# Language news, Friday, 16 October 2026

Compiled by Richard Brooks's language news desk. Canonical: https://richard-brooks.com/language-news/2026-10-16/

## Estonia drafts law making schools teach Võru, Setu and Mulgi on request of 10 pupils

Education. Regional varieties get a school right that Russian and Ukrainian home languages already have. Teacher supply in small rural schools will decide how much it means.

Source: Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, https://www.hm.ee/uudised/kristina-kallas-murdekeeled-saavad-koolis-voorkeeltega-vordsed-oigused

## India's tribal affairs ministry makes Adi Vaani its national tribal language repository

Tech. Adi Vaani, built by IIT Delhi, already translates 9 tribal languages and holds about 300 hours of speech data. Pooling dictionaries, primers and recordings on one platform, with communities keeping ownership, gives schools and researchers one place to start.

Source: Press Information Bureau, Government of India, https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2323661