Tiit-Rein Viitso (4 March 1938 – 2 December 2022) was an Estonian linguist. In 1962, he graduated from

Tartu State University The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

in Estonian philology. From 1965 to 1973 he worked at Tartu State University's Computational Centre (). During 1973–1993 he worked at Estonian Language Institute, and from 1986 – at Tartu State University (now, the University of Tartu).

Works

In 1966, he successfully defended his candidate's thesis focusing on the Onega Vepsian dialect. His dissertation, delving into the comparative phonology of Finnic languages, was penned and defended in 1983. His professional journey spanned various prestigious institutions: he served at the University of Tartu Computing Centre from 1965 to 1973, then transitioned to the Institute of Language and Literature, where he held positions as a senior researcher until 1993, eventually ascending to the role of leading researcher. Simultaneously, he contributed significantly to academia as an extraordinary professor at the University of Tartu Department of Estonian Language from 1991 to 1993, later assuming the esteemed position of professor of Finnic languages from 1993 to 2003.

Designations

From 1993 to 1997, he led the Estonian Mother Tongue Society, overseeing its endeavors. Concurrently, he held the esteemed position of editor-in-chief for the journal Linguistica Uralica and lent his expertise to numerous other editorial boards. His contributions were acknowledged with several prestigious honors, including the Order of the White Star (5th Class), the University of Tartu Grand Medal, and the esteemed Paul Ariste Medal from the Estonian Academy of Sciences. In 2011, he was honored with the F.J. Wiedemann Language Award, further affirming his scholarly prowess. Notably, for his significant contributions to the preservation of Livonian, he was bestowed with an honorary doctorate from the University of Latvia in 2006. In 2012, his dedication was further recognized when he received the Republic of Latvia Cross of Recognition (4th Class). His main fields of research have been

Finnic languages The Finnic (''Fennic'') or more precisely Balto-Finnic (Balto-Fennic, Baltic Finnic, Baltic Fennic) languages constitute a branch of the Uralic language family spoken around the Baltic Sea by the Baltic Finnic peoples. There are around 7 mi ...

, especially

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

, Livonian,

Votic Votic, or Votian (''vaďďa tšeeli'', ''maatšeeli'') �vɑːdʔda ˈtʃɨlɨ, mɑːt.ʃɨlɨ is the language spoken by the Votes of Ingria, belonging to the Finnic branch of the Uralic languages. Votic is spoken only in Krakolye and Luzhits ...

and Veps languages. From 2007 he was the chief editor of the journal ''

Linguistica Uralica ''Linguistica Uralica'' is an international journal which deals with Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic topics. The journal is published in Tallinn under the auspices of Estonian Academy of Sciences. The first number was issued in 1963. Until 1989, the ...

''. In 1989, and again, from 1993 until 1997, he was the director of the

Mother Tongue Society Mother Tongue Society ( et, Emakeele Selts) is an Estonian organization that focuses on topics related to the Estonian language. The organization was established on 23 March 1920 at Tartu University. Nowadays, the organization is located in Tall ...

(''Emakeele Selts''). Viitso died on 2 December 2022, at the age of 84.Lahkus keeleteadlane Tiit-Rein Viitso

Awards

* 2001:

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star ( et, Valgetähe teenetemärk; french: Ordre de l'Etoile Blanche) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic ...

, V class. * 2011: Wiedemann Language Award

Works

* Äänisvepsa murde väljendustasandi kirjeldus (1968) * Läänemeresoome keelte fonoloogia küsimusi (1981) * Erzya prosody (2003, one of the authors) * Meadow Mari prosody (2005, one of the authors) * Liivi keel ja läänemeresoome keelemaastikud (2008) * Livonian prosody (2008, one of the authors)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viitso, Tiit-Rein 1938 births 2022 deaths 20th-century linguists 21st-century linguists Linguists from Estonia Estonian Finno-Ugrists Estonian scholars Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 5th Class University of Tartu alumni Academic staff of the University of Tartu Academics from Tallinn