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Loans came, loans went or stayed
Keywords: linguistics, contact, history of written language, German loanwords, Estonian language
This article examines the arrival of German loanwords into Estonian through a small selection of once-exotic fruits of foreign origin (pear, plum, damson, cherry, lemon, bitter orange, and orange) alongside the potato, a vegetable of American origin. Linguistic data provides insight into when these foreign fruits and plants appeared on our tables and in our gardens, as well as the forms these loanwords took in Northern and Southern Estonia, two historical provinces with distinct dialects and written languages.
The adoption of new fruit names in Estonian reflects long-term linguistic processes. In…
This article examines the arrival of German loanwords into Estonian through a small selection of once-exotic fruits of foreign origin (pear, plum, damson, cherry, lemon, bitter orange, and orange) alongside the potato, a vegetable of American origin. Linguistic data provides insight into when these foreign fruits and plants appeared on our tables and in our gardens, as well as the forms these loanwords took in Northern and Southern Estonia, two historical provinces with distinct dialects and written languages.
The adoption of new fruit names in Estonian reflects long-term linguistic processes. In…
The meaning of raamat ‘book’ and kiri ‘letter’ in old written Estonian
Keywords: old literary language, historical sociolinguistics, lexical change, lexical borrowing, Estonian
This article explores the historical development of the meanings of two key words in 16th–19th century literary Estonian – raamat ‘book’ and kiri ‘letter, message, etc.’ Literary Estonian emerged in the first half of the 16th century, following the Reformation, with the translation of religious literature from German. Even at that time, the Estonian words raamat and kiri were used with distinct meanings. This article examines the evolution of their usage, drawing primarily on Corpus of Old Written Estonian and dictionaries. At the same time, it seeks to answer how…
This article explores the historical development of the meanings of two key words in 16th–19th century literary Estonian – raamat ‘book’ and kiri ‘letter, message, etc.’ Literary Estonian emerged in the first half of the 16th century, following the Reformation, with the translation of religious literature from German. Even at that time, the Estonian words raamat and kiri were used with distinct meanings. This article examines the evolution of their usage, drawing primarily on Corpus of Old Written Estonian and dictionaries. At the same time, it seeks to answer how…
Kaabakas, kabajantsik, and the like…
Keywords: linguistics, affective words, names for unlikable persons, names for animals, names for supernatural forces, distribution, origin, formation, Estonian language
This article examines common names for persons and supernatural beings with negative connotations in the Estonian language. These names are thought to originate from either onomatopoeic-descriptive roots or (as the author prefers) affective stems, the protoforms of which can be reconstructed as *ka(a)p(p)-. The analysis covers their distribution across Estonian subdialects, written texts, and runic songs. It also considers the etymology of these terms and tries to approach them from a somewhat novel perspective.
Noun derivatives of the *ka(a)p(p)– protostem are found…
This article examines common names for persons and supernatural beings with negative connotations in the Estonian language. These names are thought to originate from either onomatopoeic-descriptive roots or (as the author prefers) affective stems, the protoforms of which can be reconstructed as *ka(a)p(p)-. The analysis covers their distribution across Estonian subdialects, written texts, and runic songs. It also considers the etymology of these terms and tries to approach them from a somewhat novel perspective.
Noun derivatives of the *ka(a)p(p)– protostem are found…
The name(s) Kuningamäe
Keywords: linguistics, Estonian, place names, foreign names, name planning, socio-onomastics
This article examines Estonian place names containing the term kuningas ‘king’. The earliest records of Kuninga-names date back to the 16th century. The Place Names Archive of the Institute of the Estonian Language lists more than 200 place names beginning with Kuning(a)-. By comparison, terms denoting other noble ranks are significantly less common: there are 86 names starting with krahv ‘count’, 43 with parun ‘baron’, 29 each with keiser ‘emperor’ and prints ‘prince’, four with vürst ‘prince’ (from the German Würst), and one with hertsog ‘duke’.
Kuningamäe is a typical…
This article examines Estonian place names containing the term kuningas ‘king’. The earliest records of Kuninga-names date back to the 16th century. The Place Names Archive of the Institute of the Estonian Language lists more than 200 place names beginning with Kuning(a)-. By comparison, terms denoting other noble ranks are significantly less common: there are 86 names starting with krahv ‘count’, 43 with parun ‘baron’, 29 each with keiser ‘emperor’ and prints ‘prince’, four with vürst ‘prince’ (from the German Würst), and one with hertsog ‘duke’.
Kuningamäe is a typical…
The childhood of which songster?
Keywords: folklore, ethnomusicology, choral music, runosong, orality and literacy
One of the most iconic and seminal musical works of Estonian culture, the song Lauliku lapsepõli (“Childhood of the Songster”), often referred to by its opening words, “Kui ma olin väiksekene” (“When I Was Little”), was composed on the basis of Estonian folk songs in collaboration between Aino Tamm (1864–1945), one of the first professionally trained Estonian singers, and Miina Härma (1864–1941), the first Estonian female composer. The song has been performed in various formats – including choir, solo, and social singing – published in numerous songbooks, and even reintroduced into oral…
One of the most iconic and seminal musical works of Estonian culture, the song Lauliku lapsepõli (“Childhood of the Songster”), often referred to by its opening words, “Kui ma olin väiksekene” (“When I Was Little”), was composed on the basis of Estonian folk songs in collaboration between Aino Tamm (1864–1945), one of the first professionally trained Estonian singers, and Miina Härma (1864–1941), the first Estonian female composer. The song has been performed in various formats – including choir, solo, and social singing – published in numerous songbooks, and even reintroduced into oral…
”Everybody’s in favour, of course.”
