Category
Topic
Year
What is his game?
Keywords: Mati Unt, game, archetype, postmodernism, modernism, romanticism
The article discusses Unt’s oeuvre of the 1990s and 2000s, with the main focus on his novels Öös on asju (Things in the Night, 1990) and Brecht ilmub öösel (Brecht will appear at night, 1997) and the keyword “game”. The article investigates whether Unt’s later works, described in his time as complicated and confusing, really differ so much from his earlier period as far as the themes and focus are concerned. In addition, the article makes an attempt to map the relationship between Unt and postmodernism, which is by no means clear. Although Unt seems…
The article discusses Unt’s oeuvre of the 1990s and 2000s, with the main focus on his novels Öös on asju (Things in the Night, 1990) and Brecht ilmub öösel (Brecht will appear at night, 1997) and the keyword “game”. The article investigates whether Unt’s later works, described in his time as complicated and confusing, really differ so much from his earlier period as far as the themes and focus are concerned. In addition, the article makes an attempt to map the relationship between Unt and postmodernism, which is by no means clear. Although Unt seems…
More on the language of Agenda Parva
Keywords: Tartu dialect, Agenda Parva, Estonian language history
The Catholic church manual Agenda Parva (1622) is a South Estonian linguistic monument. Its language has been studied since 1938, but some specifications are still in order. In the phrase omme wiide mielde-ga ‘with one’s own five senses’ (modern spelling omme viide meeldega) omme should not be interpreted as an erroneously spelt genitive singular but rather as the genitive plural of the pronoun oma ‘one’s own’, spelt according to the general principle followed throughout the publication, notably that a long consonant is rendered by doubling the letter. As for wiide (the middle word of the phrase) it has hitherto been interpreted as a very archaic…
The Catholic church manual Agenda Parva (1622) is a South Estonian linguistic monument. Its language has been studied since 1938, but some specifications are still in order. In the phrase omme wiide mielde-ga ‘with one’s own five senses’ (modern spelling omme viide meeldega) omme should not be interpreted as an erroneously spelt genitive singular but rather as the genitive plural of the pronoun oma ‘one’s own’, spelt according to the general principle followed throughout the publication, notably that a long consonant is rendered by doubling the letter. As for wiide (the middle word of the phrase) it has hitherto been interpreted as a very archaic…
Palatalisation of consonants after a long vowel at the end of monosyllabic i-stemmed words
Keywords: Estonian, palatalisation, i-stemmed words, reading experiment, dialectical variation, text-to-speech synthesis
The study focuses on the palatalisation of the consonants l, n, s, t and d at the end of i-stemmed monosyllabic Estonian words, e.g. saal ‘hall’, veen ‘vein’, roos ‘rose’, pruut ‘bride’, kood ‘code’. The purpose of the study is to ascertain the extent of palatalisation. According to the Dictionary of Standard Estonian, which provides the basis for Estonian text-to-speech synthesis,the final consonant of an i-stemmed word with a (C)VVC structure should be palatalised. There is, however, large variation in actual pronunciation.
The investigation addresses 2274 pronunciations of 57 words with the above structure. There are 36 i-stemmed words and 21 words with some other stem vowel, chosen to enable a comparison of…
The study focuses on the palatalisation of the consonants l, n, s, t and d at the end of i-stemmed monosyllabic Estonian words, e.g. saal ‘hall’, veen ‘vein’, roos ‘rose’, pruut ‘bride’, kood ‘code’. The purpose of the study is to ascertain the extent of palatalisation. According to the Dictionary of Standard Estonian, which provides the basis for Estonian text-to-speech synthesis,the final consonant of an i-stemmed word with a (C)VVC structure should be palatalised. There is, however, large variation in actual pronunciation.
The investigation addresses 2274 pronunciations of 57 words with the above structure. There are 36 i-stemmed words and 21 words with some other stem vowel, chosen to enable a comparison of…
What is a posthuman theatre text?
Keywords: dramaturgy, subjectivity, consciousness, corporeality, technology
In this article, I read a selection of 21st century Estonian plays through the lenses of posthumanism. I examine the matters of subjectivity, corporeality, consciousness and relation to technology of the characters based on Katherine N. Hayles’ pioneering How We Became Posthuman (1999) and Rosi Braidotti’s The Posthuman (2013); some relevant ideas of transhumanism exceeding the biological limits of the human organism (Nick Bostrom) are also considered.
The first selected play is uus elysium. une luup (new elysium. dream loupe, 2001) by Andreas W and Jaak Tomberg. The play is a textual experiment of the technological…
In this article, I read a selection of 21st century Estonian plays through the lenses of posthumanism. I examine the matters of subjectivity, corporeality, consciousness and relation to technology of the characters based on Katherine N. Hayles’ pioneering How We Became Posthuman (1999) and Rosi Braidotti’s The Posthuman (2013); some relevant ideas of transhumanism exceeding the biological limits of the human organism (Nick Bostrom) are also considered.
