Medieval Livonian County Metsepole and the Historical and Linguistic Border between Livonians and Estonians
Medieval Livonian County Metsepole and the Historical and Linguistic Border between Livonians and Estonians

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the issue of the northern border of Metsepole in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia and in two earlier treaties from the 13th century. The paper analyzes the treatment of the medieval status of the Coastal Southern Pärnumaa in historical tradition. Linguistic evidence of the contacts of Salaca Livonian with the neighbouring Pärnumaa dialects is studied. It is shown that the common features may either be the result of the common origin of the Estonian Pärnumaa dialects and the Livonian language in prehistoric times, or they are brought to light by language contacts and reveal adstratum phenomena. The Livonian substratum in the coastal dialect of southern Pärnu­maa is a matter of debate in the case of some morphosyntactic similarities.

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