Mati Erelt (12 March 1941 – 12 October 2024) was an Estonian linguist.[1]
Erelt was born in Tallinn. In 1965 he graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in Estonian language and literature. He defended his doctoral dissertation there in 1981.
From 1989 until 1991 he was a professor at Tallinn Pedagogical Institute. From 1991 to 1995 he was a visiting professor at the Chair of Finno-Ugric Languages at the University of Helsinki, and from 1995 to 2006 he was a professor at the Chair of Estonian at the University of Tartu. He was later Professor Emeritus at the University of Tartu as well as a Senior Research Fellow.
From 1997 until 2006 he was the chairman of Mother Tongue Society.
Erelt was married to linguist Tiiu Erelt.[2] He died on 12 October 2024, at the age of 83.[3]