Category
Topic
Year
The cosmos of paronyms
Keywords: lexicography, paronyms, collocations, Estonian, German, language planning
In Europe and Estonia, linguistic research on paronyms has been rather limited. This article presents a corpus-based comparative study of Estonian and German paronyms, the results of which were included in the German online dictionary Paronyme – Dynamisch im Kontrast as a bilingual word entry in the spring of 2023. This is the first German paronym dictionary compiled strictly based on corpus data analysis. The author examined the Estonian words autoritaarne ‘authoritarian’ and autoriteetne ‘authoritative’ by analyzing their collocations. In Estonian, these words have not previously been recognized as paronyms, whereas their German…
In Europe and Estonia, linguistic research on paronyms has been rather limited. This article presents a corpus-based comparative study of Estonian and German paronyms, the results of which were included in the German online dictionary Paronyme – Dynamisch im Kontrast as a bilingual word entry in the spring of 2023. This is the first German paronym dictionary compiled strictly based on corpus data analysis. The author examined the Estonian words autoritaarne ‘authoritarian’ and autoriteetne ‘authoritative’ by analyzing their collocations. In Estonian, these words have not previously been recognized as paronyms, whereas their German…
Estonian laskma-causative
Keywords: grammaticalization, causative construction, verb laskma, literary language, Estonian
The article provides an overview of the meanings of the Estonian core verb laskma (‘to let’), explains the development and usage of its grammatical constructions, and describes the most common semantic types of the laskma-causative (LET-causative). Data for this study were collected from corpora of written Estonian texts from the 16th century to the present.
The first instance of the laskma-causative is impossible to ascertain due to the grammatical constructions of laskma already appearing in written texts in the 16th and 17th centuries (explained as forced grammaticalization). However, the process of grammaticalization…
The article provides an overview of the meanings of the Estonian core verb laskma (‘to let’), explains the development and usage of its grammatical constructions, and describes the most common semantic types of the laskma-causative (LET-causative). Data for this study were collected from corpora of written Estonian texts from the 16th century to the present.
The first instance of the laskma-causative is impossible to ascertain due to the grammatical constructions of laskma already appearing in written texts in the 16th and 17th centuries (explained as forced grammaticalization). However, the process of grammaticalization…
Artur Alliksaar’s alliterative archetypes
Keywords: poetics, free verse, runic verse, primal poetry, baroque poetry, poetry revival
The article explores the free-verse poetics of Artur Alliksaar (1923–1966), Estonia’s foremost poet of language. Alliksaar faced poverty and repression under the Soviet regime, making it challenging to publish his work. A small selection of his poems were published as a book only posthumously. Nonetheless, Alliksaar’s influence on the poetry revival of the 1960s and the emerging generation of poets was profound. Estonian poetry and the language itself have been forever altered by his volcanic inspiration.
In the late 1950s, Estonia witnessed a fierce debate over free verse: while the…
The article explores the free-verse poetics of Artur Alliksaar (1923–1966), Estonia’s foremost poet of language. Alliksaar faced poverty and repression under the Soviet regime, making it challenging to publish his work. A small selection of his poems were published as a book only posthumously. Nonetheless, Alliksaar’s influence on the poetry revival of the 1960s and the emerging generation of poets was profound. Estonian poetry and the language itself have been forever altered by his volcanic inspiration.
In the late 1950s, Estonia witnessed a fierce debate over free verse: while the…
Women’s religious agency on the example of Russian Old Believer communities in Estonia
Keywords: women’s religiosity, gendered practices, gender contract, culture of exceptions, women priests in Russian Old Belief
This article explores ways in which women navigate their agency within the conservative religious context of Russian Old Belief. Specifically, it examines four closely situated congregations in Kasepää, Suur-Kolkja, Varnja (Pomortsy), and Väike-Kolkja (Fedoseevtsy) in Peipsimaa, based on fieldwork conducted between 2020 and 2021.
In the Old Belief tradition, women are barred from leadership roles or preaching; however, they often assume duties traditionally reserved for men. Furthermore, Old Believer communities in Estonia, which tend to have a higher proportion of women than men, rely heavily on…
This article explores ways in which women navigate their agency within the conservative religious context of Russian Old Belief. Specifically, it examines four closely situated congregations in Kasepää, Suur-Kolkja, Varnja (Pomortsy), and Väike-Kolkja (Fedoseevtsy) in Peipsimaa, based on fieldwork conducted between 2020 and 2021.
