Category
Topic
Year
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…
A rivalry of two Estonian terms for Unitas Fratrum: vennastekogudus or vennastekogu(d)?
Keywords: Herrnhut Brethren, Moravian movement, church history, history of religious movements, Estonian history of the 18th–19th centuries, terminology
The Herrnhut religious movement has played an important role in Estonian church history as well as in our cultural and social history at large. The relevant terminology has points of contact with several different disciplines. In older German the word Gemeine was widely used in parallel with Gemeinde. Thus, nowadays, German special literature contains both the proper name Brüdergemeine and the term Brüdergemeinde. The latter denotes not only the Herrnhut movement but also its local communities. In older German and to a lesser…
The Herrnhut religious movement has played an important role in Estonian church history as well as in our cultural and social history at large. The relevant terminology has points of contact with several different disciplines. In older German the word Gemeine was widely used in parallel with Gemeinde. Thus, nowadays, German special literature contains both the proper name Brüdergemeine and the term Brüdergemeinde. The latter denotes not only the Herrnhut movement but also its local communities. In older German and to a lesser…
Uncanny homecoming in Estonian literature
Keywords: uncanny homecoming, Freud, phenomenology, Estonian literature
The article addresses homecoming as described in Estonian literature. First, a brief introduction is given to the theoretical foundations of the present approach to cosily settled vs. homeless, with references to some of the author’s earlier publications. Speaking from experience, homecoming from afar is a festive, even solemn occasion – thus, its literary depiction should presumably use the festive register. The main argument of the article is that a typical case of homecoming in Estonian literature is associated with a home lost, due to which homecoming fails to meet the expectations of a celebration,…
The article addresses homecoming as described in Estonian literature. First, a brief introduction is given to the theoretical foundations of the present approach to cosily settled vs. homeless, with references to some of the author’s earlier publications. Speaking from experience, homecoming from afar is a festive, even solemn occasion – thus, its literary depiction should presumably use the festive register. The main argument of the article is that a typical case of homecoming in Estonian literature is associated with a home lost, due to which homecoming fails to meet the expectations of a celebration,…
The verb panema ‘put’ and its grammatical functions
Keywords: polysemy, grammaticalization, diachronic linguistics, construction, causation, phasal meaning, core verbs, Estonian
The article analyses the use of the Estonian core verb panema ‘put’ in written Estonian. It describes the polysemy of the verb panema and focuses on its grammatical constructions. Numerous lexical and grammatical usages of panema are presented as a network of meanings and functions.
The material for examining the verb panema was collected from corpora containing texts from the 16th century until the present. Over 3000 instances of the verb panema were included in the study. The panema instances were divided into meaning groups. Its lexical meanings are ‘to change the location of an object in space’ (the most frequent meaning…
The article analyses the use of the Estonian core verb panema ‘put’ in written Estonian. It describes the polysemy of the verb panema and focuses on its grammatical constructions. Numerous lexical and grammatical usages of panema are presented as a network of meanings and functions.
The material for examining the verb panema was collected from corpora containing texts from the 16th century until the present. Over 3000 instances of the verb panema were included in the study. The panema instances were divided into meaning groups. Its lexical meanings are ‘to change the location of an object in space’ (the most frequent meaning…
Nationalism in the eyes of others
Keywords: folklore, folkloristics, nationalism, stereotypes, curriculum, intangible cultural heritage
Differences between the basics of modern folkloristics and the public image of folklore and folkloristics in Estonia are examined. While folkloristics has given up equating nation with ethnos, Estonian public opinion doggedly holds on to the image of folklore as a reflection of the national past and expects folklorists to mediate this past to the present. These stereotypes are reinforced in schools, where folklore tends to be interpreted as forefathers’ verbal creation, but also by the concept of intangible cultural heritage gaining popularity over recent years. The exultant discourse triggered by the…
Differences between the basics of modern folkloristics and the public image of folklore and folkloristics in Estonia are examined. While folkloristics has given up equating nation with ethnos, Estonian public opinion doggedly holds on to the image of folklore as a reflection of the national past and expects folklorists to mediate this past to the present. These stereotypes are reinforced in schools, where folklore tends to be interpreted as forefathers’ verbal creation, but also by the concept of intangible cultural heritage gaining popularity over recent years. The exultant discourse triggered by the…
Estonian ethnography and Estonian nationalism
Keywords: ethnography, ethnology, nationalism, history of science, Estonian National Museum
The article analyses the relations between Estonian ethnography and Estonian nationalism ever since the discipline was born until the present day.
