We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
Spoken language research is not a very popular field of studies in Lithuania. In order to analyze spontaneous speech the corpus has to be developed and that requires enormous human, technical, and financial resources. The process is very long and time-consuming, and it demands special preparation and accuracy. This study is based on the analysis of spoken Lithuanian. The data of adult-directed speech (ADS) are analyzed to reveal the frequency distribution of the parts of speech, as well as their forms. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the frequency effect on word form and meaning. The processes of reduction and shortening are observed in nouns and verbs, especially in the categories of case, number, person, and tense. The main feature of spontaneous speech related to linguistic economy helps to explain the phenomenon of frequency effect; it shows the tendencies in reduction and shortening. The work of cognitive systems, psycholinguistic approach, and main principle of natural theory can be used to explain the above-mentioned processes: ‘more or less natural’ corresponds to ‘more or less easy for the human brain’ (Dressler et al. 1987); thus, shortening is observed more frequently in less natural forms (usually, in longer forms). With respect to language acquisition, this principle means that easier morphological forms are mastered faster because they are more natural. Morphologically natural forms are characterized as being rule-derived, transparent (i.e., their meaning is more easily segmentable), unmarked, and showing frequent usage.
More...
The article deals with the codification of borrowed lexicon and those features of the codification practice which are connected with either prescriptivism or descriptivism in the theory of codification. The goal of the article is to discuss how traditional Lithuanian codification criteria and principles are being interpreted and put into practice: what principles of standardization have priority, what ideologies the practice is based, on and what normative means are being applied. The standardization of Lithuanian lexicon is examined through the broader context of the theory and practice of other languages. The study concludes that the Lithuanian practice is still ruled by prevailing conservative (romantic) ideologies and by a dominant wish to preserve the purity of language. Too little attention is given to usage, and the criterion of efficiency is interpreted from a puristic point of view. The means of language planning are restricted and strong. All those features make the practice of standardization of the Lithuanian language rather conservative and prescriptive. At the end of the article the advantages of combining prescriptive and descriptive methods are discussed.
More...
This paper focuses on the management style of the Lithuanian soviet bureaucracy during the period of “real socialism.” The “everyday life” aspect of bureaucratic activities expands the perspective to look at the bureaucratic management not only as determined by the command-plan system but also as a combination of interests of local areas, social networks, and the different challenges (e.g., the blat system) of the so-called “deficit economy” during the stagnation period. The analysis was based on soviet documentary (Lithuanian and Russian archives) and fieldwork material collected among former soviet bureaucrats and “nomenclatura” members. The everyday life dimension brings attention to the social networks, routines, and strategies as the main indicators of the informal side of the bureaucratic performance, and discloses a frequent duality between official decisions and actual life (e.g., observing a distancing of the bureaucrats in practice from the ideological values and some initiatives of the central policy). In this context bureaucratic routines showing (1) the work ethics of soviet bureaucrats, 2) the specifics of cooperation between the centre’s and the republic’s institutions while issuing plans and allocating resources, and (3) the priorities of local interests on drawing up and implementing soviet development strategies all play a central role in identifying the style of bureaucratic management in Lithuania during soviet period. Looking at the work ethics aspect, participation in social networks, mutual interdependence, and career motivation were the driving forces behind the behavior of bureaucrats. The metaphor “to find a form” was the core of this kind of routine and reflected the purpose-based (rather than procedure-driven) way to shape decisions which were taken in informal environments but officially matched the ideological and legal norms. The communication between the centre‘s and the republic‘s institutions shows the importance of republic bureaucrats’ creating long-term personal relationships with Moscow colleagues and counterparts in other republics, which helped to rationalize the allocation according to the republic’s interests. This behavior discloses the importance of “local space” by influencing the technocrats of the republics to promote “native land interests”, independently of whether they are or aren’t directly subordinated to USSR ministries. All these observations let us bring out the phenomena of “bureaucratic amortization” in soviet Lithuania and to show the room for bureaucracy in everyday situations to manipulate official rules and create “efficient routines” to protect the interests of local leaders (social networks), their working spheres, and local areas.
