Artikkel käsitleb keeleteadlike täiskasvanute kogemusi ja eelistusi eesti keele grammatika õppimisel. Uurimismaterjaliks on 12 poolstruktureeritud intervjuud informantidega, kellel on eesti keele õppimiseks suur sisemine motivatsioon ning kes on suhteliselt lühikese ajaga saavutanud kõrge eesti keele oskuse taseme. Kõik intervjueeritud olid materjali kogumise perioodil üliõpilase staatuses ning kõigi peaeriala oli seotud eesti keele või keeleteadusega. Intervjuudest selgub, et keeleteadlikud õppijad peavad grammatikat kui keele vundamenti oluliseks ning leiavad, et grammatika põhjalik tundmine laiendab eesti keele kasutusvõimalusi. Uurimuses osalejad eelistavad eksplitsiitset grammatikaõpet, tunnetavad vormidevaheliste seoste mõistmise vajalikkust ja peavad oluliseks grammatilist täpsust ning korrigeerivat tagasisidet. Materjal näitab, et informandid on teadlikud sellest, kuidas nad eelistavad eesti keele grammatikat õppida, neid iseloomustab oskus keele struktuuri ja enda keeleõppekogemust analüüsida ning valmisolek oma grammatikapädevust edasi arendada. *** "The experiences and preferences of motivated language learners in studying Estonian grammar" The article examines the experiences and preferences of motivated and linguistically aware adult learners in studying Estonian grammar. This study draws on data from semi-structured interviews. These were conducted with 12 informants who demonstrated strong intrinsic motivation to learn Estonian and attained advanced proficiency in Estonian in a relatively brief timespan. All informants had begun learning Estonian while living abroad, either independently or at a foreign university, and later moved to Estonia to pursue more in-depth studies of the language at university level. Collectively, the informants represented nine different first languages or language combinations. At the time of the interviews (spring 2024), all participants were university students, with their main field of study related to Estonian or linguistics. The aim of the article is to explore how motivated and linguistically aware learners perceive the role of grammar in learning Estonian, and how they prefer to study Estonian grammar. The interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and directed coding. The interviews indicate that the informants regard grammar as a crucial foundation for language proficiency and recognise that a thorough understanding of grammar enhances their ability to use Estonian effectively. The participants prefer explicit grammar instruction and express a desire to receive explanations about the formation and use of grammatical structures from teachers or other speakers of the language. In the tradition of teaching Estonian – a morphologically rich language –educational materials typically highlight the basic forms of nouns and verbs and emphasise learning morphology through understanding relationships between forms. The informants in this study consider the acquisition of basic forms and the understanding of inter-form relationships to be beneficial, noting that knowing only a single form of a word would significantly restrict its use in communication. While grammar exercises are perceived as useful for learning, they are not always regarded as an enjoyable method. As linguistically aware learners, the informants are able to compare aspects of Estonian grammar with those of other foreign languages they have studied, and they benefit from recognising cross-linguistic similarities. A characteristic learning strategy among these participants is their ability to closely observe the language in their surroundings, notice linguistic structures, analyse them, and relate them to their existing knowledge. The interviews also reveal that most informants consider grammatical accuracy an important goal in learning Estonian and strive to use the language correctly. Only a few participants indicated that accuracy was not a priority for them. Corrective feedback plays a crucial role in achieving accuracy, and all informants value it – particularly written corrections provided by teachers. The study demonstrates that the informants are aware of their preferred methods for learning Estonian grammar and possess the ability to analyse both language structures and their own language learning experiences.
Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan aikuisten maahanmuuttajien suomenkielisissä kotoutumiskoulutuksissa toimivien lukupiirien vertaisvuorovaikutuksessa esiintyvää vertaistukea. Lukupiireissä luettiin selkomukautettuja kaunokirjallisia teoksia. Sosiokulttuurisessa teoriassa kielen oppimisen katsotaan tapahtuvan vuorovaikutuksessa ja oppimisen nähdään edellyttävän myös tukea (engl. scaffold), jota vuorovaikutus voi sisältää. Vertaistuki on yksi mahdollisista tuen muodoista, ja siinä tukea annetaan vertaisten, esimerkiksi kielenoppijoiden kesken. Vertaistuki ilmeni lukupiirissä muun muassa osallistujien keskinäisenä palautteena, kielellisesti keskeisten seikkojen osoittamisena ja merkitysneuvottelujen fasilitointina. Vertaistuen määrään ja laatuun vaikutti muun muassa osallistujien kielitaidon taso, muttei kuitenkaan aina vygotskilaisen tuen perusajatuksen mukaan siten, että ylemmällä taitotasolla oleva pystyisi ilman muuta tukemaan alempana olevaa. *** "Peer support in literary reading circles in integration training for adult immigrants" This article examines peer interaction and peer support in literary reading circles within Finnish integration training for adult immigrants learning Finnish as a second language. The reading circles focused on simplified literary texts, and the study is grounded in sociocultural theory, which views language learning as a socially mediated process. Peer support is understood as scaffolding provided by fellow learners, and the study explores what kind of support manifests in reading circle discussions. The data consists of ethnographic fieldwork, including video and audio recordings and interviews from two reading circles. Participants were at early stages of language learning (A1–B1 levels), and the reading circle discussions were based on comprehension questions about the texts. The analysis focuses on how peer support is offered, requested, or absent, and how it interacts with other forms of support, such as teacher guidance and textual resources. Peer support appeared in various forms: corrective feedback, clarification requests, demonstrations, translations, and facilitation of meaning negotiation among others. These interactions were often spontaneous and situational, with learners taking on expert roles regardless of their language proficiency level. For instance, learners with lower proficiency sometimes supported more advanced peers by sharing translations. Conversely, higher proficiency level learners did not always succeed in facilitating deeper literary discussions if their peers lacked sufficient linguistic resources. The study highlights that peer support is not uniformly present or effective. In some cases, learners did not receive support due to divergent interpretations or lack of clarification. The presence of teacher-led discussions helped compensate for these gaps. The findings suggest that peer support can be both direct and indirect, emerging through shared discussions that mediate previously unnoticed linguistic or interpretive affordances. Ultimately, the article argues for a balanced pedagogical approach that combines peer interaction with teacher guidance. It emphasizes the need to explicitly teach learners how to offer and request support and to recognize the situational nature of expertise in peer learning contexts. The study contributes to understanding how literary texts and collaborative discussion can foster language development and learner agency in integration education.
Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan sanan harva käyttöä kvanttoripronominina ja adjektiivina. Aineisto on kerätty korpuksesta ParRus, joka koostuu alkuperäisistä venäjänkielisistä kaunokirjallisuuden teksteistä ja niiden suomennoksista. Artikkelissa selvitellään sanan harva semantiikkaa vertailemalla sanaa sen venäjänkielisiin lähtömuotoihin. Analyysi havainnollistaa kvanttorin harva semantiikan osalta sen käyttöä absoluuttisena ja suhteellisena kvanttorina. Absoluuttisena se viittaa yleisesti vähälukuisuuteen ja suhteellisena määrittelee osapaljouden entiteettejä. Lähtömuodon redkij ’harva, harvinainen’ yleisyys kertoo siitä, että kvanttorin merkitykseen sisältyy harvinaisuuden korostaminen. Adjektiivin harva tehtävät voidaan jakaa kuvaileviin ja frekvenssiä ilmaiseviin, jolloin se vastaavanlaisesti kuvailee staattisia näköhavaintoja tai luonnehtii dynaamisten näkö- tai kuulohavaintojen toistuvuutta. Tutkimuksen tuloksia pohditaan lopuksi sellaisten kognitiiviseen kielioppiin liittyvien ilmiöiden valossa kuin polysemia, negatiivinen polaarisuus, konventionaalisuus, metaforisuus, asteikollisuus, skemaattisuus ja kontekstin merkitys. *** "Translation as a key to the semantics of the word 'harva'" This study examines the Finnish word harva ‘sparse, thin, infrequent, few’ and its semantics from the perspective of cognitive grammar, which considers the meanings of linguistic units with regards to the mental images and relationships they represent. The word harva is used in various ways, especially in written Finnish. The focus is on its use as a pronominal quantifier and adjective. The study aims to compare the occurrences of harva as a quantifier and as an adjective with similar Russian linguistic units through translated texts. The research highlights the importance of context, norms, and cognitive processes in translation. This corpus-based translation study is positioned within the field of comparative linguistics. The analysis focuses on qualitative research, allowing for an in-depth, detailed, and comprehensive examination of the phenomenon. The primary data source is the ParRus parallel corpus, created at the University of Tampere in 1999, which includes original Russian texts and their Finnish translations. The results show that the closest Russian equivalent to harva is the adjective redkij, which is polysemous and can describe quantity, rarity, physical properties, and frequency. This study indicates that the meaning of the quantifier harva also depends on the entities it quantifies. The quantifier harva can quantify the number of people, emphasizing their exceptional nature or describing abstract qualities. When referring to periods, harva indicates frequency, referring to something that happens rarely. Parallel texts help understand such conventionalized units, including ani harva, which emphasizes falling below the norm. Both the quantifier and adjective harva reflect insufficiency, with the norm for the adjective tied to the described entity and the quantifier’s norm being more context dependent. The study used parallel texts to examine the polysemy of the word harva as both an adjective and a quantifier. It addressed the gap in research on adjective polysemy, showing relationships between word classes. Translation pairs represented a wide range of semantic properties analyzed from the perspective of cognitive grammar.
