100 years of the Mother Tongue Society: the path and landmarks

The article gives an overview of the development and activity of the Mother Tongue Society from its founding on March 23, 1920 to the present day. The formation of the society's name is described, along with its relations with the University of Tartu and the academy of sciences. Also examined are the society's membership and the changes to the society charter that have affected the formation thereof. The Society's notoriety and influence are analysed, the goals set in the charter 100 years ago are compared with the goals of today, and the accomplishments of the Society in relation to those goals are summarized, covering the Society's primary spheres of activity: dialect collection, language development, Estonianization of names, language image building and language planning.