Category
Topic
Year
From feldspar to alder buckthorn and the colour yellow
Keywords: names of colours, trees and rocks, etymologies, Finno-Ugric languages, Indo-European languages, comparative linguistics
The onomatopoetically derived stems *pakka- and *paka- trace back to ancient times, originally signifying actions like breaking and splitting along with the associated sounds. Over time, the concept of colour became syncretically intertwined with these meanings. Derivatives formed by adding suffixes to the root *pakka- include the Finnish pakkunen ‘three-lobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartitus)’, the Olonetsian pakkuinen ‘yellow’, the Vepsian pakuine ‘yellow’, and the Hungarian fakó (
The onomatopoetically derived stems *pakka- and *paka- trace back to ancient times, originally signifying actions like breaking and splitting along with the associated sounds. Over time, the concept of colour became syncretically intertwined with these meanings. Derivatives formed by adding suffixes to the root *pakka- include the Finnish pakkunen ‘three-lobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartitus)’, the Olonetsian pakkuinen ‘yellow’, the Vepsian pakuine ‘yellow’, and the Hungarian fakó (
On a concept missing from Estonian and the substitute thereof
Keywords: history of written Estonian, conceptual history, the concept of vānitās, the word edevus
This article explores the Latin-French-English concept vānitās/vanité/vanity as an example of how the Latin-based European conceptual system has dissolved into different words in younger literary languages such as Estonian. It distinguishes between the older definition of the concept, ‘something that is vain, empty, or valueless’, as expressed by equivalents of the Hebrew word hebel in Old Testament translations, and the meaning of ‘inflated pride in oneself or one’s appearance’, which is predominant in the more modern English and French usage. The article examines how these two meanings…
This article explores the Latin-French-English concept vānitās/vanité/vanity as an example of how the Latin-based European conceptual system has dissolved into different words in younger literary languages such as Estonian. It distinguishes between the older definition of the concept, ‘something that is vain, empty, or valueless’, as expressed by equivalents of the Hebrew word hebel in Old Testament translations, and the meaning of ‘inflated pride in oneself or one’s appearance’, which is predominant in the more modern English and French usage. The article examines how these two meanings…
Women in the Society of Estonian Literati
Keywords: Society of Estonian Literati, Estonian national awakening, civic activism, women’s movements
The Society of Estonian Literati (Eesti Kirjameeste Selts) (1872–1893) was a prominent initiative during the Estonian national awakening in the latter half of the 19th century. Its main pursuits included the development of Estonian as a literary language, the publication of Estonian-language literature (particularly school textbooks), and the collection of folk songs, tales, and artifacts. Established during the height of the national awakening, the society played a role in the subsequent division of the movement in the 1880s and faced closure, partly due to internal rivalry during the period…
The Society of Estonian Literati (Eesti Kirjameeste Selts) (1872–1893) was a prominent initiative during the Estonian national awakening in the latter half of the 19th century. Its main pursuits included the development of Estonian as a literary language, the publication of Estonian-language literature (particularly school textbooks), and the collection of folk songs, tales, and artifacts. Established during the height of the national awakening, the society played a role in the subsequent division of the movement in the 1880s and faced closure, partly due to internal rivalry during the period…
Occupational terms and societal roles in early Estonian lexicography
Keywords: historical lexicography, historical occupational terms, core professions, societal roles, lexical development, influences of German language in Estonian
This article explores findings from six German-Estonian and Estonian-German dictionaries compiled during the 17th and 18th centuries. It covers all the main lexicographical sources from that period, from Heinrich Stahl’s “Vocabula” (1637) to August Wilhelm Hupel’s “Wörterbuch” (1780), with the exception of two 17th-century authors, Clare and Svenske. The primary aim of this overview is to examine professional titles that were extensively documented in these historical dictionaries. In addition, the article delves into terms describing incidental activities. Thirdly, the discussion also includes societal…
This article explores findings from six German-Estonian and Estonian-German dictionaries compiled during the 17th and 18th centuries. It covers all the main lexicographical sources from that period, from Heinrich Stahl’s “Vocabula” (1637) to August Wilhelm Hupel’s “Wörterbuch” (1780), with the exception of two 17th-century authors, Clare and Svenske. The primary aim of this overview is to examine professional titles that were extensively documented in these historical dictionaries. In addition, the article delves into terms describing incidental activities. Thirdly, the discussion also includes societal…
