Abstract The aim of the present study was to examine the simultaneous acquisition of Estonian and Finnish in Finland by two children, M and H, siblings in a bilingual family in which the parents practise a one person / one language strategy. The study focused on the nature and frequency of language mixing between the ages of 1;2 and 4;0 both in monologues and in monolingual interaction with the parents in the two languages. The basic questions were: how do subjects acquire two languages side by side, how do the languages differentiate, and what kind of language mixing takes place? There are many studies on child bilingualism, but none on Estonian-Finnish bilingualism. Estonian and Finnish are genetically and typologically closely related members of the Finno-Ugric language family. Both languages are agglutinative-inflectional, with rich morphological systems. Despite their numerous similarities, however, Estonian and Finnish are two distinct languages that have become separated through historical development. The prosodic systems of Estonian and Finnish are quite different, resulting in variable locations of primary word stress and differences in the interplay between quantity features and stress patterns. These differences are manifested as a higher overall and a more variable fundamental frequency of speech in Estonian. The other learning problems are related to the differences in consonant gradation, the ways of expressing negation, and the government of cases. The two languages are morphologically similar, but with shortening, lack or fusion of suffixes in Estonian. Mixed forms first appeared before the age 1;10. The results show that language mixing by M and H was more extensive and the mixing stage was longer than in the case of bilingualism involving less similar languages. M and H did not differentiate between the prosodic systems of their two languages at age 4;0. The similarities between Estonian and Finnish probably caused problems rather than facilitated acquisition. / Tiivistelmä Väitöstyöni on pitkittäistutkimus kahden sisaruksen, M:n ja H:n, viron ja suomen rinnakkaisesta omaksumisesta Suomessa kaksikielisessä perheessä, jossa lasten vanhemmat käyttävät yksi kieli - yksi henkilö-menetelmää. Tutkimuksessani keskityn lasten ikävaiheen 1.2 - 4.0 koodien yhdistymisen laadun ja määrän tutkimiseen. Aineistonani on sekä lasten monologeja että dialogeja. Dialogeissa lapsi juttelee joko viroa tai suomea puhuvan aikuisen kanssa. Peruskysymykseni on selvittää, miten kielenoppaani omaksuvat kaksi kieltään rinnakkain, miten kielet eriytyvät ja millaista koodien yhdistymistä esiintyy. Vaikka lasten kaksikielisyydestä on monia tutkimuksia, virolais-suomalaista kaksikielisyyttä ei ole juuri tutkittu. Viro ja suomi suomalais-ugrilaisina kielinä ovat geneettisesti ja typologisesti läheisiä sukukieliä. Molemmat kielet ovat agglutinoivia suffiksikieliä, joissa on runsas morfologia. Vaikka virossa ja suomessa on monia samankaltaisuuksia, ne ovat kaksi eri kieltä, jotka ovat etääntyneet toisistaan historiallisen kehityksensä aikana. Viron ja suomen prosodiset järjestelmät eroavat toisistaan: pääpaino voi esiintyä eri paikoissa ja keston ja painon keskinäiset suhteet ovat erilaisia. Nämä erot ilmenevät viron vaihtelevampana ja korkeampana sävelkulkuna suomen tasaisempaan ja matalampaan verrattuna. Toinen kielten ominaispiirteistä johtuva oppimisongelma ilmenee astevaihtelun, kiellon ilmaisemisen ja rektioiden eroissa. Kielten morfologiassa on myös samankaltaisuuksia, vaikka viro eroaakin suffiksien lyhenemisen, puuttumisen tai sulautumisen takia. Koodien yhdistyminen ilmaantui kielioppaitteni tuotoksiin ennen ikää 1.10. Tutkimustulokseni osoittavat, että M:llä ja H:lla koodien yhdistyminen oli runsasta ja pitkäaikaista verrattuna erityyppisiä kieliä omaksuvien kaksikielisten lasten tutkimustuloksiin. M:n ja H:n prosodinen järjestelmä ei ollut vielä eriytynyt iässä 4.0. Ilmeisesti viron ja suomen samankaltaisuudet aiheuttavat myös ongelmia kielten omaksumisessa eivätkä aina edistä omaksumista.

