Baltic languages facts for kids
| Baltic | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity: | Balts |
| Geographic distribution: |
Northern Europe |
| Linguistic classification: | Indo-European
|
| 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.
Contents
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 Ukrainian: Голядь) †
(† – extinct language)
Images for kids
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Distribution of the Baltic languages in the Baltic (simplified)
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The epigram of Basel – oldest known inscription in Prussian language and Baltic language in general, middle of 14th c
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Place of Baltic languages according to Wolfgang P. Schmid, 1977.
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Baltic languages Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.