LITHUANIAN: a language of Lithuania

The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.

SIL code: LIT

ISO 639-1: lt

ISO 639-2: lit

Population 2,955,200 in Lithuania (including 3,460 Tatar) or about 80% of the population (1998). Population total all countries 4,000,000 (1993 UBS).
Region Lithuania. Capital is Vilnius. Also spoken in Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Russia (Europe), Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan.
Alternate names   LIUTUVISKAI, LIETUVI, LITOVSKIY, LITEWSKI, LITAUISCHE
Dialects AUKSHTAITISH (AUKSHTAICHIAI, AUKSTAITISKAI, HIGHLAND LITHUANIAN), DZUKISH (DZUKISKAI), SHAMAITISH (SAMOGITIAN, ZHEMAITISH, ZEMAITIS, ZEMAITISKAI, ZEMACHIAI, LOWLAND LITHUANIAN), SUVALKIETISKAI.
Classification Indo-European, Baltic, Eastern.
Comments Aukstaitiskai speakers can understand Suvalkai easily, Dzukai with a little difficulty, and vice versa. Zemaitiskai is difficult for all others to understand. Second languages Russian or English used with foreigners. All domains. All ages. Highlanders look down on lowlanders. Some speakers have reserved attitudes toward Russian and Polish. National language. Dictionary. Grammar. Postpositions; genitives, relatives after noun heads. Literacy rate in first language: 99%. Roman script. Christian, Muslim (Tatar). Bible 1735-1998.

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Ethnologue data from Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 14th Edition
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