This thesis examines the changing identities of the Estonian Russophone minority based on the literary works of Estonian Russophone writers. It analyses Andrei Ivanov’s short novel Untermensch: the part of me that is torn to pieces applying the concepts of Baltic postcolonial identities and hybridity. The theoretical analysis of the thesis is built on the works of local literary researchers self-identifying with the Estonian Russophone minority, and the Baltic postcolonial thought.   The demographic and linguistic landscape of Estonia changed dramatically due to the Soviet colonisation. In 2021, 29% of Estonian population was Russian-speaking — a heterogenous group of people with different ethnic, historical, and cultural backgrounds. In his text Ivanov describes how the Russian neo-colonial war against Ukraine and the imperial vision for the future of Europe has turned the identity of these people into an international battlefield. / Uppsatsen undersöker den estniska rysktalande minoritetens förändrande identiteter och utgår från Estlands rysktalande författares litterära verk. Den analyserar Andrei Ivanovs kortroman Untermensch: den sönderslitna sidan av mig genom att applicera begreppen baltisk postkolonial identitet och hybriditet. Den teoretiska delen av uppsatsen bygger på arbetet av de lokala litteraturforskarna som identifierar sig med den estniska rysktalande minoriteten, och den baltiska postkoloniala litteraturforskningen.        Det demografiska och lingvistiska landskapet i Estland förändrades dramatiskt på grund av den sovjetiska kolonisationen. År 2021 var 29 % av Estlands befolkning rysktalande — det är en heterogen grupp av människor med mångfald av etniska, historiska och kulturella bakgrunder. I sin text beskriver Ivanov hur det ryska neokoloniala kriget mot Ukraina och den ryska imperialistiska framtidsvisionen för Europa har gjort identiteter av dessa människor till ett internationellt slagfält. / В данной диссертации исследуется изменение идентичности эстонского русскоязычного меньшинства на основе литературных произведений эстонских русскоязычных писателей. Анализируется повесть Андрея Иванова «Untermensch: моя разорванная часть», применяя концепции балтийского постколониального тождества и гибридности. Теоретический анализ диссертации построен на трудах отечественных литературоведов, идентифицирующие себя с эстонским русскоязычным меньшинством и балтийской постколониальной мыслью.   Демографический и языковой ландшафт Эстонии резко изменился из-за советской колонизации. В 2021 году 29% населения Эстонии было русскоязычным — неоднородная группа людей разного этнического, исторического и культурного происхождения. В своем тексте Иванов описывает, как российская неоколониальная война против Украины и имперское видение будущей Европы превратило личности этих людей в международное поле битвы.

This thesis explores the relationship between inhalation amplitude and turn-taking in spontaneous multiparty conversations held in Estonian. Respiratory activity is recorded with Respiratory Inductance Plethysmography. The main focus is on how inhalation amplitude varies between the inhalations produced directly before turn onset compared to the following inhalations within the same speaking turn. The results indicate a significant difference in amplitude, realised mainly by an increase in inhalation end lung volume values. One of the possible functions of this pattern is to signal an intention of taking the conversational turn. Another could be a phrasing or grouping function connected to lower inhalation amplitudes within turns. / 2014-1072 Andning i samtal (Vetenskapsrådet)

Maters thesis People with undetermined citizenship the case of Estonia , describes the situation of the group of people who has no citizenship. The status of those people is described by chronological analysis of Estonian law and analysis of their socioeconomic position. They came to Estonia after the Second World War from different republics of USSR. When Estonian independence was renewed they had to adapt at new living conditions. Some of them are not successful. They did not get the automatic right to get Estonian citizenship. In Estonian law the main principal is the principal of state continuity. It means that immigrants have to naturalize. They have to pass the exam of the state language and fulfill the requirements concerning the permanent residence permit. Estonian law gives people with undetermined citizenship almost the same rights as to Estonian citizens the exceptions are active and passive right to vote to Parliament and the right to be elected to local councils. From 2006 there is even the advantage for them because they can travel to Russia without visa. They are not discriminated economically the problem is mostly in the indirect impact of division of Soviet time society. People with undetermined citizenship usually cannot speak well Estonian. It makes it difficult to find a good...