Category
Topic
Year
roobas – a word describing the condition of ancient roads
Keywords: lexical history, Estonian language, Finnic languages
The aim of the article is to demonstrate that the Estonian word roobas ~ rööbas associates with a numerous family of descriptive words belonging to a common Finnic tradition, a family that owes its considerable growth to morphological and semantic derivation. It is indicated that the semantic difference, so far considered a practically insurmountable obstacle in the way to associating the Estonian examples with those occurring in the Northern Finnic group, is but superficial as proved by an analysis of the older and less transparent semantic layers of the word family. This analysis includes, inter alia, a description…
The aim of the article is to demonstrate that the Estonian word roobas ~ rööbas associates with a numerous family of descriptive words belonging to a common Finnic tradition, a family that owes its considerable growth to morphological and semantic derivation. It is indicated that the semantic difference, so far considered a practically insurmountable obstacle in the way to associating the Estonian examples with those occurring in the Northern Finnic group, is but superficial as proved by an analysis of the older and less transparent semantic layers of the word family. This analysis includes, inter alia, a description…
Hidden changes in the prosodic structure of Estonian
Keywords: moraic theory, consonant gradation, Estonian quantity, history of Estonian, tone accent, weight by position
The article discusses the phonological development of the Estonian language. Ilse Lehiste has claimed that Estonian is changing from a quantity language to an accent language. This undergoing change has never been explained theoretically. Based on Moraic Theory, several steps of the change can be distinguished. First, Estonian has deactivated a process that adds moras to syllable codas. As a result, even main-stressed CVC syllables may be monomoraic. According to phonetical measurements, this may be the situation right now, yet the data is somewhat ambiguous as…
The article discusses the phonological development of the Estonian language. Ilse Lehiste has claimed that Estonian is changing from a quantity language to an accent language. This undergoing change has never been explained theoretically. Based on Moraic Theory, several steps of the change can be distinguished. First, Estonian has deactivated a process that adds moras to syllable codas. As a result, even main-stressed CVC syllables may be monomoraic. According to phonetical measurements, this may be the situation right now, yet the data is somewhat ambiguous as…
Do women and men really translate differently?
Keywords: literary translation, gender, Buratino, female, male
Today the role of the translator’s gender is quite actively researched in linguistics as well as in translation studies. However, in Estonian theory and practice of translation this topic has not yet received enough attention. In the current article four Estonian translations of the story “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino” by A. Tolstoy are compared and analysed. Two of the translations (from 1946 and 1964) belong to female translators and two (from 1996 and 2016) to male translators.
Different researchers have suggested some characteristics that distinguish “female” translations from “male” ones:
(1) in…
Today the role of the translator’s gender is quite actively researched in linguistics as well as in translation studies. However, in Estonian theory and practice of translation this topic has not yet received enough attention. In the current article four Estonian translations of the story “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino” by A. Tolstoy are compared and analysed. Two of the translations (from 1946 and 1964) belong to female translators and two (from 1996 and 2016) to male translators.
