mid-20th century spoken in the Aiboland, the coastal areas and islands of western and northern Estonia which had been inhabited since the Middle Ages by the Estonian Swedes.

Until the evacuation of the Estonian Swedes near the end of World War II, both Swedish and Estonian were commonly spoken in the Aiboland coastal areas and islands. Today, small groups of remaining Estonian Swedes are regrouping and re-establishing their heritage, by studying the Swedish language and culture. They are led by the Estonian Swedish Council, which is backed by the Estonian government. In 2000, Swedes were the 21st largest ethnic group in Estonia, numbering only 300. There are however many elderly native speakers of Estonian Swedish as well as descendants of Estonian Swedes residing in Sweden.

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

摘自英文维基百科 · Estonian Swedish · CC BY-SA 4.0