The first selected play is uus elysium. une luup (new elysium. dream loupe, 2001) by Andreas W and Jaak Tomberg. The play is a textual experiment of the technological…
A dialogue of the verbal and the visual
Keywords: Estonian poetry, photography, lyricism, narrativity, deictics
The interplay of lyrical poetry and photography has not been discussed much in literary theory. The present study is of an introductory nature, analysing the central features arising from the interaction of two different ways of representation. Those features include changes in narrativity, in lyricism and in metaphoricity. The analysis is based on a book published in 1997, titled as Kaalud (The Scales), which contains 31 poems written by Hasso Krull and one folk song as inspired by 34 photographs by Toomas Kalve. This is perhaps the best known example, in Estonian literature, of photographs and…
The interplay of lyrical poetry and photography has not been discussed much in literary theory. The present study is of an introductory nature, analysing the central features arising from the interaction of two different ways of representation. Those features include changes in narrativity, in lyricism and in metaphoricity. The analysis is based on a book published in 1997, titled as Kaalud (The Scales), which contains 31 poems written by Hasso Krull and one folk song as inspired by 34 photographs by Toomas Kalve. This is perhaps the best known example, in Estonian literature, of photographs and…
Estonian names for the tag game
Keywords: Estonian, Estonian dialects, etymology, Swedish loanwords, German loanwords, Russian loanwords
Tag is a well-known children’s game popular all over Europe. This is a chase game where usually one player chases all the rest. The game has a lot of variants and names. As revealed by the 1992 contest of school lore collection the four most popular Estonian names for the game are kull, läts ~ lets, mats and leka. The article discusses the possible origin of the names. The name kull is probably motivated by the general term for a bird of prey; a similar term has been used for the catcher in older Estonian song games. On the…
Tag is a well-known children’s game popular all over Europe. This is a chase game where usually one player chases all the rest. The game has a lot of variants and names. As revealed by the 1992 contest of school lore collection the four most popular Estonian names for the game are kull, läts ~ lets, mats and leka. The article discusses the possible origin of the names. The name kull is probably motivated by the general term for a bird of prey; a similar term has been used for the catcher in older Estonian song games. On the…
Countryside homes in the Estonian SSR
Keywords: Estonian Soviet era literature, Hando Runnel, sense of self, kolkhoz, summer homes, Estonian life writing
The article is interested in the interconnection of cultural imaginaries and everyday materialities; these phenomena are explored in the context of commonly shared ideas about countryside home-life in Soviet Estonia. Based on Soviet-era fiction and poetry, and supported by life-writing and interviews, the essay outlines some basic strategies that are foregrounded in cultural imaginaries of the era: a nostalgic regard for the “authenticity” of pre-Soviet Estonian farm life, a belief in the salutary nature of countryside surroundings, and an ironical attitude towards summerhoming as it…
The article is interested in the interconnection of cultural imaginaries and everyday materialities; these phenomena are explored in the context of commonly shared ideas about countryside home-life in Soviet Estonia. Based on Soviet-era fiction and poetry, and supported by life-writing and interviews, the essay outlines some basic strategies that are foregrounded in cultural imaginaries of the era: a nostalgic regard for the “authenticity” of pre-Soviet Estonian farm life, a belief in the salutary nature of countryside surroundings, and an ironical attitude towards summerhoming as it…
About collecting and researching kolkhoz folklore in the early Soviet Estonia
Keywords: Soviet folklore, Stalinism, fieldwork, representation
In early Soviet Estonia, folkloristics had to conform to the new ideology. The institutions were reorganised, the previous work was re-evaluated, while new folklore on Soviet topics was expected to be collected, published and studied. The directions on what and how to study came from Soviet research conferences visited by Estonian scholars.
Recommendable Soviet folklore such as, for example, materials about the Great Patriotic War or worker movement being hard to find, kolkhozes looked a more promising terrain. As soon as in 1950, a year after mass collectivisation in Soviet Estonia, folklorists and folklore students were…
In early Soviet Estonia, folkloristics had to conform to the new ideology. The institutions were reorganised, the previous work was re-evaluated, while new folklore on Soviet topics was expected to be collected, published and studied. The directions on what and how to study came from Soviet research conferences visited by Estonian scholars.