More...
In der neuesten deutschsprachigen Literatur stellen historische Familienromane zweifellos ein Trendthema dar, was in dem artikel am beispiel zweier mit dem renommierten Deutschen buchpreis ausgezeichneter bücher, nämlich der romane Es geht uns gut (2005) von Arno Geiger und Die mittagsfrau (2007) von Julia Franck, gezeigt wird. Im bezug auf mehrere literarische Texte sowie literaturwissenschaftliche studien werden zunächst die Hauptgründe für die Popularität der erinnerungsliteratur (Veränderungen im sozialen Gefüge, gestiegenes interesse an Gedächtnisdiskursen, die Wirkung von literarischen Moden usw.) sowie die entwickung der Gattung Familienroman erläutert. ende der 70er Jahre begann mit christoph Meckel und Peter Härtling die abrechnung mit der Generation der eltern, wobei in erster Linie die Fragen der schuld und Veranwortung vor dem historischen Hintergrund thematisiert wurden. Heutzutage fndet der Familienroman seine Fortsetzung in den rekonstruierten, wenn auch autobiographisch geprägten bis in die dritte Generation reichenden Familiengeschichten, in denen die Dimensionen des Vergessens und erinnerns, Verschweigens und erzählens in den Mittelpunkt rücken. Die beiden untersuchten romane, in denen die autoren bis in die Frühzeit des 20. Jahrhunderts gehen und Lebensentwürfe mehrerer Generationen präsentieren, verdeutlichen den Versuch der enkelgeneration, den unbekannten bzw. Kaum bekannten Vorfahren eine Gestalt zu geben. Die romananalyse beweist, dass in den neuesten Familienromanen im Unterschied zu der „Väterliteratur“ der 70er und 80er Jahre weniger um abrechnung als um eine auf erfndung beruhende rekonstruktion der familiären Umstände sowie die bestimmung der eigenen Position in der genealogischen Kette geht. Da die gattungsspezifschen Merkmale der Familienromane stets im Hinblick auf aktuelle Gedächtnisdebatten untersucht werden, können verschiedene kulturelle Deutungsmuster, so z.b. die Unterschiede zwischen dem Familiengedächtnis der Deutschen und den öfentlichen Gedächtnisdiskursen, angesprochen werden.
More...
Until quite recently, as little as almost two decades ago, there was no political advertising at all, either in Lithuania or in the Soviet Union. Now we live in altogether different times – there is a market with its supply and demand, so there needs to be advertising as well. In advance of parliamentary elections all parties carry on political campaigns during which each tries to stand out clearly from the others as it woos voters. How this is done and what stylistic means are used can be seen both from the Kaunas press which is literally flooded by political ads and from the leaflets distributed separately. All this reveals our general political culture. The election advertisements seen in Kaunas show that our politicians do not especially value brevity and clarity. Only one or two candidates are satisfied with five or six sentences describing themselves and/or indicating their party‘s goals for the next four years. Since the voters are generally passive and interest in the elections, the parties, and their candidates is slight, the political agitation comes across as too highfalutin, with specificity, clarity, effectiveness sacrificed in favor of empty rhetorical pomposity. The style of this parliamentary election reflects a tired (or, more accurately, an as-yet-unformed) political culture whose deficiencies are masked by boring articles, absurd slogans, and unrealistic promises. For the time being we are a weak, or as is often put, an immature society that responds only to strong stimuli with the result that the winners are those who scream loud and/or shine garishly.
More...
