Piibi-Kai Kivik

Piibi-Kai Kivik serves as Language Program Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University's Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, where she teaches Estonian language courses at all proficiency levels and specialized courses on Estonian culture including 'Old Barny, the Czar’s Madman and Estonian Survival' and 'Estonia’s Place'.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University (2012)
• M. Phil. in English and Applied Linguistics from University of Cambridge (1997)
• M.A. in English Language and Linguistics from University of Tartu (1996)

Dr. Kivik's research centers on usage-based and interactional linguistics with emphasis on second language acquisition, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics. She employs ethnography of communication and conversation analysis to investigate language contact, variation, and cross-cultural communication patterns, particularly within Estonian diaspora communities in the United States. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in foreign language pedagogy.

Her publication history from 1998-2010 reveals consistent focus on silence as a communicative phenomenon, Estonian language maintenance in diaspora, and second language acquisition processes. The research demonstrates methodological diversity through analysis of spoken language data, discourse pragmatics, and intercultural communication patterns, with strong connections to Baltic linguistics and immigrant language communities.

Major recognitions include:

• E-text development grant from Indiana University (2012)
• REEI/Mellon Endowment conference travel support (2006)
• Estonian Academy of Sciences research award (1997)
• Soros/FCO Scholarship for Cambridge studies (1996)
• Multi-year Associate Instructor Fellowship (2001-2011)

Her research has been sustained through grants including the Estonian Science Foundation project on Estonian-American communicative behavior and multiple conference travel awards enabling presentations at major linguistics forums. Current work expands her doctoral research on 'conversation-for-learning' as a hybrid speech event while examining American Estonian speakers' metalinguistic awareness.