Eesti keele kui teise keele õpetamine ei paista eksamitulemuste valguses kuigi tõhus: vaid veidi rohkem kui pooled põhikoolilõpetajad sooritavad eesti keele kui teise keele riigieksami riiklikus õppekavas ettenähtud B1 tasemel. Nii õppekava kui ka metoodilised juhised ja uuringuraportid rõhutavad aktiivõppemeetodite kasutamist. Chi ja Wylie (2014) välja töötatud IKAP-mudel kirjeldab õpilaste kognitiivset kaasatust ja seeläbi aktiivsust neljal tasandil ning jaotab õppetegevused nelja hierarhiliselt seotud laadi vahel. Taksonoomia on praktiline tööriist õpetajale õppetöö analüüsimiseks ja planeerimiseks ning aitab õpilaste kognitiivset kaasatust suurendada. Artikkel selgitab välja, kuidas rakendada IKAP-mudelit eesti keele kui teise keele õpetamise uurimisel. Kuue eesti keele tunni video analüüs IKAP-mudeli abil näitas, et suure osa keeletunnist kulub õpilastel passiivselt kaasõpilasi kuulates, nii et nende kognitiivne kaasatus on minimaalne. *** "What do we mean by active learning in language lessons? An ICAP-based analysis of Estonian as a second language lessons" This article examines the application of active learning in teaching Estonian as a second language, focusing on the use of the ICAP framework (Interactive, Constructive, Active, Passive) to analyse and plan language instruction. The motivation stems from consistently low national exam results, with only about half of students reaching the target B1 proficiency level. The concept of active learning, although frequently recommended in curricula and pedagogical guidelines, is noted for its definitional vagueness. The ICAP model, developed by Chi and Wylie (2014), offers a structured approach to assessing students’ cognitive engagement through observable behaviours and categorizing learning activities accordingly. Empirical analysis involved six video-recorded third-grade Estonian as a second language lessons, where learning activities were classified according to the ICAP categories. Findings indicate that most classroom time was spent with students passively engaged. Typically, one student was actively or constructively engaged at any given moment, while the rest of the class remained passively engaged, resulting in 67% of the lesson time being categorized as passive engagement at the class level. Truly interactive engagement, which fosters the deepest learning, was rare. Activities requiring active engagement, such as answering text-based questions and filling in gaps, predominated, while constructive and interactive activities were less frequent. A considerable portion of time was also spent on answering teacher questions, most of which required simple retrieval of information rather than independent generation of responses. It is suggested in the article that ICAP framework is effective for analysing and a good tool for planning language instruction. However, lesson planning requires careful consideration of task design to ensure higher levels of cognitive engagement. Furthermore, discrepancies may arise between the intended and actual cognitive engagement of students, emphasizing the need for teachers to observe students’ real behaviours and outputs. The ICAP model helps in adjusting instructional strategies to guide students gradually towards deeper engagement through scaffolding techniques. Although deep learning is associated with constructive and interactive activities, the article also stresses the importance of passive and active engagement in language learning, particularly for processing linguistic input and noticing patterns necessary for vocabulary acquisition and rule internalization. However, to foster language proficiency development, especially communicative competence, greater emphasis must be placed on encouraging constructive and interactive use of the language. The article concludes that in Estonian as a second language education, increasing the share of constructive and interactive activities is essential for achieving deeper learning and more robust language development. Teachers must tailor tasks not only to students’ current proficiency levels but also to stretch their abilities without overwhelming them, thereby creating an optimal learning environment.
Siinse uurimuse eesmärk on selgitada, kuidas väljendavad eesti keelt teise keelena omandavad 8–11-aastased õpilased kohasuhteid kõnes (n = 24) ja kirjas (n = 20) ning kuidas muutub kohatarindite kasutus kolme aasta jooksul (2022–2024). Täpsemalt esitatakse kirjeldav statistika selle kohta, milliste keeleliste vahenditega õpilased kohta väljendavad, kuidas jagunevad kohatarindid suund-koht-lähe jaotuses ja milline on täpsete ja ebatäpsete tarindite osakaal. Lisaks kõrvutatakse kvalitatiivselt kolme õpilase suulisi tekste kolmest ja kirjutisi kahest aastast. Analüüsitakse seda, kuidas muutub kohatarindite ja eri tüüpi tarindite hulk, kuidas muutub jagunemine suund-koht-lähe jaotuses ning millised muutused leiavad aset kohta väljendavates fraasides. 8–11-aastased eesti keele õppijad kasutavad kõnes ja kirjas koha väljendamiseks mõneti erinevaid tarindeid; nii kõnes kui kirjas esineb kõige rohkem tarindeid, mis väljendavad kohta, lähet väljendavaid esineb üksikuid; sarnase keeleõppetaustaga lastel võib tarindite omandamise arengurada erineda. *** "Locative constructions in the spoken and written texts of young learners of Estonian as a second language" This study investigates how children aged 8–11 learning Estonian as a second language express spatial relations in both spoken and written texts. While numerous studies have examined the acquisition of spatial expressions in Estonian as a first language, research on second language learners remains scarce. Using data from the project Professional Estonian-speaking Teacher in the Classroom (2022–2024), the study the frequency, accuracy, and development of locative constructions based on the DEMfad model. The spoken data (n = 24) revealed five main types of locative constructions: noun phrases (NPs), adverbial phrases (AdvPs), postpositional phrases (PPs), the illative form of the MA-infinitive/supine and the inessive form of the MA-infinitive/supine (ma-, mas-constructions), subordinate clauses beginning with a locative demonstrative or a postpositional phrase. NPs, AdvPs, and PPs were the most frequent. The use of PPs increased notably over time, while ma-, mas-constructions and subordinate clauses were rare. In writing (n = 20), NPs were dominant, and directional expressions became more frequent in 2024 due to task design. Accuracy in spoken language increased over time (from 78.63% to 84.98%), while it slightly declined in writing (from 80.11% to 77%), likely due to the growing complexity of learner output. Learners most frequently used static locative expressions, followed by directional, and rarely source expressions—mirroring patterns found in first language acquisition. Individual developmental trajectories were also examined. Student B showed significant growth in writing, T in speech, and K displayed the initial emergence of locative constructions. Development typically began with simple NPs and AdvPs, with PPs appearing later as vocabulary improved. More complex constructions emerged at higher proficiency levels. The findings highlight differences between spoken and written production and show that task design significantly affects the types of constructions used. While the study offers a first look at how young learners express spatial relations in Estonian, broader conclusions require larger datasets.
Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan Suomeen vastasaapuneiden ukrainalaisten kokemuksia suomen kielen oppimisesta Toisto-tuokioissa. Keräsimme tapaustutkimuksemme aineiston havainnoimalla kahden Toisto-ryhmän toimintaa 10 kuukauden ajan. Toimintaa koskevien muistiinpanojen lisäksi aineistomme koostuu Toisto-tuokioiden videotallenteista sekä osallistujien haastatteluista. Haastattelujen temaattinen analyysi paljasti Toisto-tuokioihin osallistuneiden kokeneen metodin miellyttäväksi ja ilmapiirin hyväksi. Osallistujat kokivat oppineensa hyödyllisiä fraaseja, ja hyväksi koettiin myös puhumisen ja ääntämisen harjoittelu sekä itse toistoon perustuva metodi. Haastavaksi taas koettiin kirjoitetun materiaalin niukkuus sekä se, ettei kielen rakenteita selitetä. Sekä haastattelu- että videoaineistosta ilmeni osallistujien tarve ymmärtää kielen rakenteita syvemmin kuin mihin analysoimattomien konstruktioiden esittelyyn tähtäävä metodi tarjoaa mahdollisuuden. Osallistujat kysyivät itselleen epäselvistä asioista paitsi oppailta myös toisiltaan. Oppailta kysymistä helpottivat oppaiden ja osallistujien yhteiset kielet venäjä ja englanti. "The Toisto-method: Language learning experiences of newly arrived Ukrainians in Finland." This study focuses on how newly arrived Ukrainian refugees to Finland have experienced learning Finnish language with a method called Toisto (’Repetition’). Toisto is a modeling-based method that was developed to enable volunteers to teach the basics of Finnish to newcomers, as linguistic first aid. The Toisto-method is built on the ideas of direct method, communicative teaching, suggestopedic atmosphere, and authenticity in schemata. The method is speech-based, and one does not have to have literacy skills to participate. The case study was conducted by observing two groups for ten months, by interviewing the participants and by videorecording four sessions. All participants were Ukrainian refugees who had an extensive educational background, including learning other languages. In the interviews, the participants reported that they were happy with the sessions, and they found the atmosphere relaxed. They felt that the Toisto-method was novel compared to their previous language learning experiences both in Ukraine and in Finland. The participants reported that the method helped them learn useful phrases for their everyday needs, and they found that the speech-based method was beneficial especially for developing their communicative skills. The participants also recognized that not all their language learning needs were met in Toisto-sessions. The participants reported also wanting to learn how to write Finnish, and they wished to have explicit grammar instruction. Both writing and explicit teaching of grammar are excluded from the method on purpose, and based on the analysis, the expectations of the Ukrainian participants were often different from what the method is set to offer. To better cater for the needs of the participants, the Finnish volunteers had added written modality in the lessons, and they also explained linguistic details when asked. The analysis of the language related questions in Toisto-sessions revealed that instead of focusing on inferring the meanings and structures from the presented materials, the participants asked for translations to Russian and made questions about grammar. These practices had brought the Toisto-sessions closer to more traditional language learning.
Itämerensuomalaisten kielten keskinäisen ymmärrettävyyden tutkimus on osoittanut, että kielten äidinkieliset puhujat luottavat itämerensuomalaisten kielten samankaltaisuuteen pyrkiessään ymmärtämään sukukieltä. Tämä artikkeli käsittelee tutkimusta, joka tuo uusia näkökulmia aiheen tarkasteluun ja paneutuu eritoten aineiston keräämiseksi suunniteltuun kielikokeeseen. Se täydentää tutkimusaiheen aikaisempia menetelmiä, ja kokeen tavoitteet, suunnittelu, ominaisuudet ja kulku kuvataan tarkoin. Valotan koetekstin laadintaa ja koesanojen valintaa sekä esittelen järjestelmäni vastausten pisteyttämiseksi. Kuvaan pilottikokeiden kulun ja esittelen niiden tulokset. Tuloksista voidaan havaita, että koe soveltuu tutkimuskysymyksiini vastaamiseen. Koetulokset myös erosivat odotetusti, sillä eri taustamuuttujat, kuten kielitaito, ennakoivat erilaisia koetuloksia. Näitä havaintoja voidaan pitää merkkeinä siitä, että koe on saavuttanut sille asetetut tavoitteet. "Planning and novelty values of a test measuring mutual intelligibility of Baltic Finnic languages." Mutual intelligibility of Baltic Finnic languages can be measured and observed in multiple ways. This article describes the development of a new kind of language test designed for informants whose mother tongue is Finnish or Estonian. The participating Finns’ language proficiency level in Estonian was 0, A or B, and Estonians’ level in Finnish was 0, A or B. Compared to previous test types, ways to measure mutual intelligibility, and measuring differences between cognates this test offers new features. The process of test word selection, test design, and scoring method are described phase by phase. The selection of cognates was conducted with meticulous care, as the test aimed to provide diverse data for analysis. One of the most important purposes of the test was to observe and analyse how these two groups of people understood cognates from each other’s language in different contexts. First, the cognates were translated one at a time, then as a part of sentences, and ultimately as a part of short text. Additionally, informants translated Vepsian and Livonian languages. Another objective in developing this test was to collect data for analysing whether Finns’ language skills in Estonian aided their understanding of Livonian and whether Estonians’ language skills in Finnish helped them to understand Vepsian. Hence, the informants not only translated cognates shared by all these languages but also those with specific etymological connections. For instance, they considered cognates like ‘parta’ and ‘bard’ (both meaning ‘beard’) – which have a common etymology only in Finnish and Vepsian – as well as ‘habe’ and ‘abbõnd’ (also meaning ‘beard’) – which share a common etymology exclusively between Estonian and Livonian. Furthermore, this type of test provides an opportunity to analyse how symmetric or asymmetric the level of understanding between Finnish and Estonian is. Therefore, the cognates in the test include morphologically rich word forms. The piloting of the test and its results have also been described in this article, alongside the development process of the test’s scoring system. The test’s scoring method is thoroughly explained, as it is nuanced rather than binary. The pilot’s results substantiate that the development, structure and scoring method of the test were successful. The test fulfills its purpose and objectives as it is capable of highlighting differences among informants with varying backgrounds, such as different mother tongues and language proficiency levels.
