Latvian%20Language%20and%20Culture%20through%20the%20Ages

1
Latvian Language and Culture through the Ages

• Dace Praulinš
• d.praulins_at_lbss.gla.ac.uk

2
Outline

• Brief introduction
• Origins of Baltic languages and history of
  Latvian language to the present day
• Features of Latvian language
• Cultural heritage folk songs, folk tales,
  beliefs, etc.

3
Number of Latvian speakers

• About 1.4 million native speakers in Latvia
• About 150 000 native speakers abroad either
  exiled in 1944 or emigrated from Latvia more
  recently to find work
• Total number of Latvian speakers slightly exceeds
  2 million includes all for whom Latvian is a
  second language
• Only about 250 languages which are spoken by more
  than 1 million people in the world

4
Ethnic composition of Latvia

• Latvians 58.6
• Russians 28.8
• Belarussians 3.9
• Ukrainians 2.6
• Polish 2.5
• Lithuanians 1.4
• Others 2.2

5
Contact with other languages

• Liv, Estonian, Lithuanian, Belorussian, Russian
  neighbouring languages
• Russian, Polish, Swedish, German have been
  languages of cultural exchange and official
  transactions
• Latin in Catholic religious ceremonies
• From Middle Ages to the early 20th century German
  was dominant in education, science and
  administration about 3000 borrowings from
  German in Latvian

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Indo-European languages
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Early settlers and Baltic groups

• Earliest hunter-gatherers arrived 10 12
  thousand years ago following reindeer
• More than 4000 years ago Finno-Ugric groups
  settled Livs and Estonians are descendants
• Proto-Baltic groups arrived in early 2000 BC
  first in south, then also central and eastern
  parts
• First split into Eastern (Prussians, Couronians,
  etc.) and Western (Lettgallians, Lithuanians,
  etc.) Balts

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Area of Baltic river names
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Latvian and Lithuanian

• Split between Latvian and Lithuanian happened
  between the 1st -5th centuries and the 7th
  century AD
• Tribes in the north had more contact with
  Finno-Ugric tribes, those in the south had more
  contact with Slav tribes these influences
  caused split
• It is thought that Lithuanian remained more
  archaic than Latvian because Slav languages also
  Indo-European and therefore there were more
  similarities

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Baltic tribes provinces c. AD 1200
11
Regions in Latvia today
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Beginnings of Latvian language

• Latvian thought to be based mainly on languages
  spoken by Latgallians and Semigallians
• Couronian and Selonian languages extinct before
  they could be documented but leave traces in
  place names and dialects
• Descendants of Livs also retained features in
  dialect, also in place names, e.g. aži,
• -iži first syllable stress in Latvian may be of
  Liv origin

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Early language standardisation

• Latvian not written down until 16th century
• Authors of first books were Baltic German clergy
  writing religious works in Latvian following
  Reformation
• First printed text in Latvian appeared in 1525
• Among first books preserved until today are a
  Catholic Catechism (1585) and an Evangelical
  Catechism (1586)
• First dictionary 1638 first grammar 1644
  German clergymen G. Manzelius and J.G. Rehehusen

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Luthers small catechism - 1586
15
First bible translated by J. E. Glück, published
in Riga in 1689
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National awakening

• Early 19th century - powerful awakening of
  national identity first newspapers printed and
  active cultural development
• Status of Baltic languages also changed Baltic
  German nobility had regarded them as rural
  languages
• End of 19th century Jaunlatvieši (new Latvians)
  demanded same rights enjoyed by other nations -
  Latvians took over research and standardisation
  of language many press publications and books

17
First newspaper January 1822
18
Latvian Newspaper 1824 St. Petersburg Newspaper
1862
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Atis Kronvalds ( 1837 1875)

• Instrumental in changing script from Gothic to
  Latin and spelling which was originally based on
  Middle Low German
• Introduced new words into language based on
  existing rules about 100 still used
• Also suggested preferred words where several
  existed

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Krišjanis Barons (18351923)

• Promoter of Latvian national awakening
• Collector, compiler and researcher of Latvian
  folk songs (dainas)
• An editor of the Peterburgas avizes - a newspaper
  which was very prominent in the national awakening

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After World War II

• In Latvia Latvian and Russian bilingualism -
  language of state and its structures was Russian
• Percentage of Latvian language users decreased
  because of immigration
• Many studies of Latvian carried out by Commission
  of Terminology of the Latvian Academy of Sciences
  grammar and dictionaries compiled
• In exile many Latvian schools which kept
  language and culture alive also secondary school
  (gimnazija) in Münster, West Germany

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Language integration today

• Main goal of language policy is integration of
  all citizens in context of Latvian as official
  language while protecting and developing minority
  languages
• Many minorities have bilingual education with
  Latvian taught as a second language but Latvian
  being used more and more to teach core subjects
  higher education only in Latvian
• Now about 50 of non-Latvians have good
  excellent language skills only 10 12 have no
  Latvian (mainly elderly)

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Latvian alphabet and spelling

• a, a, b, c, c, d, e, e, f, g, g, h, i, i, j, k,
  k, l, l, m, n, n, o, p, r, s, š, t, u, u, v, z, ž
• One of the most perfect Latin script-based
  spelling systems based on Czech
• First books printed in the second half of 16th
  century used Gothic letters and based on spelling
  of Middle Low German
• Gothic letters German spelling principles used
  up to beginning of 20th century
• 1908 new orthography introduced but not fully
  used until 1920s