Keywords: comparative literature, prose, motif, meetings, totalitarianism, Soviet regime
This article examines the portrayal of meetings in four novels: Enn Vetemaa’s “The Musician” (Pillimees), Herta Müller’s “The Land of Green Plums” (Herztier), Elena Chizhova’s “The Time of Women” (Vremia zhenshchin), and Eugen Ruge’s “In Times of Fading Light” (In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts). These works all explore the experience of living under a totalitarian regime, where the system had either fundamentally changed or collapsed by the time of the novels’ publication. Meetings play a significant role in conveying this experience. In The Musician, the meeting unfolds as a trap, destroying the…
This article examines the portrayal of meetings in four novels: Enn Vetemaa’s “The Musician” (Pillimees), Herta Müller’s “The Land of Green Plums” (Herztier), Elena Chizhova’s “The Time of Women” (Vremia zhenshchin), and Eugen Ruge’s “In Times of Fading Light” (In Zeiten des abnehmenden Lichts). These works all explore the experience of living under a totalitarian regime, where the system had either fundamentally changed or collapsed by the time of the novels’ publication. Meetings play a significant role in conveying this experience. In The Musician, the meeting unfolds as a trap, destroying the…
The variation in the case forms of the indefinite pronoun keegi ‘someone’ in written Estonian
Keywords: language variation, usage-based linguistics, corpus linguistics, language planning, indefinite pronouns
There is variation in the case forms of the indefinite pronouns keegi ‘someone’, miski ‘something’, kumbki ‘either’ and ükski ‘none’ in Estonian. In these pronouns, -gi/-ki can appear after the case ending (e.g., kellelegi), as specified in the standard language norm; before the case ending (e.g., kellegile); between two case endings (e.g., kellelegile); or both before and after the case ending (e.g., kellegilegi).
In this article, I used data from the Estonian National Corpus 2021 to provide an overview of the extent of variation in the case forms of keegi, miski,…
There is variation in the case forms of the indefinite pronouns keegi ‘someone’, miski ‘something’, kumbki ‘either’ and ükski ‘none’ in Estonian. In these pronouns, -gi/-ki can appear after the case ending (e.g., kellelegi), as specified in the standard language norm; before the case ending (e.g., kellegile); between two case endings (e.g., kellelegile); or both before and after the case ending (e.g., kellegilegi).
In this article, I used data from the Estonian National Corpus 2021 to provide an overview of the extent of variation in the case forms of keegi, miski,…
When the body speaks
Keywords: feminism, transgressive literature, women’s writing, prose, queer literature
Margit Lõhmus’ book Sterne has received attention for its portrayal of the female body and sexuality, which are presented in a hyperbolic and sometimes caricatured way, departing from conventional norms. This allows the book to be placed within the context of queer literature, understood here as literature that challenges norms. In Sterne, gender identity often does not conform to the expectations of heteronormativity, and gender is not simply divided into male and female. Queerness is also evident in the unexpected sources of pleasure, the characters’ appearances, and the depiction of bodies and…
Margit Lõhmus’ book Sterne has received attention for its portrayal of the female body and sexuality, which are presented in a hyperbolic and sometimes caricatured way, departing from conventional norms. This allows the book to be placed within the context of queer literature, understood here as literature that challenges norms. In Sterne, gender identity often does not conform to the expectations of heteronormativity, and gender is not simply divided into male and female. Queerness is also evident in the unexpected sources of pleasure, the characters’ appearances, and the depiction of bodies and…
Baltic German humour and anecdotes about clergymen
Keywords: anecdotes, Baltic Germans, humour
Baltic German anecdotes (Pratchen) are a relatively unexplored part of Estonian folk humour, much like Baltic German culture within Estonian culture as a whole. This study focuses on anecdotes about Lutheran clergymen, which offer material for comparison with the more thoroughly researched Estonian counterparts. These humorous tales provide valuable insights into the cultural history, mentality, language as well as everyday life of the Baltic German community.
Older Estonian anecdotes about clergymen often emphasize the social and ethnic differences between Estonian peasants and the clergy. In contrast, Baltic German anecdotes provide an internal perspective, exploring the role…
Baltic German anecdotes (Pratchen) are a relatively unexplored part of Estonian folk humour, much like Baltic German culture within Estonian culture as a whole. This study focuses on anecdotes about Lutheran clergymen, which offer material for comparison with the more thoroughly researched Estonian counterparts. These humorous tales provide valuable insights into the cultural history, mentality, language as well as everyday life of the Baltic German community.
Older Estonian anecdotes about clergymen often emphasize the social and ethnic differences between Estonian peasants and the clergy. In contrast, Baltic German anecdotes provide an internal perspective, exploring the role…