Auli Hakulinen
Humanist of the day

Auli Hakulinen

Fortunately I was able to go to university before the ‘reforms’. Getting started is the hardest part. For me at least. I wandered through different subjects, which was allowed by the academic freedom in the 1960s, but is not allowed now. Being retired is nice. I can research without the responsibility to produce results. My achievements added to my subject’s output. It was nice that I got to conclude my time at the university as professor emerita!

Auli Hakulinen

Auli Talvikki Hakulinen
Born March 10, 1941, Helsinki

BA 1965 (Finno-Ugristics), licentiate 1971 (General Linguistics), University of Helsinki
PhD 1976 (General Linguistics), University of Turku

Assistant Professor of Finnish 1981–1991, Professor 1991–2006, University of Helsinki
Academy Professor 2001–2004
Research assistant in the text linguistics research group at the Academy of Finland 1974–1977, University of Turku
Visiting researcher at MIT, Spring 1973
General linguistics assistant 1968–1971, University of Helsinki
Research assistant in the Sociological Research Unit at London University 1967–1968
Finnish language teacher, University of Indiana, 1963–1964

Publications, research projects and other scientific activities
Research areas: syntax, text linguistics, women’ studies, conversation analysis, language and interaction analysis

Significant awards and special achievements:
Kristiina Prize 1986
Maikki Frieberg Award 2002
Finnish Cultural Foundation Award 2005
E. J. Nyström Prize 2007

Photo: Kuva-siskot
Written by Auli Hakulinen (Kaija Hartikainen, ed.)
Translated by
Joe McVeigh

An English colleague of mine has a habit of saying that you usually end up doing the thing for which you have the least amount of talent or courage. If that is true, it is weird that I never became a department head, a faculty dean or a university rector.

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