We will take a look at this part of macrocosm that does not exist in actual space and which is meaningful only through associations with human mind, e.g. heaven and hell. We will mainly focus on the modern British thought of the initial period of contemporary research (1650-1750). Modern thought draws its ideas largely from the Middle Ages, which in a sense is even more important than scientific thought that is only beginning to emerge. At that time, the macrocosmic and theologian discussions were often based on exact scientific methods. People believed that human mind is capable of explaining the essential nature of things, much like Kepler was able to calculate the position of planets.
More...
The Siberian Estonians are the descendents of the deportees from the 18th-19th century and the voluntary emigrants from the last decade of the 19th century and the early 20th century. According to the 1989 census there were 17,000 Estonians living in Siberia. During 1991-2000 the author collected the death and funeral traditions of the Siberian Estonians in rural regions, about 30 Siberian villages from the Omsk Oblast to Krasnoyarsk District. Compared to other family traditions the funeral customs are considerably more conservative and stable. The Estonians in Siberia wish to be buried with the Word of God, according to the Lutheran tradition, though the social situation has not been favourable (during the 1920s-1930s Lutheran ministers were evicted from the villages, during 1936-1938 most of the religious literature was destroyed). The funeral ceremonies were conducted by amateurs, mostly older women. Even today the Estonians in Siberia attempt to observe the traditional death and funeral customs - e.g. the deceased is washed and dressed at home and sent to his or her last journey, there is no alternative to corpse burial in the Siberian villages, the traditionally lavish funeral feasts are held at home, death wake is still held and singing is still a part of the funeral tradition. Due to mixed marriages the Estonians in larger multi-ethnic villages are more prone to foreign traditions. The Estonians in Siberia have borrowed several memorial days from the Russian tradition (e.g. celebrating the passing of the 9th and 40th day from the departure, visit the graves of relatives on Christmas, Victory Day on May 9, and on Easter and Whitsunday). Siberian Estonians also bring food to the graves and the graves of the Estonians resemble more those of the local Russians. The funeral tradition of the Estonians in Siberia is considerably more archaic than that in Estonia, and the tradition of the Estonians from different regions has become more uniform. Changes in the tradition have occurred mostly in multi-ethnic villages and the Siberian Estonians still prefer Lutheran funeral ceremonies.
More...
The article analyses the importance of cemeteries among the Estonians in Siberia. The Diaspora of the Siberian Estonians has formed during the past 150 years, comprising the descendents of deportees and voluntary emigrants. The Estonians in Siberia have lived more or less in isolation, having distanced themselves from foreign-language- speaking neighbours: this need for privacy is evident even today. Cemeteries are no exception. In the Diaspora, several cultural elements may have been attributed additional meanings that they lacked in the source country, and, in the isolation, may have begun to symbolise the lost homeland (the language, religion, calendar, etc.). One such symbol of homeland for the Estonians in Siberia is also cemetery. The cemeteries of the Siberian Estonians are organised according to the territorial principle. If a village has a multi-ethnic population, then the dead are buried to the section belonging to this particular ethnic/religious group. The group, who has formed a community in life, will continue to do so in death. The cemetery is a place where our worldly existence ends, a place which extends to eternity. And since our worldly existence follows certain rules, a cemetery (and its appearance) must follow certain order as well. The Estonians have not been accustomed to the bleak and treeless cemeteries of other ethnic groups and, unlike other Siberian settlers, have tried to mark the graves with trees, steppe or field flowers. The same applied to the appearance of villages - it is characteristic of the Estonians to plant trees around their houses. The symbol of cemetery as a homeland is reflected also in the tradition of the settlers in sister colonies to bury their dead to the cemetery of their mother colony. The Estonians in Siberia have brought back a handful of soil as a symbol of their homeland; this custom, however, is not known in Estonia.
More...
On March 5, 2004 Tiia Ristolainen defended his doctoral dissertation Aspekte surmakultuuri muutustest Eestis [Aspects of the Changes of Death Culture in Estonia]. Supervised by Prof. Ülo Valk, opponents Paul Hagu and Juha Pentikäinen.
More...