In the Old Belief tradition, women are barred from leadership roles or preaching; however, they often assume duties traditionally reserved for men. Furthermore, Old Believer communities in Estonia, which tend to have a higher proportion of women than men, rely heavily on…
Võro and Seto language shift in the 20th–21st century
Keywords: sociolinguistics, intergenerational transmission, language shift, language attitudes, South Estonian, Võro, Seto
This article approaches the endangerment status of Võro and Seto from two main aspects: intergenerational language transmission and language teaching in schools. Despite the revitalisation efforts for Võro and Seto beginning 35 years ago, their overall situation has not seen significant improvement. Currently, there are very few children growing up in a Võro/Seto speaking home.
In our survey, we focused on the mechanisms of intergenerational language transmission. This included identifying from whom different generations acquired their Võro/Seto proficiency and how many have passed the language on to their children.…
This article approaches the endangerment status of Võro and Seto from two main aspects: intergenerational language transmission and language teaching in schools. Despite the revitalisation efforts for Võro and Seto beginning 35 years ago, their overall situation has not seen significant improvement. Currently, there are very few children growing up in a Võro/Seto speaking home.
In our survey, we focused on the mechanisms of intergenerational language transmission. This included identifying from whom different generations acquired their Võro/Seto proficiency and how many have passed the language on to their children.…
Factual narrative in the 17th century
Keywords: narrative, early modern literature, Baltic German culture, Caspar Meyer
To date, there has been hardly any scholarly consideration of minutes (Protokoll) and reports (Bericht) as narrative texts with poetic potential, especially in 17th-century literature. In preparation for an edition of the minutes, this article is dedicated to an initial analysis of the minutes written by Caspar Meyer, secretary of the corporation of Estonian nobility (Estländische Ritterschaft) from 1634 to 1653. The analysis comprises several aspects: a preliminary look at definitions is followed by a discussion of the emergence of minutes as a combination of different text forms (e.g., records…
To date, there has been hardly any scholarly consideration of minutes (Protokoll) and reports (Bericht) as narrative texts with poetic potential, especially in 17th-century literature. In preparation for an edition of the minutes, this article is dedicated to an initial analysis of the minutes written by Caspar Meyer, secretary of the corporation of Estonian nobility (Estländische Ritterschaft) from 1634 to 1653. The analysis comprises several aspects: a preliminary look at definitions is followed by a discussion of the emergence of minutes as a combination of different text forms (e.g., records…
Estonian tanka
Keywords: Estonian poetry, tanka, classical form, extended themes, quasi-tanka.
The primary aim is to provide an overview of the evolution of the Estonian tanka genre, to delineate the requirements of its classical form and style, and to analyze its proliferation within Estonian literature. Tanka poems have been published since 1917, with their prevalence expanding notably in the 1960s and persisting to the present day. A total of 76 tankas writers have contributed 1296 tankas to the collection. In addition, there are 34 student authors featured in school almanacs. It is noteworthy that this poetic form has attracted a diverse range of…
The primary aim is to provide an overview of the evolution of the Estonian tanka genre, to delineate the requirements of its classical form and style, and to analyze its proliferation within Estonian literature. Tanka poems have been published since 1917, with their prevalence expanding notably in the 1960s and persisting to the present day. A total of 76 tankas writers have contributed 1296 tankas to the collection. In addition, there are 34 student authors featured in school almanacs. It is noteworthy that this poetic form has attracted a diverse range of…
Vanakooli (‘old-school’)
Keywords: linguistics, compound word, phrase, defective adjective, orthography, word formation
The modifying compound word vanakooli (‘old-school’), frequently used in informal speech as a variant of the phrase vana kooli, exemplifies a linguistic phenomenon where certain noun-based phrases tend to form compound words. Adjectives, pronouns, numerals, and adpositions can merge with the following noun, resulting in compounds such as vanakooli (‘old-school’), vabaaja (‘leisure-time’), sellesuve (‘this summer’s’), kaheinimese (‘two-people’), üleõla (‘over-the-shoulder’), and ümbernurga (‘around the corner’). The prevalence of compound words increases as the expression gains popularity. In orthography and word formation, the potential of phrases with distinct meanings to form three-part compounds…
The modifying compound word vanakooli (‘old-school’), frequently used in informal speech as a variant of the phrase vana kooli, exemplifies a linguistic phenomenon where certain noun-based phrases tend to form compound words. Adjectives, pronouns, numerals, and adpositions can merge with the following noun, resulting in compounds such as vanakooli (‘old-school’), vabaaja (‘leisure-time’), sellesuve (‘this summer’s’), kaheinimese (‘two-people’), üleõla (‘over-the-shoulder’), and ümbernurga (‘around the corner’). The prevalence of compound words increases as the expression gains popularity. In orthography and word formation, the potential of phrases with distinct meanings to form three-part compounds…
Botany at the Swedish University of Tartu on the example of the disputation „De plantis” (1647) by Johannes Erici and Andreas Arvidi
Keywords: early modern botany, natural sciences in early modern era, the Swedish University of Tartu, early modern disputations, plants in the early modern era.