This study examines adult migrants’ situation in Finland one year after completing Integration Training, a year-long full-time labour market training. Narrative inquiry, influenced by the core story approach, is applied in analysing semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Participants (n = 30) are clustered into nine profiles based on their work or study status and occupational orientation. In addition, the concept of investment is used in analysing the participants’ small stories within these profiles. The most participants recognise a need to improve their Finnish proficiency, but their opportunities to invest in Finnish language learning and use are often limited. Many participants compensate for the lack of Finnish learning opportunities by investing in self-study. Imagined futures as students, employees, or Finnish citizens seem to drive the investment in second language learning for most participants. The results shed light on the diversity of migrants’ life situations after Integration Training and make their challenges in second language investment visible. "Kotoutumiskoulutuksen jälkeen: variaatio profiileissa ja investointi suomeen toisena kielenä." Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan aikuisten Suomeen muuttaneiden (n = 30) työ- ja opiskelutilannetta sekä suomi toisena kielenä -investointia vuosi työvoimakoulutuksena järjestetyn, noin vuoden mittaisen kotoutumiskoulutuksen jälkeen. Kotoutumiskoulutuksen tavoitteena on tukea maahanmuuttajia suomen tai ruotsin kielen oppimisessa ja koulutukseen tai työelämään pääsemisessä. Aineisto on kerätty vuosina 2019–2021, ja siihen kuuluu puolistrukturoituja haastatteluja (n = 27) ja kyselylomakevastauksia (n = 3). Aineiston analysoinnin lähtökohtana oli tyyppitarinamainen tarkastelu ja osallistujat ryhmiteltiin työ- ja opiskelutilanteen sekä urasuuntautumisen mukaan, minkä tuloksena osallistujat jaettiin yhdeksään profiiliin. Lisäksi profiileittain on tarkasteltu small stories -analyysillä eli pieniä kertomuksia tutkimalla suomen kieleen investointia eli ajan ja energian käyttämistä toisen kielen oppimiseen ja käyttöön. Tulosten perusteella useimmilla osallistujilla on tarve investoida suomen kieleen ja kehittää suomen kielen taitoaan, mutta monilla on erittäin rajalliset mahdollisuudet siihen. Monet osallistujat kompensoivat suomen kielen oppimis- ja käyttämistilanteiden puutetta investoimalla nonformaalisti kotiopiskeluun. Toisaalta osalle, etenkin korkeakoulutuksessa, englannin taito on tärkeä toivotulle uralle pääsemisessä. Kuvitellut tulevaisuudet työntekijöinä, opiskelijoina tai kansalaisina näyttivät olevan useimpien investoinnin kannustimena. Vain erittäin harva oli kuitenkaan vakaassa työsuhteessa. Lisäksi monet ovat päätyneet vaihtamaan uransa suuntaa, mikä voi johtaa pääoman ja osaamisen menettämiseen. Koulutuksen kielitaitovaatimukset näyttävät vaikuttavan joidenkin kohdalla koulutuksessa eteenpäin pääsemiseen ja uran suunnan vaihtamiseen. Osallistujat ovat saaneet kotoutumiskoulutuksesta monenlaista, olennaista pääomaa, mutta monien polut työelämään näyttävät siitä huolimatta monivaiheisilta. Tämä tutkimus edistää toisen kielen alan tutkimusta tekemällä näkyväksi maahanmuuttajien toisen kielen investoinnin jännitteet sekä moninaiset, erittäin yksilölliset tilanteet, joissa maahanmuuttajat ovat kotoutumiskoulutuksen jälkeen. Tulokset myös osoittavat, että kotoutumiskoulutuksen jälkeen suomen kielen kehittämiseen ja käyttöön tarvitaan tukea vertaisilta, syntyperäisiltä puhujilta, oppilaitoksilta ja työpaikoilta.
Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan oppimateriaalien käsittelyä suomea toisena kielenä oppivien välisessä luokkahuonevuorovaikutuksessa. Tutkittavat tilanteet ovat asiointitilanteita simuloivia keskusteluharjoituksia, joissa oppijat toimivat ostajan ja myyjän rooleissa. Oppimateriaalina käytetään kuvallisia kortteja, jotka edustavat ostamisen kohteita. Tarkastelen multimodaalisen keskustelunanalyysin avulla, millä tavalla korttien käsittely, erityisesti niiden siirtäminen, jakaantuu osallistujien välille ja millä tavalla nämä käytänteet tuovat esille ja tukevat oppijoiden toimijuutta. Yleisin käytänne on ostosta ilmoittavan vuoron muotoilu ja tulkinta pyynnöksi, jolloin ostaja aloittaa toimintajakson ja myyjä siirtää korttia. Tämä muotoilee toiminnasta yhteisen projektin, jossa toimijuus jakautuu molempien osallistujien välille. Harvinaisemmissa tilanteissatoisen oppijan toimijuus korostuu: toisessa tapauksessa ostaja poimii kortit itse ikään kuin omana projektinaan, ja toisessa myyjä viivyttää kortin poimimista. Nämä tilanteet edustavat eräänlaisia ääripäitä toimijuuden jakautumisen suhteen. Samalla ne synnyttävät oppimista mahdollistavia tilanteita joko autenttisuuden kaltaisuuden kautta tai laajentamalla asiointitilannetta minimivuorojen yli. Materiaalien käsittely toimii keskeisenä vuorovaikutuksen resurssina, jonka kautta harjoitustoiminnan vaihetta ja yhteisymmärryksen saavuttamista ostamisen kohteesta tuodaan näkyväksi. "Materials use in L2 classroom interaction: The practices of card handling in the construction of agency and joint action in a shop encounter task." As we are constantly surrounded by different objects and use them as resources for social interaction, different materials are also essential in classrooms. Learning and teaching materials often guide the classroom agenda, but they are also used as physical objects in interaction. In the language classroom context, learners can use materials to pursue their learning, for example, by initiating and formulating actions that are relevant to their learning process. This conversation analytic study investigates the use of learning materials in Finnish as L2 classroom interaction. The video data come from a sort of role-play, which simulates a shop encounter. In the task, adult beginner level learners play the roles of buyer and seller. The learning materials used are cards with pictures of products and their prices, which represent items to be bought. The study examines how the handling and transfer of the materials is distributed among the participants and how these practices demonstrate and enhance learners' agency.