Recommendable Soviet folklore such as, for example, materials about the Great Patriotic War or worker movement being hard to find, kolkhozes looked a more promising terrain. As soon as in 1950, a year after mass collectivisation in Soviet Estonia, folklorists and folklore students were…
A historiographic outline of the history of Estonian journalism
Keywords: history of Estonian journalism, historiography
The article provides a historiographic survey of studying and recording the history of Estonian journalism from the first review article published in 1901 to this day. The history can be divided into three periods. The first period lasted from the beginning of the 20th century to Soviet occupation. The few studies published addressed 19th-century journalism, which was treated either as an arena of ideological battles or as a subdivision of literature. The second period began in 1955–1956 and lasted until the late 1980s. The studies of that period can be divided into three groups: (a) continuation…
The article provides a historiographic survey of studying and recording the history of Estonian journalism from the first review article published in 1901 to this day. The history can be divided into three periods. The first period lasted from the beginning of the 20th century to Soviet occupation. The few studies published addressed 19th-century journalism, which was treated either as an arena of ideological battles or as a subdivision of literature. The second period began in 1955–1956 and lasted until the late 1980s. The studies of that period can be divided into three groups: (a) continuation…
Place names on the 17th–19th century Estonian grave markers
Keywords: epitaphs, Estonian language history, place names
The oldest survived stone crosses commemorating Estonians date back to the late 16th century. Many of these Maltese and wheel crosses are rather rich, giving evidence of a rise of the self-awareness and social position of the wealthier Estonians. As many of the stonemasons were Estonians, too, it can be assumed that a number of the epitaphs have been engraved by a native Estonian. As survived records written by an Estonian hand are few, those old stone crosses are certainly a valuable source of written Estonian.
The article analyses the place names engraved on the…
The oldest survived stone crosses commemorating Estonians date back to the late 16th century. Many of these Maltese and wheel crosses are rather rich, giving evidence of a rise of the self-awareness and social position of the wealthier Estonians. As many of the stonemasons were Estonians, too, it can be assumed that a number of the epitaphs have been engraved by a native Estonian. As survived records written by an Estonian hand are few, those old stone crosses are certainly a valuable source of written Estonian.
The article analyses the place names engraved on the…
A neopagan Old Pagan
Keywords: August Kitzberg, Estonian mythology, historical novel, hybridity, intertextuality, neopaganism, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Estonian historical novel dates back to the 1880s. One the first such novels was August Kitzberg’s Maimu (1892) depicting the relations between local people and the Livonian order in the 14th century. Maimu was extremely popular and has been abundantly reprinted. However, literary scholars have always been reluctant to admit its merits because of its hybrid form and historical anachronisms. Meanwhile they have noticed its religious commitment and a critical attitude towards Christianity.
Drawing from some recent researches, this paper argues that hybridity (Ann Rigney) and the palimpsest paradigm (Tom Bragg) have been essential…
The Estonian historical novel dates back to the 1880s. One the first such novels was August Kitzberg’s Maimu (1892) depicting the relations between local people and the Livonian order in the 14th century. Maimu was extremely popular and has been abundantly reprinted. However, literary scholars have always been reluctant to admit its merits because of its hybrid form and historical anachronisms. Meanwhile they have noticed its religious commitment and a critical attitude towards Christianity.
Drawing from some recent researches, this paper argues that hybridity (Ann Rigney) and the palimpsest paradigm (Tom Bragg) have been essential…
Two groundbreakers, two teachers
Keywords: consistent Estonian journalism, Perno Postimees, Eesti Postimees, academic journalism training at the University of Tartu, the role of Estonian-medium journalism, Estonian cultural history
May 16, 2019 is the 200th anniversary of Johann Voldemar Jannsen and May 19, 2019 is the centenary of the birth of Juhan Peegel. In June 1857 Jannsen started as editor of the weekly Perno Postimees, thus laying the foundation of consistent Estonian journalism. A hundred years later, in June 1957 the first students who had been trained as journalists graduated from the University of Tartu. The initiative for introducing such training to students of Estonian Philology (preparing them for work…
May 16, 2019 is the 200th anniversary of Johann Voldemar Jannsen and May 19, 2019 is the centenary of the birth of Juhan Peegel. In June 1857 Jannsen started as editor of the weekly Perno Postimees, thus laying the foundation of consistent Estonian journalism. A hundred years later, in June 1957 the first students who had been trained as journalists graduated from the University of Tartu. The initiative for introducing such training to students of Estonian Philology (preparing them for work…
Depiction of the sea in Mari Saat’s novel Lasnamäe lunastaja (“The Redeemer of Lasnamäe”)
Keywords: contemporary Estonian literature, intertextuality, minorities in literature, the sea in literature, Russians in Estonia
This article focuses on the descriptions of the sea in Mari Saat’s short novel Lasnamäe lunastaja (“The Redeemer of Lasnamäe”) (2008). In this work, descriptions of the sea are frequently connected with the portrayal of the protagonist Natalja Filippovna, her emotions and experiences of the past, present and future. The sea and the varying maritime views also represent limits between different places and spaces.
The most central places of Lasnamäe lunastaja are the suburb of Lasnamäe in Tallinn and the coast of Crimea. The main character, a…
This article focuses on the descriptions of the sea in Mari Saat’s short novel Lasnamäe lunastaja (“The Redeemer of Lasnamäe”) (2008). In this work, descriptions of the sea are frequently connected with the portrayal of the protagonist Natalja Filippovna, her emotions and experiences of the past, present and future. The sea and the varying maritime views also represent limits between different places and spaces.
The most central places of Lasnamäe lunastaja are the suburb of Lasnamäe in Tallinn and the coast of Crimea. The main character, a…