Although Estonians had already been of ethnographic interest to some Baltic-German and Russian intellectuals since the late 18th century, Estonian ethnography proper, which has always been mainly concentrated on the material aspect of Estonian folk culture, was not born until the turn of the 20th century, hand in hand with Estonian nationalism. As Estonians belonged to the so-called peoples without history, the intellectuals who started to build a modern Estonian nation…
The article analyses the relations between Estonian ethnography and Estonian nationalism ever since the discipline was born until the present day.
Although Estonians had already been of ethnographic interest to some Baltic-German and Russian intellectuals since the late 18th century, Estonian ethnography proper, which has always been mainly concentrated on the material aspect of Estonian folk culture, was not born until the turn of the 20th century, hand in hand with Estonian nationalism. As Estonians belonged to the so-called peoples without history, the intellectuals who started to build a modern Estonian nation…
Sovietisation as a preservative for Estonian national folkloristics
Keywords: Sovietisation, Stalinism, research policy, national sciences, folkloristics, fieldwork
In the first post-war decade, Estonian folklore studies were, like the rest of the Estonian humanities, subjected to certain impacts of Sovietisation, which brought along not only institutional reforms but also changes in the research paradigm. As a result, the folklorists had to perform some tricky maneuvers with the words rahvalik ‘popular’ and rahvuslik ‘national; ethnic’, and to withdraw, for a period, from collecting and studying archaic folklore, which used to be the core of Estonian national folkloristics.
Estonian folklorists adapted to the changes so that without bringing practically anything new to the…
In the first post-war decade, Estonian folklore studies were, like the rest of the Estonian humanities, subjected to certain impacts of Sovietisation, which brought along not only institutional reforms but also changes in the research paradigm. As a result, the folklorists had to perform some tricky maneuvers with the words rahvalik ‘popular’ and rahvuslik ‘national; ethnic’, and to withdraw, for a period, from collecting and studying archaic folklore, which used to be the core of Estonian national folkloristics.
Estonian folklorists adapted to the changes so that without bringing practically anything new to the…
Literature, science and nationality
Keywords: national sciences, national identity, model-centered vs. object-centered approach, (de)construction, Estonian literary history, Estonian language
The essay asks what are the relations, if any, between Estonian literary history and the (de)construction of Estonian national identity.
The essay looks at the humanities as sciences with a local object, which can be approached, however, in two different ways. The model-centered approach aims at contributing new knowledge to the model at hand, while the local material serves as a means to that end, whereas the aim of the object-centered approach is to reveal new insights into local material, while international models serve as means to…
The essay asks what are the relations, if any, between Estonian literary history and the (de)construction of Estonian national identity.
The essay looks at the humanities as sciences with a local object, which can be approached, however, in two different ways. The model-centered approach aims at contributing new knowledge to the model at hand, while the local material serves as a means to that end, whereas the aim of the object-centered approach is to reveal new insights into local material, while international models serve as means to…
Finno-Ugric kinship in the Estonian national image: A shared emotion or a fuzzy question?
