Baltic languages
The Baltic languages are part of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. Baltic languages are mostly spoken in the Baltics, around the Baltic sea.
| Baltic | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity: | Balts |
| Geographic distribution: | Northern Europe |
| Linguistic classification: | Indo-European
|
| Subdivisions: |
Western Baltic †
Eastern Baltic
Dnieper Baltic †
|
| ISO 639-5: | bat |
Branches
There are three branches of Baltic languages. Two are extinct.
Western Baltic languages †
- (Western) Galindian †
- Old Prussian †
- Sudovian (Yotvingian) †
- ? Skalvian † (unattested)
Eastern Baltic languages
- Latvian (~2.2 million speakers, whereof ~1.75 million native speakers, 0.5 million second language speakers)
- Latgalian (150,000–200,000 speakers)
- Lithuanian (~3 million native speakers)
- Selonian †
- Semigallian †
- Old Curonian (sometimes considered Western Baltic) †
Dnieper Baltic languages †
- (Eastern) Galindian (the language of the Eastern Galindians, also known by its name in Lua error in Module:Unicode_data at line 293: attempt to index local 'data_module' (a boolean value).) †[1]
(† – extinct language)
Baltic Languages Media
Distribution of the Baltic languages in the Baltic (simplified)
Map of the area of distribution of Baltic hydronyms.
The epigram of Basel – oldest known inscription in Prussian language and Baltic language in general, middle of 14th c
Place of Baltic languages according to Wolfgang P. Schmid, 1977.
References
- ↑ Dini, P.U. (2000). Baltų kalbos. Lyginamoji istorija. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. p. 61. ISBN 5-420-01444-0.
