Lithuanian Language

Lithuanian LanguageErasmus IP “Modernisation of Europe by

Innovating Teacher Training’4 – 7 July 2010

Vilnius

Lithuanian Regions

Lithuanian Language- Lithuanian, lietuvių kalba, is the official state

language of Lithuania;- recognized as one of the official languages of the

EU;- 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania

and 170,000 abroad;- Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to

Latvian;- written in an adapted version of the Roman script.

Lithuanian Language The earliest surviving written Lithuanian text is a

translation dating from 1503-1525 of the Lord‘s Prayer, the Hail Mary (Sveika Marija), and the Nicene Creed written in the Southern Aukštaitijan dialect.

Printed books existed after 1547, when the first book in Lithuanian language was published by Martynas Mažvydas

The Catechism

(The Simple Words of Catechism)

Lithuanian LanguageThe book consists of :

- The dedication in Latin „To the Grand Duchy of Lithuania“

- Two prefices in Latin (in prose)

in Lithuanian (in verse)

- A Primer

- The Catechism

- The Book of Songs

Lithuanian Language

The Lithuanian language under the ban (1864, January Uprising, by Mikhail Muravyov, the Russian Govenor General of Lithuania)

Book smuggling The ban was lifted in 1904.

Lithuanian Language Jonas Jablonskis (1860-1930)

contributor to the formation of the standard Lithuanian language;

the first to formulate and expound/explain the essential principles of the language;

They were written in the introduction to his Lietuviškos kalbos gramatika

(Grammar of the Lithuanian Language).

Lithuanian Language

Source: Lituanus.org

Lithuanian LanguageThe oldest attested form of Greek is Mycenean

Creek,The oldest attested form of Indo-Iranian is Vedic

Sanskrit,The oldest attested form of Slavic is Old Church

SlavicThe oldest attested form of Baltic is Old Prussian

(avoid confusion with the German dialects)The oldest attested form of the Germanic language

is Gothic

Lithuanian LanguageGRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE

The Lithuanian language is a highly inflectional language

The relationships between parts of speech and their roles in a sentence are expressed by numerous inflections

There are two grammatical genders in Lithuanian – feminine and masculine

There are 5 noun and 3 adjective declensions

Lithuanian LanguageNouns and other parts of nominal morphology are declined in seven cases:

NOMINATIVEGENITIVEDATIVEACCUSATIVEINSTRUMENTALLOCATIVE (3 varieties: illative (into), adessive (in,

on, at, by), allative (onto))VOCATIVE

Lithuanian Language

Lithuanian has a free, mobile stress, and is also characterized by pitch accent.

Lithuanian LanguageThere are 3 verbal conjugations

All verbs have present, past, past iterative and future tenses of the Indicative Mood, Subjunctive or Conditional Mood, Imperative Mood (without distinction of tenses)

2nd person Sg. Eik (go)2nd person Pl. Eikite

Lithuanian LanguageIn practical terms: the rich overal inflectional system renders word order less important than in more isolating languages such as English.

A Lithuanian speaker may word:Aš myliu tave (I love you)Tave aš myliu Myliu aš tave

Lithuanian LanguageNOMINATIVE CASE (Subject)

The phrase: the wolf stands

Sanscrit vŕk-as tiśthatiLithuanian vilk-as stoviLatin lup-us stat

Lithuanian LanguageGENITIVE CASE (Possessive/ of word)

The phrase: the wolf‘s mother

Sanscrit vŕk-asya mātāLithuanian vilk-o mótinaLatin lup-i māterGreek lúk-ou mētēr

Lithuanian LanguageDATIVE CASE (Indirect Object)

The phrase: (he) gives to the wolf

Sanscrit dá-dāti vŕk-āyaLithuanian dúoda vilk-uiLatin dat lup-ōGreek dí-dōsi lúk-ō

Lithuanian LanguageACCUSATIVE ENDING (Direct Object)

The phrase: (he) sees the wolf

Sanscrit paśyati vrk-amLithuanian mãto vilk-ąLatin videt lup-umGreek horą lúl-on

Lithuanian LanguageVOCATIVE CASE (Calling Case)

Sanskrit vŕk-aLithuanian vilk-eLatin lup-eGreek lúk-e

Lithuanian Language1st person Singular

Sanskrit as-mi

Lithuanian esu

Greek ei-mí

Latin sum

Lithuanian Language2nd person Singular

Sanskrit asi Lithuanianesi Greek eî Latin es

Lithuanian Language3rd person Singular

Sanskrit as-ti Lithuanianes-ti/yra

Greek es-tí

Latin es-t

Lithuanian Language1st person Plural

Sanskrit s-mah Lithuanianesame

Greek es-mén

Latin s-umus

Lithuanian Language2nd person Plural

Sanskrit s-tha Lithuanianesate Greek es-té Latin es-tis

Lithuanian Language3rd person Plural

Sanskrit s-anti Lithuanianyra Greek eisí Latin sunt