Keywords: Finno-Ugric kinship movement, identity, Finno-Ugric peoples, research history
The essay is a contemplation on the role and meaning of Finno-Ugric kinship as part of modern Estonian identity. The focus is on the relations between Estonians (in particular, scholars and other intellectuals) and Finno-Ugric peoples since the early 19th century, as well as on the reflections of the kinship concept in the Estonian society in different periods. The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship actually germinated in the theory of language affinity, which emerged and developed in the 19th century. However, a scientifically hermetic theory can hardly function as a single component of either a…
The essay is a contemplation on the role and meaning of Finno-Ugric kinship as part of modern Estonian identity. The focus is on the relations between Estonians (in particular, scholars and other intellectuals) and Finno-Ugric peoples since the early 19th century, as well as on the reflections of the kinship concept in the Estonian society in different periods. The idea of Finno-Ugric kinship actually germinated in the theory of language affinity, which emerged and developed in the 19th century. However, a scientifically hermetic theory can hardly function as a single component of either a…
Literary studies and the nation – sense and sensibility
Keywords: literary studies, humanities, nationalism, academic publishing and administration
The “societal impact” of Estonian literary studies on political and cultural nationalism (nation building, national discourse) has not been as big as corresponding impact of historiography, archeology, folkloristics, and linguistics, not mentioning literature itself. Disciplines dealing with ethnogenesis and political history have contributed more to the national narrative. On the other hand, national sentiments have probably had even bigger influence on literary studies than on any other branch of humanities. Large parts of the input (authors, works and other literary phenomena) and output (essays and their public) of literary research are national,…
The “societal impact” of Estonian literary studies on political and cultural nationalism (nation building, national discourse) has not been as big as corresponding impact of historiography, archeology, folkloristics, and linguistics, not mentioning literature itself. Disciplines dealing with ethnogenesis and political history have contributed more to the national narrative. On the other hand, national sentiments have probably had even bigger influence on literary studies than on any other branch of humanities. Large parts of the input (authors, works and other literary phenomena) and output (essays and their public) of literary research are national,…
The contribution of the student members of the Mother Tongue Society to the Estonian national discourse in the early 1920s
Keywords: national discource, language planning, language renewal, personal names, Estonian
The Mother Tongue Society, founded at the university of Tartu in 1920, became a leading institution for the development of Estonian as the national language. Besides its scientific and language planning activities the society initiated various campaigns to promote the Estonian language. The humanities students August Annist, Oskar Loorits, Julius Mägiste, Paulopriit Voolaine etc., who belonged to the most active members of the society, soon became designers of a terminological system for the discourse of Estonian national ideology. The article discusses their contribution to Estonian nationalism and its terminological aspect. More…
The Mother Tongue Society, founded at the university of Tartu in 1920, became a leading institution for the development of Estonian as the national language. Besides its scientific and language planning activities the society initiated various campaigns to promote the Estonian language. The humanities students August Annist, Oskar Loorits, Julius Mägiste, Paulopriit Voolaine etc., who belonged to the most active members of the society, soon became designers of a terminological system for the discourse of Estonian national ideology. The article discusses their contribution to Estonian nationalism and its terminological aspect. More…
Should the state be the only focus of language-policy research?