Different researchers have suggested some characteristics that distinguish “female” translations from “male” ones:
(1) in…
Marriage of a cleric and some anti-Catholic motifs in 17th-century poems for pastors’ weddings
Keywords: 17th century, occasional poetry, anticatholicism, priests
Occasional poetry flourished in the early 17th-century Tallinn and Tartu. In Tallinn, wedding songs prevailed, while Tartu was more inclined to academic congratulations. About a third of the wedding song collections printed in either town were dedicated to acting clergy. As can be expected, congratulations for clergymen are richer in Christian motifs than the wedding poems written for representatives of other estates, yet the Christian motifs fail to overshadow the abundance of those of classical antiquity. As a matter of fact, the Christian and pagan motifs are intertwined no less closely in congratulations for…
Occasional poetry flourished in the early 17th-century Tallinn and Tartu. In Tallinn, wedding songs prevailed, while Tartu was more inclined to academic congratulations. About a third of the wedding song collections printed in either town were dedicated to acting clergy. As can be expected, congratulations for clergymen are richer in Christian motifs than the wedding poems written for representatives of other estates, yet the Christian motifs fail to overshadow the abundance of those of classical antiquity. As a matter of fact, the Christian and pagan motifs are intertwined no less closely in congratulations for…
About the Baltic German reception of English poetry and drama, based on the Library of the Estonian Literary Society
Keywords: Library of the Estonian Literary Society, Baltic German, English, poetry, drama, reception
Based on the subclass XII (poetry and drama) of the Library of Estonian Literary Society, a Baltic German learned society (1842–1940) in Tallinn, this paper takes a look at the emergence of English literature in (Northern) Estonia. A more continuous reception of English literature in this area began in the second half of the 18th century. Although the most often mentioned publication place was London and some direct contacts can be traced with the help of inscriptions, the main part (4/5) of English literature reached the Baltic German reader via German…
Based on the subclass XII (poetry and drama) of the Library of Estonian Literary Society, a Baltic German learned society (1842–1940) in Tallinn, this paper takes a look at the emergence of English literature in (Northern) Estonia. A more continuous reception of English literature in this area began in the second half of the 18th century. Although the most often mentioned publication place was London and some direct contacts can be traced with the help of inscriptions, the main part (4/5) of English literature reached the Baltic German reader via German…
Ado Grenzstein’s pursuit to launch a daily of his own
Keywords: Estonian press, late 19th century, formation of political currents, censorship, nationalism
In 1881 Ado Grenzstein started the weekly paper Olevik, which complemented Estonian press with various innovative features concerning language, contents and form. The article provides a survey of Grenzstein’s journalistic innovations, including one of the earliest Estonian evidences documenting an attempt to regulate the relations between a newspaper and its correspondents. Since the end of 1885 Grenzstein began to sense the need for a daily paper, which was expressed in his discussion over the possibilities of creating an integrated Estonian press. Karl August Hermann’s Postimees was released, since the end…
In 1881 Ado Grenzstein started the weekly paper Olevik, which complemented Estonian press with various innovative features concerning language, contents and form. The article provides a survey of Grenzstein’s journalistic innovations, including one of the earliest Estonian evidences documenting an attempt to regulate the relations between a newspaper and its correspondents. Since the end of 1885 Grenzstein began to sense the need for a daily paper, which was expressed in his discussion over the possibilities of creating an integrated Estonian press. Karl August Hermann’s Postimees was released, since the end…
What is the role of mora in Estonian?
Keywords: phonology, Estonian quantity, moraic consonant, lenis, fortis, foot
The article introduces the main principles of moraic theory and the role of mora in Estonian phonology, also addressing the history of the concept ‘mora’ in theoretical linguistics. In traditional studies of metrics, the term ‘mora’ used to refer to a minimal unit of metrical time (equivalent to a short syllable). Yet according to moraic theory, mora is a unit of phonological structure, a part of the syllable, not just a measure of length. This approach allows to explain the ternary system of Estonian quantity as well as the distinction between syllable-final…
The article introduces the main principles of moraic theory and the role of mora in Estonian phonology, also addressing the history of the concept ‘mora’ in theoretical linguistics. In traditional studies of metrics, the term ‘mora’ used to refer to a minimal unit of metrical time (equivalent to a short syllable). Yet according to moraic theory, mora is a unit of phonological structure, a part of the syllable, not just a measure of length. This approach allows to explain the ternary system of Estonian quantity as well as the distinction between syllable-final…
Responses to wh-questions in Estonian spoken interaction
Keywords: spoken Estonian, phrasal response, clausal response, specifying question, telling question
The purpose of this article is to research responses to the wh-questions in Estonian everyday conversations.In Estonian, wh-questions are formed with sentence-initial question words (mis ‘what’, kes ‘who’, etc.). The material consists of 103 extracts collected from the Corpus of Spoken Estonian of the University of Tartu. The extracts were analysed using the methodology of conversation analysis.
The data reveals that there are two types of wh-questions in Estonian: specifying and telling questions. Hence, the study provides a confirmation of the view presented in Thompson et al. (2015). A specifying question seeks a single piece of information,…
The purpose of this article is to research responses to the wh-questions in Estonian everyday conversations.In Estonian, wh-questions are formed with sentence-initial question words (mis ‘what’, kes ‘who’, etc.). The material consists of 103 extracts collected from the Corpus of Spoken Estonian of the University of Tartu. The extracts were analysed using the methodology of conversation analysis.
