Konstantinas Sirvydas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Konstantinas Sirvydas
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| Born | c. 1579 Sirvydai
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| Died | August 23, 1631 |
| Nationality | Lithuanian |
| Occupation | Religious preacher, lexicographer, professor |
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Notable work
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Dictionarium Trium Lingvarum in usum Studiosæ Iuventutis, the first dictionary of the Lithuanian language |
Konstantinas Sirvydas (born around 1579 – died August 23, 1631) was an important Lithuanian religious leader and writer. He was one of the first people to create books in the Lithuanian language. Sirvydas was a Jesuit priest and a professor at Vilnius University.
He is best known for writing the first grammar book of the Lithuanian language. He also created the first dictionary that included Lithuanian, Latin, and Polish words. This dictionary was published in 1619. Sirvydas was known for being a great speaker. He spent 10 years giving sermons twice a day at St. Johns' Church in Vilnius. One sermon was in Lithuanian, and the other was in Polish.
Early Life and Education
Konstantinas Sirvydas was born in Lithuania between 1578 and 1581. His birthplace was a village called Sirvydai, which is near Anykščiai. In 1612, he became a professor of theology at the Academia Vilnensis. This school later became Vilnius University.
Between 1623 and 1624, Sirvydas also worked as a deputy leader of the university. After this, he continued teaching. He taught theology, which is the study of religion. He also taught liberal arts and philosophy, which are studies about knowledge and wisdom.
Important Works
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Sirvydas started his work as a preacher, writer, and scientist. He published his famous dictionary, Dictionarium Trium Lingvarum in usum Studiosæ Iuventutis, before 1620. This was one of the first books of its kind in Lithuanian history. It was a dictionary in three languages: Polish, Lithuanian, and Latin.
This dictionary was printed many times. The last edition was published in 1713. For a long time, it was the only Lithuanian dictionary printed in Lithuania. Sirvydas' dictionary was very important for making the Lithuanian language more standard. The first version had about 6,000 words. The second version was much bigger, with almost 11,000 words. It also included many new Lithuanian words. Some examples are mokytojas (teacher), taisyklė (rule), and kokybė (quality).
About 10 years later, in 1629, he published a collection of his sermons. This book was called Punktai sakymų. He later translated these sermons into Polish. The Lithuanian version of this book was often used to teach the Lithuanian language. The second part of this work was published in 1644. Around 1630, Sirvydas also wrote the first grammar book for the Lithuanian language. It was called Lietuvių kalbos raktas, which means 'Key to the Lithuanian Language'. Sadly, this book has not survived to our time.
Konstantinas Sirvydas died from tuberculosis on August 23, 1631, in Vilnius.
