Baltic languages

This article is about a branch of the Indo European language family. For the Sino Tibetan language, see Balti language.

Baltic
Ethnicity:	Balts
Geographic distribution:	Northern Europe
Linguistic classification:	Indo-European Balto-Slavic Baltic
Subdivisions:	Western Baltic † Eastern Baltic Dnieper Baltic †
ISO 639-5:	bat

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.^[1]

Branches

There are three branches of Baltic languages, two of which are extinct.^[1]

Western Baltic languages †

Extinct languages

• Old Prussian †
• (Western) Galindian †
• Sudovian (Yotvingian) †
• ? Skalvian † (unattested)

Eastern Baltic languages

• Latvian (~2.2 million speakers, whereof ~1.75 million native speakers, 0.5 million second language speakers)
• Lithuanian (~3 million native speakers)
• Latgalian (150,000–200,000 speakers)

Extinct languages

• 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 Ukrainian: Голядь, romanized: Golyad') †^{[2][better source needed]}

†: Extinct language

Related pages

• Baltic states
• Eastern Europe
• Uralic languages
• Finno-Ugric languages
• Balto-Slavic languages
• Indo-European peoples
• Indo-European languages

References

1. • Endzelīns, Jānis (1972). Jānis Endzelīns' comparative phonology and morphology of the Baltic languages. Walter de Gruyter. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
   • Benjamins B.V., John (2001). Circum-Baltic Languages. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
   • Holvoet, Axel (2011). "1: The Baltic Languages". The Languages and Linguistics of Europe. De Gruyter Mouton. doi:10.1515/9783110220261.3. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
   • "Baltic languages | History, Characteristics & Classification". Britannica. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
   • "Baltic Languages". ScienceDirect. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
2. Dini, P.U. (2000). Baltų kalbos. Lyginamoji istorija. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. p. 61. ISBN 5-420-01444-0.