The data reveals that there are two types of wh-questions in Estonian: specifying and telling questions. Hence, the study provides a confirmation of the view presented in Thompson et al. (2015). A specifying question seeks a single piece of information,…
On the etymology of the stronghold names Agelinde and Kedipiv
Keywords: Northern Estonia, historical toponyms, etymology
The hill fort Agelinde in the southern part of Viru county was first mentioned in 1226, later in the form of Hagelite (in 1227 and 1233) and Agnileti (in 1236). The stronghold name variants derive in all probability from the common name *akja : aγja-n ‘margin, border’ and *litna ‘stronghold; hill fort’. It has meant a stronghold at the border of two ancient counties. The stronghold name Kedipiv found in Russian chronicles (1057) is connected with the words *käsi : *käδen ‘hand’ and *päivä ‘sun’ (not *pää ‘head; end’). It can originate either in the anthroponym *Käδen-päivä or *Kätevä-päivä. Thus, the refuge or stronghold name could be *Kätevän päivän (litna) ‘(stronghold) of Päivä with…
The hill fort Agelinde in the southern part of Viru county was first mentioned in 1226, later in the form of Hagelite (in 1227 and 1233) and Agnileti (in 1236). The stronghold name variants derive in all probability from the common name *akja : aγja-n ‘margin, border’ and *litna ‘stronghold; hill fort’. It has meant a stronghold at the border of two ancient counties. The stronghold name Kedipiv found in Russian chronicles (1057) is connected with the words *käsi : *käδen ‘hand’ and *päivä ‘sun’ (not *pää ‘head; end’). It can originate either in the anthroponym *Käδen-päivä or *Kätevä-päivä. Thus, the refuge or stronghold name could be *Kätevän päivän (litna) ‘(stronghold) of Päivä with…
On books and reading as reflected in Baltic German memoir literature
Keywords: memoirs, Baltic German cultural history, history of reading, reading acquisition
The article discusses the references to reading and learning to read in Baltic German memoirs. It also introduces some new sources, which are particularly valuable for containing information on everyday history. The examples represent the period from the late 18th century to the interval between the two World Wars. Despite the long period of report, as well as the social diversity and gender heterogeneity of the list of authors (e.g. Baer, Anders, Schwartz, Ostwald, Hunnius, Kentmann, Hartge, Bodisco, Taube, Staden etc.) it is notable that reading and books have often been…
The article discusses the references to reading and learning to read in Baltic German memoirs. It also introduces some new sources, which are particularly valuable for containing information on everyday history. The examples represent the period from the late 18th century to the interval between the two World Wars. Despite the long period of report, as well as the social diversity and gender heterogeneity of the list of authors (e.g. Baer, Anders, Schwartz, Ostwald, Hunnius, Kentmann, Hartge, Bodisco, Taube, Staden etc.) it is notable that reading and books have often been…
Ahasuerus’s testimony
Keywords: moral witnessing, Ahasuerus, testimony, Ene Mihkelson, “The Sleep of Ahasuerus”, pilgrimage
Ene Mihkelson (1944–2017), one of the most philosophical authors in modern Estonian literature, has chosen the title of her novel Ahasveeruse uni (“The Sleep of Ahasuerus”) (2001) associating it with a figure from a medieval legend. The same figure occurs in the title of the story Ahasverus död (“The Death of Ahasuerus”), 1960, Estonian translation published in 1971) by Swedish Nobelist Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974) .
While Mihkelson’s Ahasuerus sleeps or dreams (the Estonian word uni can mean either state of mind), Lagerkvist’s Ahasuerus is either dying or dead. Both titles…
Ene Mihkelson (1944–2017), one of the most philosophical authors in modern Estonian literature, has chosen the title of her novel Ahasveeruse uni (“The Sleep of Ahasuerus”) (2001) associating it with a figure from a medieval legend. The same figure occurs in the title of the story Ahasverus död (“The Death of Ahasuerus”), 1960, Estonian translation published in 1971) by Swedish Nobelist Pär Lagerkvist (1891–1974) .
While Mihkelson’s Ahasuerus sleeps or dreams (the Estonian word uni can mean either state of mind), Lagerkvist’s Ahasuerus is either dying or dead. Both titles…