Rääkimisoskuse arendamine on eesti keele kui teise keele õppes väga oluline, kuid sageli ei tegeleta sellega keeletundides piisavas mahus ega kasutata tõhusaid õppetegevusi (Metslang jt 2013; Kitsnik 2020a; Bernhardt & Meristo 2023; Tomusk 2024). Tunnis toimuva määrab peamiselt õpetaja (Gardner 2007), õppematerjalidel on aga tunnitegevuste mõjutajana samuti oluline roll (Tomlinson 2022). Artiklis vaatlen enda läbi viidud tegevusuuringut B1-taseme rääkimisoskuse õpetamisel uue õppekomplekti “Naljaga ...” (Kitsnik & Kingisepp 2021a) järgi. Tegevusuuringu eesmärk oli katsetada õpiku kommunikatiivseid rääkimisülesandeid. Artiklis analüüsin õppijate ja enda kui õpetaja hinnanguid rääkimisülesannete uudsusele, huvitavusele, kergusele ja kasulikkusele. Õpikus kasutatud rääkimisülesannete tüübid (küsimuslipikutega klassis ringikäimine ja eri paarilistega vestlemine, lauamängud, rollikaartidega dialoogid, improteatri formaadis dialoogid) olid õppijaile uudsed ning huvitavad. Ülesannete kergus oli erinev ning ülesanded muutusid kordudes kergemaks. Ülesandeid peeti väga kasulikeks ning õppijate ja õpetaja hinnangul arenes enim õppijate rääkimissoov ja rääkimisjulgus, aga ka endaloodud suulise teksti keerukus, täpsus, sujuvus ning suhtlussituatsioonides toimetulek. "Developing Estonian speaking skills according to the B1 level textbook ”Naljaga ...”: A case study." The textbook “Naljaga ...” (Kitsnik & Kingisepp 2021a) is the first part of the B1 level Estonian language study set “Naljaga pooleks” (Kitsnik & Kingisepp 2021a, 2021b). The article describes the speaking tasks of the textbook and analyzes their use in a 120-hour B1 level language course taught by one of the authors of the textbook and the author of this article, Mare Kitsnik. In order to develop speaking skills, it is necessary to receive a lot of linguistic input, that is, to hear a lot of natural and interesting language use (Krashen 1985), and to try to use the language a lot, while fulfilling one’s communication goals and discussing meanings with peers (Swain 1993; Larsen-Freeman 2007). Linguistic input in textbook “Naljaga ...” is provided through fun listening dialogues written by the authors of the textbook, which focus on the expression of different level-appropriate communication actions and communication functions. To use the language, the textbook has created tasks that develop conversational skills and tasks for creating a longer monologue. The tasks are based on active learning, contain communication gaps and are gamified. Task types are: going around with question tags, board games, dialogues in the format of improtheater, storytelling tasks and discussion tasks. The students rated the novelty, interest, ease and usefulness of the listening dialogues and speaking tasks on Likert scales, and also provided feedback through free-response questions. Additionally, a teacher’s diary was maintained throughout the course, capturing observations on the novelty, interest, ease, and usefulness of the speaking tasks. Although all course participants had studied Estonian many times before, the speaking tasks of the textbook “Naljaga ...” were mostly new to them. The tasks were interesting for the learners. The ease of the speaking tasks varied from medium to easy. At the beginning, it was quite difficult for the learners to hold spontaneous dialogues, in which the speech of the interlocutor cannot be predicted exactly in advance. Speaking tasks were generally considered very useful. Evaluating the development of their Estonian language skills, the learners considered the desire to speak to be the most developed during the course, and the courage to speak and the complexity and accuracy of the oral text they created also developed quite a lot.
The aim of this paper is to contrast Estonian and Finnish deictic motion verbs (minema/mennä, tulema/tulla, viima/viedä, tooma/tuoda) with descriptions of the same motion situations in Czech, which does not have similar pairs of deictic motion verbs. The paper first describes Estonian and Finnish deictic motion verbs according to the literature and provides a short overview of motion verbs in Czech. The analysis is based on examples selected from two literary texts, one Estonian and one Finnish, and their translations. The comparison concentrates on different means of anchoring the direction of motion, that is, which part of the motion scene is selected as the landmark for translational motion. The paper shows that though Czech verb prefixes can in effect anchor the direction of motion to the speaker or to a location known to the speaker and addressee, the function of these prefixes is not directly comparable with the pairs of deictic motion verbs in Finnish and Estonian.
