Karl Pajusalu
Karl Pajusalu (born 20 June 1963) is an Estonian linguist and poet. He is a professor of history of the Estonian language and dialects at the University of Tartu and has been a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences since 2011.
Academic career
Pajusalu graduated from Pärnu 1st Secondary School (1981) and studied Estonian philology at the University of Tartu (graduated 1986). He earned a PhD from the University of Turku in 1997, with a dissertation on multiple linguistic contacts in South Estonian.
At the University of Tartu, he has held academic posts including professor of the history of the Estonian language and dialects (since 2000), and he has also served as visiting professor of Estonian at the University of Helsinki (2001–2003, 2011–2012).
In 2015, he was elected a foreign member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.
Research
Pajusalu's research focuses on Estonian and other Finnic languages (including Livonian), dialectology, and the historical development and variation of Estonian. His publications number approximately 200 (as reported by the Estonian Academy of Sciences).
Ernštreits, Tomingas and Tuisk describe him as one of the leading contemporary experts on Salaca (Salatsi) Livonian, a Finnic variety historically spoken in northern Latvia and extinct as a community language since the 19th century.
Literary work
Under the pseudonym Ķempi Kārl, Pajusalu writes poetry in Salaca Livonian.
Poetry collections
- Salats joug kolm aģa (2013)
- Trillium (2018, with Baiba Damberga and Valts Ernštreits)
- Ēzkyrdiz vīzd (2023)
The 2023 collection Ēzkyrdiz vīzd received the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research's Kindred Peoples' prize in literature.
Honours
- Order of the White Star, 3rd Class (2015)
- Cross of Recognition (Latvia), 4th Class (2019)
- Baltic Assembly Medal (2022)
- University of Tartu Medal (2022)
- Latvian and Estonian Language Promotion Award (2024)
External links
- Karl Pajusalu at the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS)
- Karl Pajusalu at the Estonian Academy of Sciences