Vowels, like the consonants, show a three-way distinction in length. The first syllable of a word is stressed, although loan words and foreign place names often retain their original stress. There is no grammatical gender. There are fourteen nominal cases, seven of which refer to location. Case and number are marked on the noun with a single suffix.
Suffixes mark tense and subject agreement on the verb.
The addition of these suffixes effects the consonants in the stem, resulting in an alternation in the length of the consonants. Under Soviet rule, however, Russian was declared the official language, and systematic attempts were made to suppress the Estonian language and culture. These efforts were primarily superficial and not entirely successful, as Estonian continued to be spoken and learned throughout the Republic. Following independence, the Estonian government established the National Language Board in 1990 to protect and encourage the use of Estonian. While Russian is still an unofficial second language, Estonian is taught and used in the school system, and competency in it is a requirement of Estonian citizenship.