Artikkel on teine osa algajate eesti keele õppijate ja eesti keelt emakeelena kõnelejate suulist interaktsiooni käsitlevast pikiuuringust. Informantideks on viis täiskasvanud keeleõppijat, kellest neljaga on nende aastasel eesti keele intensiivkursusel osalemise perioodil salvestatud neli, ühega kaks vaba vestlust emakeelekõnelejatega, vestluste vahe on keskmiselt kaks kuud. Artiklis käsitletakse suulises interaktsioonis toimuvaid muutusi eesti keele õppijate keeleoskuse täienemise käigus. Pikiuurimuse materjali analüüs näitas, et õppijate keeleoskuse arenedes suureneb õppija voorust põhjustatud tähendusläbirääkimiste hulk ning mitmekesistuvad õppijate kasutatud abiotsimisstrateegiad. Seejuures toetuvad keeleõppijad muudele interaktsioonis osalejate ühistele keeltele kogu uurimisperioodi vältel ning võtavad eesti vestluspartnerite pakutud keelelise toetuse enamasti vestluses vastu keelendite vahetu kordamise teel. Eesti emakeelega osalejate tekstis esineb ka keeleõppesituatsioonile omaseid suulise korrigeeriva tagasiside andmise juhtumeid. "Changes in the interactions between learners of Estonian and native speakers over one year." This article is the second part of a longitudinal study of the oral interactions of learners of Estonian as a second language (L2) and native speakers (L1). The informants in the research are five adult language learners (native languages English, Romanian, Udmurt and Russian), who studied Estonian in an intensive course and who did not know Estonian prior to the beginning of their studies. As partners of the language learners three speakers of Estonian as a native language participated in the research; all of them had prior experience in teaching Estonian as a second language but none of them had taught the informants. During the year the research was conducted, four free-form conversations with native speakers were recorded with four of the language learners and two with one of them; the average length of the conversations was 20 minutes and the average interval between the conversations was two months. The article examines the particularities of the L1 and L2 learners’ interactions and changes over the period of the year as the Estonian language competence of the learners continues to grow.
"First and second language teachers’ beliefs of teaching and learning reading strategies". In this article, I examine how mother tongue teachers (Finnish, Swedish) and teachers of German as a foreign language in Finland perceive the teaching and learning of reading strategies. I investigate their theoretical and action beliefs and their beliefs on teachers’ roles. The aim was to explore mother tongue and German teachers’ beliefs of reading strategies and the methods they use to introduce their students to active reading. I investigated how teachers guide their students to read and use reading strategies. The article also examines the links that teachers perceive between reading in the mother tongue and reading in a foreign language.
"On the metaphorical use of personal pronouns and verb forms in Estonian and Russian". The article is devoted to the metaphorical use of personal pronouns and their respective verb forms in Russian and Estonian. Personal pronouns is one of the first topics that is introduced to the learner of any language. In Russian and Estonian the systems of personal pronouns are quite similar, however their meta phorical use is not identical in these languages. Some metaphorical uses are regular in Russian but are not common in Estonian; it depends on the cultural and linguistic traditions of the language in question. While most cases of the metaphorical use of personal pronouns and related verb forms are nonetheless the same in Estonian and Russian, one can still point out some dissimilarities.
"How is agency produced through image and word in the multimodal ”The Rules of Supervised Exchange” comic contract?" Social service documents, such as ”The rules of supervised exchange”, can be difficult to understand because of the language and terms used in them. One way to make these documents more accessible is transforming them into comic contracts. Using a comic-style format, can help clients better understand the document and the associated agency of the worker and the client. Additionally, it can make communication by public authorities more accessible. Transforming social service documents involves visualization, i.e., including different types of visual elements in the document. Typically, comic contracts include characters and their interaction is visually displayed. Thus, comic contracts are multimodal texts that combine images and words in different ways. Examining comic contracts in social services is important for both clients and workers. Documents should be understandable and clear so that clients know what services are described in the documents, what are the clients’ rights, responsibilities, and obligations, and what is expected of them as actors.
"Unnoticeable language teaching methodology". Language acquisition is often more effective and motivational outside the classroom, as it allows the use of the target language in real life situations adding the aspect of relationship building and networking. A good way to improve one’s language skills is through leisure activities as it provides an opportunity to communicate with people with similar interests in a target language environment. However, in Estonia recreational activities are quite segregated. Within an interdisciplinary project course at Tallinn University the project "Unnoticeable Language Learning" (ULL) was carried out in 2019–2022. The main objective of the project was to develop a new language teaching strategie, which can be used to teach and learn Estonian unnoticeably in the course of some gripping recreational activity. The project also aimed to propagate the modern approach to language learning and increase native speakers’ consciousness in supporting language learners and to indicate the importance of non- and informal language learning.
"Verb constructions and complexity across proficiency levels in learner Finnish". Learner language development can be analysed by measuring complexity, accuracy and fluency. Complexity, our focus here, can be defined as the range and sophistication of learner language. Syntactic complexity is typically analysed by quantitatively measuring the length of production units or the amount of subordination rather than by exploring syntactic variation and diversity in learner language. In this article, the development of syntactic complexity in written learner Finnish across the CEFR proficiency levels is studied by exploring changes in the use of non-finite verb constructions. The aim of the study is to bring to light differences in complexity that are not captured by the traditional measures of syntactic complexity. The data in the study comprise 241 written learner Finnish texts (23,596 words) from the University of Jyväskylä Cefling project corpus and they cover all CEFR levels, from A1 to C2. The data are explored both quantitatively and qualitatively. The focus of the study is on the changes in the use of verb constructions containing a finite verb and at least one non-finitive verb form, and on how those changes may reflect the development of syntactic complexity. The results show that the constructions studied do not necessarily grow in length but instead become more varied both lexically and structurally as proficiency increases. Such changes are not revealed by quantitative measures of syntactic complexity focusing on the length of production units. Hence, the results support calls to adopt a more qualitative approach to investigating syntactic complexity. They also suggest that, in some languages, syntactic, morphological and lexical complexity cannot always be separated.
