Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Pajusalu was recognised for his long-term work in advancing cooperation between the linguists of Estonia and Latvia, and contributing to the research of the Estonian and Livonian language both in Estonia and Latvia.
“Estonia and Latvia are close friends and allies. This is symbolised by the 105th anniversary of our common fight against the Landeswehr forces right here in Cēsis, which we celebrated a couple of weeks ago,” Tsahkna said at the presentation ceremony.
“We are also close culturally, despite speaking different languages,” the minister noted. “I am happy that we can present the Latvian and Estonian Language Promotion Award for the 15th time, recognising the people whose work prevents barriers that could arise from speaking different languages.”
The Foreign Minister Baiba Braže: “With the Languages Award we thank those Latvians and Estonians who, through their day-to-day work, help us to better understand and talk to each other, thereby strengthening bilateral cooperation between our two countries and promoting the learning and use of the Latvian and Estonian languages. Today, when society communicates through so many different channels and formats, and people live in different information spaces, the skills to reach understanding and work with various partners are more important than ever before.”
This year’s laureate, linguist Karl Pajusalu is Professor of History and Dialects of Estonian Language at the University of Tartu, Member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.
Pajusalu’s academic work focuses on Estonian dialects but he has also researched Livonian. He has taught Estonian at the University of Latvia and taken part in numerous projects that have included linguists from Estonia and Latvia. Pajusalu has been involved in many projects and initiatives that are important for the Estonian and Latvian languages, such as the publication of the Estonian-Latvian dictionary and the Livonian-Estonian-Latvian dictionary. Pajusalu has revitalised historical Livonian and published fiction and poetry in the language.
The aim of the award is to enhance knowledge of the Latvian and Estonian languages and to recognise the achievements of Latvian and Estonian translators, linguists, teachers and managers of language learning projects in the promotion of the Latvian and Estonian languages. The monetary value of the Award is €5 000 and the Award Fund receives equal contributions from the ministries of foreign affairs of Latvia and Estonia. The jury of the prize includes representatives from the foreign ministries of both countries as well as language and literature experts.
The award was issued for the 15th time this year. Previous winners are Maima Grīnberga (2009, 2013), Guntars Godinš (2010, 2014, 2019), Kalev Kalkun (2011), Margus Konnula alias Contra (2015), Valts Ernštreits (2016), Livia Viitol (2017), Rūta Karma (2018), Ilze Tālberga (2020), Lembit Vaba (2021), Daila Ozola (2022) and Hea Lugu Publishers (2023).
Photos of the presentation ceremony.
