THE TEACHING OF UDMURT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA: YESTERDAY - TODAY - TOMORROW
Since its establishment more than forty years ago, the Department (formerly Institute) of Finno-Ugric Studies at the University of Vienna has offered courses on not only historical-comparative Finno-Ugric linguistics and the “large” Finno-Ugric languages (Hungarian, Finnish and Estonian), but also on other so-called “small” Finno-Ugric/Uralic languages. Károly Rédei, the founder of the Institute and first professor of Finno-Ugric studies at the University of Vienna, taught Komi, Mansi, Khanty and Udmurt on a regular basis. Teaching at the University of Vienna for thirty years, he held Udmurt language courses four times. Under the leadership of his successor, Johanna Laakso, an Udmurt language course was taught once again in 2016. It served as a “trial” of sorts for an upcoming international online course in 2017-2018 within the framework of the project “Integrating the Finno-Ugric Studies in Europe” (INFUSE), with this online course in turn serving as preparation for an Udmurt language course at the 6th Winter School for Finno-Ugric Studies in Vienna in 2018. Over the years, the resources in and aims of teaching “small” languages have changed, are changing, and will continue to change with the rise of new methodologies and technologies.