My Best Memories from the University of Helsinki

While I was a student I had no vision of remaining at the University and becoming a researcher. Perhaps it was only a case of having poor self-awareness. As it turned out, it was the courses that required independent research (and independent thinking!) that were the most rewarding. Such courses included Sociolinguistics 2 by Leif Nyholm, an English philology proseminar on language history by Eugene Holman, and a graduate seminar of Scandinavian languages by Mirja Saari. Not long after completing my master’s degree I found myself as an acting assistant at Nordica, the Scandinavian language departments at the University, and I have travelled down that path ever since.

After graduating with a master’s degree, I realised that your student years were perhaps the best time of your life. Not being subject to any great demands, trying to find yourself while striving towards some goal, intellectual development, new acquaintances, and the communal spirit of student life.

By Jan Lindström (Tomas Sjöblom ed.), translated by Tomi Setälä, revised by Matthew Billington

Jan Lindström

Jan Krister Lindström
Born April 4, 1964, Helsinki

Master of Arts 1990 (Scandinavian languages), Licentiate 1993 and PhD 1999, University of Helsinki

Teaching assistant, Scandinavian languages, 2002-04, acting professor 2005, 2007-08, professor 2008–, University of Helsinki
Vice-dean of the Faculty of Arts 2010-13, University of Helsinki
Director of the Faculty for Scandinavian Languages and Literature 2006-09, University of Helsinki
Research doctor 2002-05, the Samtalsspråkets grammatik – Grammar in Conversation project, University of Helsinki (Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences)
Linguistics working group member 1998, Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland

Publications, research projects and other academic activity

Research themes:
Interactional linguistics, language contact and Fenno-Swedish, construction grammar, language policy

Awards:
Oskar Öflund Foundation award 2012
Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland prize for academic monographs 2009
Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland prize for doctoral dissertations 2000

Photo: Veikko Somerpuro
Written by Jan Lindström (Tomas Sjöblom ed.)
Translated by Matthew Billington