Language quiz
Here’s a recording of a well-known Christmas carol in a mystery language. Do you know or can you guess which language it is?
4 Responses to “Language quiz”
Here’s a recording of a well-known Christmas carol in a mystery language. Do you know or can you guess which language it is?
Colm on 01 Jan 2008 at 7:51 pm #
Happy New Year!! :-)
I am guessing it is a Finno-Uralic language but not Finnish or Sámi.
The first and the last lines sounds so close to the Estonian:
Püha öö, õnnistud öö!
…
laulgem halleluuja!
but the rest doesn’t.
*stumped*
Please tell! :-)
Simon on 02 Jan 2008 at 10:11 am #
It is Estonian and I think it’s the last verse:
Püha öö, õnnistud öö,
kes sa meil ilmutand
Isa armu, mis õnnistust toob,
rahupõlve maailmale loob
Laulgem Halleluuja!
Laulgem Halleluuja!
See also: here
Colm on 02 Jan 2008 at 12:22 pm #
Thanks Simon. It’s kind of weird because listening to the recording even my Estonian girlfriend had difficulty recognising it was Estonian (apart from the first and last lines which I mentioned).
Hope the new year is off to a good start for you.
Pavel on 04 Jan 2008 at 3:01 pm #
It seems that lyrics don’t match. Are you sure it’s Estonian?