Baltic languages facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids 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.

Contents

Branches
Images for kids
See also

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

Distribution of the Baltic languages in the Baltic (simplified)
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.

See also

In Spanish: Lenguas bálticas para niños

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