Marju Torp-Kõivupuu's monograph Surmakultuuri muutumine ajas: ajaloolise Võrumaa matusekombestiku näitel [The changes in death culture in time: On the example of funeral tradition in the Võru county] (Proceedings of the Tallinn Pedagogical University. Humaniora A 22. Tallinn: Tallinna Pedagoogikaülikool 2003, 154 p.) is introduced by Anu Korb.
More...
In our time the "institution of last words" (Dennis Joseph Enright), which privileges a person's dying utterance as the most revealing and indeed defining verbal expression has by and large lost its religious implications. Continuing to contribute to the everyday mythology we live by (the "folklore of the educated"), it has found receptive ground in the media; film, advertising, the songs of pop stars, comics, art shows, cartoons and the newspapers (obituaries of the famous, "human interest stories", reports on executions, catastrophes, murders, etc.). Source (in German): Guthke, Karl S. 1999. Letzte Worte in der Medien-Kultur. Zeitschrift für Volkskunde 95: II, pp. 197-219.
More...
The article opens with a quotation from a novel by Lennart Meri, revealing that the Chukchi consider it pointless to visit cemeteries without reason. The article discusses the funeral rites and the fear for death of the Chukchi. The Chukchi believe that the souls of the dead will turn into the henchmen of keltja, and are therefore dangerous. Their fear for the deceased is so overwhelming that when the last member of a family dies, their jaranga is left to decompose in the tundra - no living creature is allowed touch it. The funeral tradition of the Chukchi is based on keeping the dead from harming the living. When somebody died, the Chukchi in the village were bound to silence. At least two people had to hold wake to the dead, because the dead may have overpowered one. The corpse was dressed in white leather clothes, because the dead might not be satisfied with everyday clothes and might come back to haunt the living. Some food is also given along. In order to satisfy the deceased and keep it from coming back, it is "consulted" on everything, for example, whether it "wishes" to be left in the tundra or to be cremated. The corpse is taken out of the jaranga through the back wall and all the traces to the burial site are carefully removed, so that it would not find its way back. During the funeral, one or two reindeers are sacrificed for the deceased. The performers of the funeral ceremony croak like crows three times to keep the evil spirits off the deceased. The dead body is covered with reindeer meat and several magico-protective rites are performed. Often the whole village visits the deceased the next day and sacrifice and share another reindeer. The living will be also protected by the items that belonged to the deceased. A belt worn by a dead man or pieces of the fur collar worn by a dead woman will be distributed among the living. The main purpose of the funeral ritual is to protect the living and keep the deceased satisfied, so that he would become a protector of the living.
More...
Richard Viidalepp (Widebaum before Estonianising his name, and later Viidebaum; Jan. 23, 1904 - June 3, 1986), the famous Estonian folklorist, was born in the Jalapuu farm in the village of Nurmsi in Central Estonia. The same farm was the home of Urve Buschmann, the author of the article and R. Viidalepp's niece. On the basis of the 1722 list of inhabitants in the Särgavere estate and the registers of the Järva Peetri congregation, the documented genealogy of Viidalepp's family starts with Jüri Jalapuu and his wife Els (?1730-?1761). In more recent registers their son Jüri (?1771-1843) already appears under the name Widebaum. The family was a typical Estonian family, including farmers, handicraftsmen, inventive technicians, later also intellectuals and artists. Some emigrated (the Finnish and American branches of the Viidebaums) and some were deported to Siberia. The fate of family members and descriptions of family history are illustrated by Richard Viidalepp's letters and family photographs. The last Viidalepps born in the Jalapuu farm moved to Tallinn in 1950.
More...