The song of creation on the swing of new beginnings
Keywords: Kalevala-metric song, mythology, ritual swinging, seasonal festivities
The Estonian myth recounting the creation of the world and heavenly bodies has been recorded as a Kalevala-metric epic song (regilaul) that has parallels in other Finnic traditions. Various connections emerge within Estonian folklore between the Creation song and the popular practice of swinging at Easter or Pentecost, and the beginning of the summer season. In light of the cyclical conception of time, we can interpret the practice of singing the Creation song while on a swing as a part of the spring ritual marking the beginning of the year. In order to…
The Estonian myth recounting the creation of the world and heavenly bodies has been recorded as a Kalevala-metric epic song (regilaul) that has parallels in other Finnic traditions. Various connections emerge within Estonian folklore between the Creation song and the popular practice of swinging at Easter or Pentecost, and the beginning of the summer season. In light of the cyclical conception of time, we can interpret the practice of singing the Creation song while on a swing as a part of the spring ritual marking the beginning of the year. In order to…
A Cinderella story
Keywords: literature didactics, teaching poetry, basic psychological needs
In recent years, discussions about the modernization of literature education have gained prominence. However, there persists a lack of insight into the actual practices occurring in schools. From the perspective of poetry education, it is crucial to delve into the reality of how poetry is taught in Estonian schools. There is a dearth of information on which authors are being taught, how poetry is approached, and how students are supported in their reading. This article is the first to address these questions. It offers a comprehensive analysis that maps the position of poetry…
In recent years, discussions about the modernization of literature education have gained prominence. However, there persists a lack of insight into the actual practices occurring in schools. From the perspective of poetry education, it is crucial to delve into the reality of how poetry is taught in Estonian schools. There is a dearth of information on which authors are being taught, how poetry is approached, and how students are supported in their reading. This article is the first to address these questions. It offers a comprehensive analysis that maps the position of poetry…
On the etymology of the dialect word prann ’fringe’
Keywords: lexicology, etymology, dialectology, loanwords, Baltic German
The article looks at the origin of the dialect word prann ‘fringe’ and concludes that it is a loan deriving from the equivalent Baltic German word Franje.
Udo Uibo (b. 1956), Institute of the Estonian Language, Senior Lexicographer (Roosikrantsi 6, 10119 Tallinn), udo.uibo@eki.ee
The article looks at the origin of the dialect word prann ‘fringe’ and concludes that it is a loan deriving from the equivalent Baltic German word Franje.
Udo Uibo (b. 1956), Institute of the Estonian Language, Senior Lexicographer (Roosikrantsi 6, 10119 Tallinn), udo.uibo@eki.ee
The word order of Estonian main clause wh-interrogatives
Keywords: Verb Second (V2), language contact, language history, Germanic languages, prosody, corpus study
Estonian is a verb-second (V2) language: in certain types of sentences, the finite verb tends to be the second constituent. The V2 feature of Estonian is most likely to have developed under Germanic influence. However, there are differences between Germanic and Estonian V2 order. The word order of Estonian main-clause wh-interrogatives is one of the major exceptions to the V2 order. Main-clause wh-interrogatives are always V2 in Germanic but predominantly verb-final in Estonian. The paper describes two corpus studies – a synchronic and a diachronic one – that…
Estonian is a verb-second (V2) language: in certain types of sentences, the finite verb tends to be the second constituent. The V2 feature of Estonian is most likely to have developed under Germanic influence. However, there are differences between Germanic and Estonian V2 order. The word order of Estonian main-clause wh-interrogatives is one of the major exceptions to the V2 order. Main-clause wh-interrogatives are always V2 in Germanic but predominantly verb-final in Estonian. The paper describes two corpus studies – a synchronic and a diachronic one – that…
Sound instrumentation in poems by Artur Alliksaar
Keywords: Estonian poetry, Artur Alliksaar, rhyme, alliteration, sound and meaning
From the semiotic perspective, one can tentatively distinguish between two kinds of art – the first is semantically oriented and is involved in creating meaningful messages within the given art form, using ready-made means, while the second, syntactically oriented, aims at generating new possibilities within literary arts. Artur Alliksaar (1923–1966) represents both tendencies: he has created outstanding syllabic-accentual poems and prescribed poetic forms, especially sonnets, but in addition, he has enriched the Estonian poetic language with entirely new possibilities of sound instrumentation, which is particularly evident in his free-verse works.
