Linguistica Uralica XLVI Reviews 2010 3 IN MEMORIAM ANTS-MICHAEL UESSON Ants-Michael Uesson began to attend lectures on comparative linguistics, read by Professor Nils Holmer who was a most distinguished linguist with widely varied interests. In 1955 Ants-Michael Uesson passed Licentiate Examination in Nils Holmer’s subject . In 1961, Ants- Michael Uesson together with Nils Hol- mer and another fellow-student published an innovative article on language types, blood groups and areals of culture in the series on linguistic of ”Språkliga bi- drag” . Nils Holmer retired on a pension at the end of the 1960 s and since then his subject on comparative linguistics ceased to be in the university curriculum. However, by 1970 Ants-Michael Uesson had written and issued his manuscript ”On Linguistic Affinity. The Indo-Uralic Problem” in Malmö with the help of the publishers ”Förlag AS Eesti Post”, which was meant to become his doctoral disser - tation, however, the defence of the work turned out to be impossible. Thanks to the publication of his book, the general Ants-Michael Uesson , a prominent inno - public could more widely get acquainted vative linguist, was born in the family of with his work. a lawyer in Tallinn on 13 August 1926 . He Ants-Michael Uesson’s book demon - obtained his secondary education at the strates that forty years ago he held view - gymnasia of Westholm and Gustav Adolf points which strike as most contempo - in Tallinn . In his youth Ants-Michael rary today and therefore should again Uesson was arrested by the Gestapo, at be included into the current discussion the age of 18 he was a fighter for the liber - about the origin of Uralic languages ation of Estonia in the detachment of and their contacts with other language Admiral Johan Pitka until he had to groups. Ants-Michael Uesson wrote in escape to Sweden in a sailing boat in 1944 . conclusions of his book, ”As we accept In Sweden he was engaged in a number that the hypothetical Uralic, the different of jobs in the Skåne County , eventually in Turkic, Mongo lian and Manchu-Tunguz a medicament company . In 1957 he set up primitive stages and, in addition, the Indo- a medicament company of his own which European primitive stage, all have had became his life’s work until his high age. a past when these primitive stages may 236 Linguistica Uralica XLVI Reviews 2010 3 have been formed from different opinion is still that the Finno-Ugric constituents, there is nothing to contra - peoples inhabited as a belt an area from dict the assumption that several of the Urals to the Baltic Sea and possibly these old constituents (from which the even to the Atlantic Ocean. North from different Uralic, Altaic and Indo-Euro - them were the Arctic peoples — the pean primitive stages have been crystal - Saamis, the Samoyeds, the Yukaghirs lized) could have been identical at the and presumably several populations same time as several other of these old speaking Paleo-Siberian languages. South constituents were non-identical in all from the Finno-Ugrians were the Indo- certainty ” (p. 100). ”One can suggest in European peoples also like a belt from conclusion that the concept of linguistic the Atlantic at least to the Caspian Sea. affinity at least as far as old linguistic In the same way as there was a certain stages are concerned, should include Sprachbund between the Finno-Ugric both genetic affinity and contact relation- peoples there was a similar Sprachbund ship, because basically it is a question of between the Indo-European peoples...” the same phenomenon, but viewed from (p. 200). His articles ”On Some Interest - different angles ” (p. 117). ing Similarities in Indo-European and During the following decades, Ants- Finnic Vulgar Terms” (FU 26, 2004) and Michael Uesson was a fairly active speaker ”On the Lexical Similarities in the Finnic and writer at various forums of the and Indo-European Terms for (Domes - Swedish Estonians in exile, addressing tic) Animals and Agriculture, Also Birds, also linguistic issues among other ques - Fishes etc.” (FU 27, 2005) addressed old tions. For three months, in the spring 1999, relationship in word-stock . In the paper when I delivered a course of lectures on ”On the Possible Relationship between Innovative Views in Uralistics at Lund Finnic and Sinic” (FU 27, 2005 ) Ants- University , Ants-Michael Uesson was Michael Uesson critically observed Jingyi constantly one of the listeners and partic - Gao’s respective hypothesis. ipants in discussions about the problems Owing to the death of Ants-Michael raised, although for this purpose he had Uesson in Malmö on 24 June 2009 , to travel from the neighbouring city linguistics lost its prominent and innov - Malmö. As a result of our contact, he ative representative. Ants-Michael Uesson published a number of papers in the was an extremely tolerant and amicable University of Tartu proceedings ”Fenno- person, at the same time — man of prin - Ugristica” . Against a more extensive ciple. His scientific legacy and fond background, in his ”Finno-Ugric and memories of him will always remain Indo-European” (FU 22, 1999) Ants- with us. Michael Uesson quite critically treated of Kalevi Wiik’s hypothesis about Uralic- AGO KÜNNAP (Tartu) Indo-European language relationships . In 1999, Ants-Michael Uesson took part in the work symposium ”Roots” III in Address: Estonia and made a presentation ”Indo- Ago Künnap European and Uralic” (FU 23, 2000) University of Tartu which he summed up as follows, ”My E-mail: [email protected] 237.