Keywords: language policy and planning (LLP), language, policy, state, globalization, Estonia
The article examines, and questions, the centering of the state as the primary language policy actor particularly in the context of Estonia. In responding to several paradigmatic shifts in the field of language policy and planning, including a critical turn that shifted researchers’ attention to language users, the authors explore the multiple expressions of language policy and introduce language policy actors other than the state. The article opens with an introduction to the core concepts of language, policy, and state with attention to the multiple interpretations and examples that challenge…
The article examines, and questions, the centering of the state as the primary language policy actor particularly in the context of Estonia. In responding to several paradigmatic shifts in the field of language policy and planning, including a critical turn that shifted researchers’ attention to language users, the authors explore the multiple expressions of language policy and introduce language policy actors other than the state. The article opens with an introduction to the core concepts of language, policy, and state with attention to the multiple interpretations and examples that challenge…
Estonians’ own historical research
Keywords: historical writing, historical research, Estonian history
The article addresses some recent discussions on the relations between historical research and national interests in Estonia. In a general case, professional historians and the public have approached the problem differently. By the public, scholarly discussions on different scientific approaches as well as on whether this or that publication is fully based on professional standards or not have sometimes been interpreted as political debates. Well-known examples are the analysis of 13th-century Estonian history in the historical context of the Crusades, or evaluation of the activities of President Konstantin Päts in the 1930s. Due to…
The article addresses some recent discussions on the relations between historical research and national interests in Estonia. In a general case, professional historians and the public have approached the problem differently. By the public, scholarly discussions on different scientific approaches as well as on whether this or that publication is fully based on professional standards or not have sometimes been interpreted as political debates. Well-known examples are the analysis of 13th-century Estonian history in the historical context of the Crusades, or evaluation of the activities of President Konstantin Päts in the 1930s. Due to…
Is there a place for a nation in a linguist’s brain?
Keywords: linguistics, ethnos, nation state, Estonian
The article discusses whether a linguist’s attitude to language as an object of research may entail a valorising attitude to a language community, its past, present and future. Typical proportions and relations between the analytical and ethnic approaches to the language are broken down by periods of research of Estonian, language components and schools of linguistics. The functions of linguistics in a nation state are also pointed out.
Helle Metslang (b. 1950), PhD, University of Tartu, Professor of Modern Estonian Language, helle.metslang@ut.ee
The article discusses whether a linguist’s attitude to language as an object of research may entail a valorising attitude to a language community, its past, present and future. Typical proportions and relations between the analytical and ethnic approaches to the language are broken down by periods of research of Estonian, language components and schools of linguistics. The functions of linguistics in a nation state are also pointed out.
Helle Metslang (b. 1950), PhD, University of Tartu, Professor of Modern Estonian Language, helle.metslang@ut.ee
Making the nations: A humanities point of view
Keywords: nations, nationalism, national disciplines, humanities
This essay aims to offer a framework for discussing relations between nationalism and humanities. Nation-creation is a constant process, even if its intensity can vary over time. In this essay, four aspects of the process of nation creation from humanities perspective are examined: how nations are made through narration, performance, visualization and research.
Inspiring stories help create nations and keep them together. A nation is intrinsically a narrative community, whose identity is largely based on “stories to live by”. Narrative patterns allow a nation to see itself as continuous, and agglutinate separate events into a meaningful…
This essay aims to offer a framework for discussing relations between nationalism and humanities. Nation-creation is a constant process, even if its intensity can vary over time. In this essay, four aspects of the process of nation creation from humanities perspective are examined: how nations are made through narration, performance, visualization and research.
Inspiring stories help create nations and keep them together. A nation is intrinsically a narrative community, whose identity is largely based on “stories to live by”. Narrative patterns allow a nation to see itself as continuous, and agglutinate separate events into a meaningful…
To be and to work as an Estonian
Keywords: imagined communities, civic nationalism, Fridebert Tuglas
The article deals with the relevance of the idea of the nation in the contemporary Estonian public debate about language, culture and and belonging. It first offers a brief overview of the most important contemporary theories of nationalism and argues that in the recent decade the critical humanities internationally have seen their role in the critical reflection and in the political critique of different ways of imagining the nation. The article then moves on to examine the current Estonian public debate which is often mistakenly framed as an opposition between nationalism and cosmopolitanism. Instead,…
The article deals with the relevance of the idea of the nation in the contemporary Estonian public debate about language, culture and and belonging. It first offers a brief overview of the most important contemporary theories of nationalism and argues that in the recent decade the critical humanities internationally have seen their role in the critical reflection and in the political critique of different ways of imagining the nation. The article then moves on to examine the current Estonian public debate which is often mistakenly framed as an opposition between nationalism and cosmopolitanism. Instead,…