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Faculty of Arts and HumanitiesDean's Office, Faculty of Arts and HumanitiesJakobi 2, r 116-121 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of History and ArchaeologyJakobi 2 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Estonian and General LinguisticsJakobi 2, IV korrus 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Philosophy and SemioticsJakobi 2, III korrus, ruumid 302-337 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Cultural ResearchÜlikooli 16 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Foreign Languages and CulturesLossi 3 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0School of Theology and Religious StudiesÜlikooli 18 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Viljandi Culture AcademyPosti 1 71004 Viljandi linn, Viljandimaa EST0Professors emeritus, Faculty of Arts and Humanities0Associate Professors emeritus, Faculty of Arts and Humanities0Faculty of Social SciencesDean's Office, Faculty of Social SciencesLossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of EducationJakobi 5 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Johan Skytte Institute of Political StudiesLossi 36, ruum 301 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0School of Economics and Business AdministrationNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of PsychologyNäituse 2 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0School of LawNäituse 20 - 324 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Social StudiesLossi 36 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Narva CollegeRaekoja plats 2 20307 Narva linn, Ida-Virumaa EST0Pärnu CollegeRingi 35 80012 Pärnu linn, Pärnu linn, Pärnumaa EST0Professors emeritus, Faculty of Social Sciences0associate Professors emeritus, Faculty of Social Sciences0Faculty of MedicineDean's Office, Faculty of MedicineRavila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Biomedicine and Translational MedicineBiomeedikum, Ravila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of PharmacyNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of DentistryL. Puusepa 1a 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Clinical MedicineL. Puusepa 8 50406 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Family Medicine and Public HealthRavila 19 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Sport Sciences and PhysiotherapyUjula 4 51008 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTprofessors emeritus, Faculty of Medicine0associate Professors emeritus, Faculty of Medicine0Faculty of Science and TechnologyDean's Office, Faculty of Science and TechnologyVanemuise 46 - 208 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Computer ScienceNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of GenomicsRiia 23b/2 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTEstonian Marine Institute0Institute of PhysicsInstitute of ChemistryRavila 14a 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Mathematics and StatisticsNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Institute of Molecular and Cell BiologyRiia 23, 23b - 134 51010 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTTartu ObservatoryObservatooriumi 1 61602 Tõravere alevik, Nõo vald, Tartumaa EST0Institute of TechnologyNooruse 1 50411 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTInstitute of Ecology and Earth SciencesJ. Liivi tn 2 50409 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTprofessors emeritus, Faculty of Science and Technology0associate Professors emeritus, Faculty of Science and Technology0Area of Academic SecretaryHuman Resources OfficeÜlikooli 18, ruumid 302 ja 304 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Area of Head of FinanceFinance Office0Area of Director of AdministrationInformation Technology Office0Administrative OfficeÜlikooli 17 (III korrus) 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Estates Office0Marketing and Communication OfficeÜlikooli 18, ruumid 102, 104, 209, 210 50090 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Area of Vice Rector for Academic AffairsOffice of Academic AffairsUniversity of Tartu Youth AcademyUppsala 10 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTStudent Union OfficeÜlikooli 18b 51005 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Centre for Learning and TeachingArea of Vice Rector for ResearchUniversity of Tartu LibraryW. Struve 1 50091 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa ESTGrant OfficeArea of Vice Rector for DevelopmentCentre for Entrepreneurship and InnovationNarva mnt 18 51009 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical GardenVanemuise 46 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0International Cooperation and Protocol Office0University of Tartu MuseumLossi 25 51003 Tartu linn, Tartu linn, Tartumaa EST0Area of RectorRector's Strategy OfficeInternal Audit Office
IN MEMORIAM. Tiit-Rein Viitso
In memoriam
Tiit-Rein Viitso (4.3.1938 - 2.12.2022)
Professor Emeritus Tiit-Rein Viitso – long-time researcher of Finnic language history and phonology – passed away on December 2nd.
Tiit-Rein Viitso graduated from the University of Tartu in 1961. Subsequently, he was a graduate student at the Estonian Academy of Sciences Institute of Language and Literature (the present-day Institute of the Estonian Language). He defended his candidate’s thesis on the Onega Vepsian dialect in 1966. He wrote his dissertation on the comparative phonology of the Finnic languages and defended it in 1983. He worked at the University of Tartu Computing Centre from 1965 to 1973, at the Institute of Language and Literature from 1973 to 1993 as a senior researcher and later as a leading researcher, at the University of Tartu Department of Estonian Language from 1991 to 1993 as an extraordinary professor and from 1993 to 2003 as a professor of Finnic languages.
Tiit-Rein Viitso’s main area of interest was the Finnic languages – their history, sound systems, and development. He worked most with Finnic, but also with many other languages: he researched the distant relatives of Finnic as well as, for example, the indigenous languages of Siberia and North America. He wrote descriptive overviews of a vast number of different languages for encyclopaedias.
Tiit-Rein Viitso delved deeply into exploring questions relating to Estonian phonology and morphophonology as well as wrote important studies on the history of the Estonian language. Aside from Estonian, his favourite language was Livonian, which he continued to preserve, research, and teach until his last years. He was certainly one of the world’s greatest experts on Livonian and also taught this language to the modern-day Livonian community.
Tiit-Rein Viitso also filled a number of other roles, for example, he was the head of the Estonian Mother Tongue Society from 1993 to 1997, the editor-in-chief of the journal Linguistica Uralica, and a member of the editorial boards of many other publications. His work was recognised with the Order of the White Star (5th Class), the University of Tartu Grand Medal, and the Estonian Academy of Sciences Paul Ariste Medal. In 2011, he received the F.J. Wiedemann Language Award. In recognition of his work with Livonian, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Latvia in 2006 and was awarded the Republic of Latvia Cross of Recognition (4th Class) in 2012.
To those who worked with him, Tiit-Rein Viitso was a kind and warm colleague filled with encyclopaedic knowledge and playful jokes. As a former athlete, he remained in excellent shape into his later years and would often leave his colleagues in the dust as he walked down Jacob Hill to his meetings. To the delight of his students, he would sometimes also play the important role of the absent-minded professor. He was a wonderful companion for fieldwork and on trips with the Society of Livonian Friends.
We remember dear Tiit-Rein and express our condolences to his family.
His colleagues at the University of Tartu Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics
Tiit-Rein Viitso’s funeral service will take place on Saturday, December 10th at 10 o’clock at St. Paul’s Church in Tartu, which will be followed by interment at Raadi Cemetery.
