Ööbiku (Ööbik)

Nightingale (with a great stretch of the imagination and very soggy elastic, this word can be extended to contain one of if not the longest sequence of identical vowels in Estonian. Follow me: töö is work and öö is night so töööö is night-work (well, a work night), so a tööööööbik is a night-operating (i.e. ‑singing) nightingale (thanks to Ardo for this). Of similar linguistic value is, perhaps, the 13-letter word for constipation in English, beginning and ending with ‘n’. Two species breeding in Estonia:

• Rubiinööbik, Siberian rubythroat, Luscinia calliope
• and plain old ööbik, thrush nightingale, L. luscinia

Which brings us to the end of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. To start again, see Algi, but see also Sisaski. In the introduction, we mentioned dialects. One Estonian linguist, a certain Urmas Sutrop (anagram of Proust, I’m sure you noticed), analyzing the migratory patterns of the Estonian nightingale and currently being measured for suits with very long arms, managed to classify regional expressions of departural desolation into no less than 17 laments, all along the lines of “Our nightingale has gone elsewhere this year”:

• Meie ööbik on tänavu mujale läinud (Standard Estonian)
• Meide ööbik aa seaesta maeale läin (Hiiumaa)
• Meite ööbik oo siasta mäale läind (Saaremaa)
• Meite üöbik uo sieoasta mõjale läin (Muhumaa)
• Meite ärjälend oo tänäkond maale läin (Läänemaa)
• Mede künnilind uu tänabö maeale läind (Vigala)
• Mede künniljõnd ond tänävasta maalõ läin (Kihnu)
• Mete üöbik oo tänabu maeal läin (Harju-Risti)
• Meie üöbik on tänävu muuale mend (Kuusalu)
• Me õitselind on tänavu maale läind (Järvamaa)
• Meie kirikiut one tänävu mojale lähänd (Põhja-Virumaa)
• Mei sisokaine ono (olo) tänä vuo mojale mennö (Vaivara)
• Meie sisask one tänävuade mõjale lähnud (Kodavere)
• Mee kiriküüt’ om täo muial lännü (Karksi)
• Meie tsisask om tinavu muiale lännu (Southern-Tartumaa)
• Mii sisask um timahavva muialõ lännüq (Võrumaa)
• Mii sisas’k om timahavva muialõ l’änüq (Setomaa)

Pardi (Part)

Duck, teal, pintail, etc. Numerous species breeding in Estonia:

• Ameerika piilpart, green-winged teal, Anas carolinensis
• Ameerika viupart, American wigeon, A. americana
• Luitsnokk-part, northern shoveler, A. clypeata
• Piilpart, Eurasian teal, A. crecca
• Ristpart, common shelduck, Tadorna tadorna
• Rägapart, garganey, A. querquedula
• Rääkspart, gadwall, A. strepera
• Sinikael-part, mallard, A. platyrhynchos
• Sini-rägapart, blue-winged teal, A. discors
• Soopart aka pahlsaba-part, northern pintail, A. acuta
• Tulipart, ruddy shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea
• Viupart, eurasian wigeon, A. penelope

Part, literally, of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets (see Pardiloigu for very witty pun…). See also Pöialpoisi. Modern classical-music lovers may not like to know that their favorite Estonian composer’s name translates, inter alia, as ‘Dignity Duck’.

Pöialpoisi (Pöialpoiss)

Goldcrest, Regulus regulus (lit. little king little king). National bird of Luxembourg. A pöialpoiss (thumb-boy) is also a rather ill-defined character of Estonian folklore. The Brothers Grimms’ Snow-White’s dwarves are translated as pöialpoisid, but the same word also gives elf, pixie, etc. Part of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. See also Püü.