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Structural features of Latvian

• Nouns have 6 cases nominative, genitive,
  accusative, dative, locative, vocative
• Verbs inflected for tense, mood, voice and person
• System of derivational affixes, e.g. dot (give)
  atdot (give back), iedot (give with perfective
  meaning), padot (pass), pardot (sell), izdot
  (spend)
• Word order within clause relatively fluid
• Stress generally on first syllable of each word
  long vowel may occur in an unstressed syllable

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Oral traditions

• Very rich collection - some 3 m - of folksongs
  (dainas), folk tales (pasakas), riddles (miklas),
  proverbs and sayings (sakamvardi), beliefs
  (ticejumi)
• Folk song http//www.youtube.com/watch?vdBsEO5zF
  YuE

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Dainas folk songs

• Not known how old they are saved through oral
  tradition probably sung
• Censored at beginning of 13th century by Teutonic
  knights
• Krišjanis Barons collected 218 000 in 8 volumes
  (1894 1915) 35 000 primary variations his
  original notes and drawers shown in next slide
• Folklore Archive now has about 1 m one daina
  for every Latvian
• Ecological, anti-war, matriarchal talk about
  daily life, nature, courtship, etc.

27
Dainu skapis (cupboard)
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Emilis Melngailis (1874 1954)

• Musician, composer and choir conductor
• Collected folk song texts and melodies on
  expeditions through countryside

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Prof. Peteris Šmits (1869 1938)

• Collected folk tales in 15 volumes, first
  published 1925 1937 categorised according to
  subject animals, magic, jokes, tales with a
  moral, etc.
• Also collected 36 790 beliefs, first published in
  1940 - 1941

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Folk beliefs

• Katru lielaku darbu iesakjauna menesi un
  laimigas dienasvai nu otrdiena, ceturtdiena
  jebsestdiena.Every big task should be started
  when there is a new moon and on lucky days
  either on a Tuesday, a Thursday or a Saturday.
• Ja kakis parskrien no labas uz kreiso pusi
  parcelu, tad ir laime, bet ja no kreisas uz
  labo, tadir nelaime. If a cat crosses your path
  from right to left, you will have good luck, bet
  if its from left to right, then you will have
  bad luck.

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Proverbs and sayings

• Ja upei dibena neredzi, tad nebrien iekša.
• If you cant see the bottom of the river, dont
  wade in.
  Look before you leap.
• Ciemos labi, bet majas vel labak. Its
  good to go visiting, but its even better to be
  at home.
  Theres no place like home.

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Riddles

• Liela, zila plava, pilna zelta aitinu un ganinš
  vidu.
  
• A large blue field full of small golden sheep
  and a young shepherd in the middle.
• (Sky)
• Liels kalns caur to kalnu divi tuneli, caur
  tiem, tuneliem skrien vejš aurodams.
  A large hill with
  two tunnels running through the wind roars
  through these tunnels.
• (Nose)

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References - books

• Dini, P. U. (2000) Baltu Valodas (Baltic
  languages). Roze
• Gimbutas, M. (1963) The Balts. Thames and Hudson
• Keninš, I. (2005) Latvija Gadsimtu Lokos. I.
  Aizvesture un Senvesture (Latvia through the
  centuries. I. Pre-history and ancient history).
  Raka
• Keninš, I. (2005) Latvija Gadsimtu Lokos. II.
  Viduslaiki 13. -15. Gadsimts (Latvia through the
  centuries. II Middle ages 13th 15th centuries).
  Raka
• Plakans, A. (1995) The Latvians. A Short History.
  Hoover
• Vike-Freiberga, V. (2005) Saules Balsi. Latvian
  Sun Song Melodies. Karogs (The three folksongs
  with music taken from this book)

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References - websites

• http//www.ailab.lv/ai1/kultura.htm (culture)
• http//www.ailab.lv/pasakas/ (folk tales)
• http//www.ailab.lv/ticejumi/default.htm
  (beliefs)
• http//www.dainuskapis.lv/ (folksongs)
• http//www.li.lv/ (Latvian Institute)
• http//www.pbla.lv/izglitiba/miklas/miklas.htm
  (riddles)
• http//www.vaidilute.com/books/gimbutas/gimbutas-c
  ontents.html (M. Gimbutas book The Balts
  download)

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References - illustrations

• Indo-European language family tree
  http//www.intersolinc.com/newsletters/Language_Tr
  ee.htm
• Baltic tribes provinces area of Baltic river
  names http//www.vaidilute.com/books/gimbutas/gim
  butas-01.html
• Luthers small catechism, first Bible and its
  translator, Latvian newspapers
  http//www.li.lv/images_new/files/pdf/History_of_L
  atvia_2007.pdf
• Atis Kronvalds http//www.lu.lv/aktualitates/inde
  x.html?id1627
• Krišjanis Barons http//data.lnb.lv/digitala_bibl
  ioteka/atklatnes/Portreti/Latviski/008.htm
• Emilis Melngailis http//www.liis.lv/muzika/kompo
  nisti/Emilis_Melngailis/index.php?id7
• Šmits http//www5.acadlib.lv/PVP/0000000127.htm
• Dainu skapis http//www.lza.lv/lat/inst/LFK/dskap
  is.html
• Latvian regions http//www.li.lv/index.php?option
  contenttaskviewid12Itemid413