"Finnish as a source language, Hungarian as a target language: Is it possible to learn language by translating?". Translation was commonly used as a language learning method before the functional communicative approach appeared. In earlier decades, the pedagogical emphasis was placed on formalistic language learning and translating textbooks word by word, whereas today the focus is on communication and functional language learning. In our project, university students translate authentic texts in interaction with each other. Meanwhile, they describe the translation processes. The aim of our research is to examine to what extent translating may prove to be a useful and efficient way to teach and learn a language. We analyse how the students improve their language skills and learn not only the language but also tools to describe the process. The context of the study is a Finnish language translation course in a Hungarian university. During the course, the students translated Finnish fiction into Hungarian under the supervision of a Finnish language teacher and a translation teacher. At the start of the course, an introductory lecture was given on translation theories and methods. After that the students produced a translation sample and a comment on their translation. A translation sample with a comment was also written at the end of the course. The authentic texts translated during the course were Finnish speculative fiction short stories on environment-related themes. The students were advised to describe their process of translation during the whole project. In our article, we analyse how the students described their learning process, and how their skills developed during the translation process. The results demon strate that different translator competences improved during the process, but the development of the language competence appeared the most pivotal. This may be due to the students’ presumption of the essence of translating: prior to the course, they regarded translating as a way to learn the language, which presumably lead them to pay special attention to language learning also in their comments.
"Multilingual practices in the minority language radio Meänraatio". The aim of the study is to explore how multilingualism and multilingual language practices are perceived by radio journalists working in Meänraatio, the Meänkieli-language channel of the Swedish Radio Norrbotten. (Meänkieli, earlier also known as Tornedalian Finnish, is an autochthonous language of Northern Sweden and now officially acknowledged as a national minority language.) Multilingualism and multilingual practices are examined in particular from the perspective of Meänkieli in the multilingual radio programme Finnmix, but also in the Meänraatio channel, Tornedalen and the Swedish society in general. In addition, the study explores the multilingual practices of hosts and listeners in the Finnmix broadcasts. The study is based on both ethnographic and interactional data. The former consists of a group interview with radio journalists working for Meänraatio, and of the author’s observations and logbook notes of Finnmix radio broadcasts, while the interactional data consist of recordings and transcriptions of Finnmix radio broadcasts. The theoretical framework of the study is sociolinguistic research on multilingualism, based in particular on translanguaging theory, which focuses on multilingual practices.
"What does it taste like? A comparative study of taste terms in Estonian and German". This article compares and describes Estonian and German active taste vocabulary on the basis of the empirical data in respect of the salience. Two field experiments were undertaken by interviewing 43 native speakers of both languages. The aim of the study was to determine actively used taste terms, the range of active taste vocabulary and their naming strategies in two, genetically unrelated languages. The author hypothesised that the active vocabularies of the languages would feature many similarities. The quantitative and qualitative results of the study demonstrate that the range of active taste vocabulary is very similar in both languages: the umbrella term in the taste domain is maitse/Geschmack, and, ahead of other words, the speakers recall basic taste words: magus/sü. ’sweet’, soolane/salzig ’salty’, hapu/sauer ’sour’ and kibe/bitter ’bitter’. The word umami has no status as a basic term neither Estonian nor German, although its spread is growing, and regarding the salience it can be considered part of the active taste vocabulary of Estonian and German. The results give a basis to infer that the Estonian taste words kibe ’bitter’ and mõru ’bitter’ may have similar basic term potential, and can be considered a cultural phenomenon of the language. To lend further credence to this observation, the subject is worth investigating in greater depth. The list task results showed a surprising difference in the associative words linked to taste (armastus ’love’, rahulolu ’satisfaction’ in Estonian, Schmerz ’pain’, Ekel ’disgust’ in German). The salience of the positive emotional words in Estonian seems to confirm the link between taste experience and emotions as demonstrated by Vainik (2017). Commonalities are reflected in the similarity of the naming strategies of the taste words, based on the subjective evaluation (hea/gut ’good’, etc.), the intensity of taste experiences (vürtsikas/würzig ’spicy’, etc.), physical qualities of food (temperature, texture, and consistency), expressed with adjectives of touch domain: soe/warm ’warm’, pehme/weich ’soft’, etc.) in both languages. Words referring to touch (konsistents/Konsistenz ’concistency’, tekstuur/Beschaffenheit ’texture’) and adjectives describing qualities of food (e.g., terav/scharf ’sharp’) reflect the sensory function of the tongue and mouth. Thus, the cognitive categorisation patterns of native speakers of Estonian and German are in large part similar in terms of naming strategies. The active vocabulary of German includes the adjective fruchtig ’fruity’, which has made its way into everyday language from the wine vocabulary. Estonian equivalent puuviljane ’fruity’ was mentioned only once, by a single respondent. Presumably, the findings demonstrate a difference in the cultural customs of the two language communities. As the results of this comparative study show, similar patterns exist in the listing and description of words linked to taste in both languages and both tasks. The similarity of the quantitative and qualitative results of research into active taste vocabulary in Estonian and German points to patterns of the German language that are deeply rooted in Estonian, while the cultural proximity of the two language communities is also reflected in their cognitive categorisation and naming strategy choices for taste words. The changes over the last couple of decades that have come to light in the comparison of active taste vocabulary in Estonian and German, including the surprising differences revealed in this research, are presumably due first and foremost to cultural peculiarities, the rapid developments in food culture as a result of globalisation and the spread of multicultural norms in Europe’s western language communities.