The article deals with death-related beliefs and traditions in the 19th and early 20th century. The author has divided the tradition into four main periods. The first period deals with the person's illness, when the death is definitely approaching. Since the rituals and omens occurring during this period were believed to influence the future destiny of the dying person and the living, the rituals and omens became an inherent part of funeral tradition. The first period therefore prepared the dying person and his or her relatives for the future changes. Death as a biological transformation marks the beginning of the second period, involving washing and dressing the dead body and the night wakes. This is the period of communicating with the deceased - his or her conciliation with the living and the preparation for the afterlife and the prevention of any harmful effects related to death. The most detailed period of tradition was the third - the dead person's departure from home. Official church rituals were completed with popular wisdom to help the deceased to settle in the otherworld. The fourth period includes the funeral festivities, symbolising the dead person's joining the new environment, his or her reaching a new social status. Proper performing of all the mentioned periods was supposed to render the deceased harmless for the living. In the 20th century the old popular customs have begun to retreat. The first and the second period rituals are becoming obsolete, whereas the third and fourth period will be dominated by the official church ritual.
More...
The purpose of this article is to give an overview of the more widespread death omens in earlier community and to look for an answer to the question how - in the light of social changes - the changes in the mental world of people have influenced the attitude to death omens. Answering the question whether and why death omens have receded these days, the changing of death culture can be displayed. The source materials for the article were belief records from the Estonian Folklore Archives and the fieldwork material collected by the author. In the treatment of death omens I proceed from the thematic division based on predicting situations. Speaking of Estonian death omens, a general belief can be noticed that death comes when the time is due. This has also caused the function of Estonian death omens: people tried to anticipate what was awaiting the person and only when the person was dead, they tried to prevent the next death by avoiding contacts or reconciliation with the deceased. People tried to be prepared for death both for ethical and economic reasons. They thought that any death event is preceded by a premonition of any kind. By means of observation they tried to find signs, which would give evidence of the destiny of the sick person. An answer to that was looked for in life experiences and religion. There are a number of popular beliefs related to death omens. Primarily, the person attempted to find a solution in his daily life to the problem how long he was destined to live. Seasons of the year, weather, behaviour of domestic animals and fowl, extraordinary phenomena, etc. were associated with death omens. While some of the passive death omens are still topical today, active death omens have retreated. Omens have updated - supported by literature and the mass media. Nowadays death omens are not reflexive, they are believed to predict death to someone else, usually to relatives. Therefore, the development trend of death omens is directed away from oneself. In the current rationalistic world the sphere of beliefs is more hidden - believing is not considered appropriate.
More...
In this article author is dealing with a problem of a low level of religious culture of a so called traditional, ritual, Serbian (orthodox) believer, partially caused by atheization and secularisation which lasted for almost half of a century, not to mention nonconfessional believer and not christianized enough. The author pays attention especially to the understanding of cognitive, emotional and ritual expression of religion. The article is focused on the relation between the quality of perception or consciousness of traditional orthodox believer of his church (knowledge of catechisis, religious duties and his role in SOC) and way of practicing faith, trough special subtopics such as: the way of perception of authentic, churchgoing orthodox believers looking from the perspective of ritual orthodox believers; their awareness of their own moral-ascetic duties (liturgy, baptizing, confession, Saint΄s day, fast), spiritual kinship, religious and profane celebrations, the perception of an orthodox priest etc.
More...
Dragan Todorović (ed.), Evangelization, Conversion, Proselytism, YSSSR/KSЕ/ Punta, Niš, 2004.
More...
As a positive science, sociology studies the system of social norms active in individual societies, which permeate those societies as a binding tissue, and make their functioning possible. From taboos all the way to international law, the system of norms delineates the borders of the society in which it works. As the community expands, the venue for the norms expands, too – from a tribe to the global society. Simultaneously, norms multiply, new types of norms occur, necessary for the regulation of complex social relations present in modern society. When a society reaches the state of reduced level of complex social relation regulation, we witness the state of anomie or lack of norms in a society, which seriously hinders its functionality. This text deals with the way social norms originate and how they relate to the type and level of social integration. It primarily discusses moral and religious norms and the nature of their social being.
More...