Curonian language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Curonian language Kuršu valoda |
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|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Latvia, Lithuania, Germany | |
| Total speakers: | unknown number in Germany | |
| Language family: | Indo-European Baltic Western Baltic Curonian language |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | bat (Baltic languages) | |
| ISO 639-3: | lav — Latvian | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
The term Curonian language (German: Kurisch; Latvian: kuršu valoda; Lithuanian: kuršių kalba) may refer to two different, but related Baltic languages.
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[edit] Old Curonian
Traditionally Old Curonian refers to an extinct language spoken by the Curonian tribe, who lived mainly on the Courland peninsula (western Latvia) and along the nearby Baltic shores. It belonged to the Baltic language group and was closely related to Old Prussian, with some influence from the Livonian language.
The language disappeared by the 17th century, leaving substrata in western dialects of the Latvian and Lithuanian languages. No written documents in this language are known, but some ancient Lithuanian texts from western regions show some Curonian influence.
[edit] New Curonian
The so-called New Curonian language (Curonian: Kursenieku valoda; German: Nehrungskurisch) is spoken by the Kursenieki of the Curonian Spit. In the process of various migrations of the 14th-17th centuries, Curonians (already speaking in Latvian) settled along the Curonian Spit in East Prussia and became known as the Kursenieki.
Their language was influenced by German and Lithuanian respectively, and by the end of the 18th century new Curonian dialects had formed, with the dialect of the Curonian Spit being notably distinct, due to its isolation from the mainland. Curonian vocabulary published in 1927 shows: 60 % words are the same as Latvian, 26 % are loanwords from German, and 13 % from Lithuanian dialects. The Latvian and Curonian languages are mutually intelligible, and Latvians can communicate easily with Curonians today.
Before World War II, the Curonian language was a sociolect of Kursenieki fishermem in the Curonian Spit. In other spheres of everyday life Curonians used the German language. The events of the first half of the 20th century, including the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and later East Prussia, led to the near extinction of the language, making it severely endangered. Several remaining native speakers live in Germany, having been expelled in the ethnic cleansing that took place in East Prussia after World War II.
[edit] Curonian language revival
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states observed a revival of scientific and cultural interest in the extinct Baltic languages and tribes, including Yotvingian, Curonian, and Old Prussian. An example is the documentary film Tarp 8 vėjų ("Amidst 8 Winds") by Arturas Barysas, about the decline of the Curonian language.
There are many enthusiasts of the Curonian language trying to preserve knowledge about the language, including Paul Kwauka and Richard Pietsch.
[edit] References
- Paul Kwauka, Richard Pietsch, Kurisches Wörterbuch, 1977, ISBN 3-921515-03-3
- Richard Pietsch, Deutsch-Kurisches Wörterbuch, 1991, ISBN 3-922296-60-2
- Studentu zinātniskās konferences "Aktuāli baltistikas jautājumi" tēzes Loreta Stonkutė. Kuršininkų tarmės lituanizmai. p.43,44
| Baltic languages | ||
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| Curonian | Galindian | Latgalian | Latvian | Lithuanian | Old Prussian | Samogitian | Selonian | Semigallian | Sudovian (Yotvingian) |
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