Although botany was not taught as an independent subject at the Swedish University of Tartu, plants were addressed within the context of medical studies. Professors of medicine were required to teach natural sciences on the basis of Johannes Magirus’ (?–1596) textbook “Physiologia peripatetica ex Aristotele”.
At other Swedish Universities of the 17th century, at Uppsala and Turku, the first botanical treatises were written by professors of medicine, who also spearheaded the establishment of the first botanical gardens. In Tartu…
Although botany was not taught as an independent subject at the Swedish University of Tartu, plants were addressed within the context of medical studies. Professors of medicine were required to teach natural sciences on the basis of Johannes Magirus’ (?–1596) textbook “Physiologia peripatetica ex Aristotele”.
At other Swedish Universities of the 17th century, at Uppsala and Turku, the first botanical treatises were written by professors of medicine, who also spearheaded the establishment of the first botanical gardens. In Tartu…
The massacre on Lake Liepāja
Keywords: history, history of literature, memory studies, Baltic German literature, Estonian literature
Renowned Estonian novelist Karl Ristikivi published a gothic short story titled Luigelaul (“Swansong”) in 1968, drawing inspiration from a true event from the Baltic Middle Ages. In 1428, Goswin von Aschenberg, a Vogt of the Teutonic Order stationed at Grobiņa Castle in the south-western corner of present-day Latvia, perpetrated the murder of Livonian bishops’ envoys en route to Rome to denounce the Order’s tyranny. The precise source of Ristikivi’s inspiration remains obscure. This article endeavours to trace the massacre on Lake Liepāja as a motif in Baltic German and…
Renowned Estonian novelist Karl Ristikivi published a gothic short story titled Luigelaul (“Swansong”) in 1968, drawing inspiration from a true event from the Baltic Middle Ages. In 1428, Goswin von Aschenberg, a Vogt of the Teutonic Order stationed at Grobiņa Castle in the south-western corner of present-day Latvia, perpetrated the murder of Livonian bishops’ envoys en route to Rome to denounce the Order’s tyranny. The precise source of Ristikivi’s inspiration remains obscure. This article endeavours to trace the massacre on Lake Liepāja as a motif in Baltic German and…
Perceptions of the word kväär ‘queer’ among the Estonian LGBT community
Keywords: linguistics, LGBT studies, queer theory, queer linguistics, corpus linguistics, vocabulary, Estonian language
This article explores the linguistic representations and perceptions of the words queer and kväär within the Estonian LGBT community. The study delves into the evolution of LGBT vocabulary in Estonian, focusing on how kväär, the equivalent of the English queer, is perceived and used.
Using corpus analysis and an online survey among the LGBT community, the research reveals nuanced attitudes toward kväär in Estonia. The corpus data shows shifts in usage frequencies of LGBT related words that reflect societal debates. The word kväär is multifaceted, used in various contexts,…
This article explores the linguistic representations and perceptions of the words queer and kväär within the Estonian LGBT community. The study delves into the evolution of LGBT vocabulary in Estonian, focusing on how kväär, the equivalent of the English queer, is perceived and used.
Using corpus analysis and an online survey among the LGBT community, the research reveals nuanced attitudes toward kväär in Estonia. The corpus data shows shifts in usage frequencies of LGBT related words that reflect societal debates. The word kväär is multifaceted, used in various contexts,…