The Evolution of Finnish Vocabulary and New Words

A two-part lecture series explores the development of Finnish vocabulary from Agricola and Lönnrot to the present day. The first lecture examines early vocabulary growth and particularly Lönnrot's new words in his dictionary. The second lecture focuses on more recent vocabulary through literature - featuring Jaana Kapari-Jata's Finnish translations of Harry Potter.

Wednesday 7.10.2026 at 18:00: Early vocabulary growth from Agricola to 19th-century word creators

Wednesday 21.10.2026 at 18:00: More recent vocabulary growth, for example in literature - Jaana Kapari-Jata's Harry Potter translations

The lecturer is Professor Klaus Laalo, who completed his doctorate in Finnish language at the University of Helsinki in 1988 and subsequently served as professor of Finnish language at the University of Tampere. He has particularly studied children's language development and contributes to two field anthologies: Small Words (2012) and Children's Language Development (2020). In recent years he has focused on children's new words.

Free admission.