The article…
From the semiotic perspective, one can tentatively distinguish between two kinds of art – the first is semantically oriented and is involved in creating meaningful messages within the given art form, using ready-made means, while the second, syntactically oriented, aims at generating new possibilities within literary arts. Artur Alliksaar (1923–1966) represents both tendencies: he has created outstanding syllabic-accentual poems and prescribed poetic forms, especially sonnets, but in addition, he has enriched the Estonian poetic language with entirely new possibilities of sound instrumentation, which is particularly evident in his free-verse works.
The article…
Russians versus Russians in contemporary Russian-language Estonian literature
Keywords: Yelena Skulskaya, Andrei Ivanov, identity
Contemporary methodologies increasingly tend towards interdisciplinarity. In the social sciences, mass culture and literature are gaining attention as new sources of knowledge. Looking at literature through the lens of the new methodological frameworks allows for a more comprehensive study of identities and their evolution. This article applies a new methodology of studying the national identity, developed by Ted Hopf and Bentley Allan in the framework of the project Making Identity Count: Building a National Identity Database, which makes it possible to examine the emergence and persistence of the concept of “a Russian from Russia” as…
Contemporary methodologies increasingly tend towards interdisciplinarity. In the social sciences, mass culture and literature are gaining attention as new sources of knowledge. Looking at literature through the lens of the new methodological frameworks allows for a more comprehensive study of identities and their evolution. This article applies a new methodology of studying the national identity, developed by Ted Hopf and Bentley Allan in the framework of the project Making Identity Count: Building a National Identity Database, which makes it possible to examine the emergence and persistence of the concept of “a Russian from Russia” as…
Reflections on peace during a train ride, or If Leida Kibuvits and Virginia Woolf had met
Keywords: nationalism, transnational feminist modernism, Estonian literature, women’s writing, comparative literature
This article reads Estonian writer Leida Kibuvits’s (1907–1976) novel “An Evening Ride” (Rahusõit, 1933) in dialogue with Virginia Woolf’s book-length feminist essay “Three Guineas” (1938) in order to explore how these two writers critique violent and patriarchal nationalism. In its place they imagine, through their affective aesthetics, a peaceful and feminist relationship to the land. The article sees this imaginary meeting as something that Saidiya Hartman would term critical fabulation, and it situates Kibuvits’s and Woolf’s dialogue in the critical framework of transnational feminist modernist studies. By doing so, the…
This article reads Estonian writer Leida Kibuvits’s (1907–1976) novel “An Evening Ride” (Rahusõit, 1933) in dialogue with Virginia Woolf’s book-length feminist essay “Three Guineas” (1938) in order to explore how these two writers critique violent and patriarchal nationalism. In its place they imagine, through their affective aesthetics, a peaceful and feminist relationship to the land. The article sees this imaginary meeting as something that Saidiya Hartman would term critical fabulation, and it situates Kibuvits’s and Woolf’s dialogue in the critical framework of transnational feminist modernist studies. By doing so, the…
Despair and morbid vitality in Djuna Barnes’s “Nightwood” and Reed Morn’s “Talented Parasite”
Keywords: affect, modernist literature, gender, sexuality, Djuna Barnes, Reed Morn
This article focuses on American writer Djuna Barnes’s novel “Nightwood” (1936) and Estonian writer Reed Morn’s novel “The Talented Parasite” (Andekas parasiit, 1927). Specifically, the article analyses how the two novels represent bodies, affects and materiality, relying on the notion of affective modernism (Taylor 2012). English-language modernist texts have been frequently portrayed as aiming for impersonality and the rejection of emotions and sentiment. Authors like Julie Taylor have challenged this assumption, demonstrating the presence of emotions, drives and sensations in modernist texts. New research on modernism has shown modernist texts both…
This article focuses on American writer Djuna Barnes’s novel “Nightwood” (1936) and Estonian writer Reed Morn’s novel “The Talented Parasite” (Andekas parasiit, 1927). Specifically, the article analyses how the two novels represent bodies, affects and materiality, relying on the notion of affective modernism (Taylor 2012). English-language modernist texts have been frequently portrayed as aiming for impersonality and the rejection of emotions and sentiment. Authors like Julie Taylor have challenged this assumption, demonstrating the presence of emotions, drives and sensations in modernist texts. New research on modernism has shown modernist texts both…