Languages of Latvia
Republic of Latvia, Latvijas Republika. 2,302,000. 1,394,000 or 54.5% are Latvians (1994 V. Zeps). National or official language: Latvian. Literacy rate: 99%. Immigrant languages: Belarusan (105,000), Erzya (900), Estonian (3,000), Lithuanian (35,000), Polish (57,000), Russian (862,000), Tatar (5,000), Ukrainian (78,000). Information mainly from A. E. Kibrik 1991; T. Salminen 1998; V. Zeps 1986–1995. The number of individual languages listed for Latvia is 5. Of those, all are living languages.
| Latvian | [lav]
1,390,000 in Latvia. Over 500,000 Latgalians. Population total all countries: 1,504,880. Also in Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, New Zealand, Russian Federation (Europe), Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela.
Alternate names: “Lettisch” , “Lettish”.
Dialects: West Latvian (Central Latvian, Tamian), East Latvian (High Latvian, Latgalian). Tamian is a subdialect of the Central Latvian dialect.
Classification: Indo-European, Baltic, Eastern
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| Latvian Sign Language | [lsl]
Classification: Deaf sign language
|
| Liv | [liv]
15 (1995 V. Zeps). Kurzeme, west of Kolkasrags, 8 coastal villages; Riga area dispersed.
Alternate names: Livonian, Lívõnkél.
Dialects: Western Livonian (Kurzeme, Raandalist), Eastern Livonian (Vidzeme).
Classification: Uralic, Finnic
Nearly extinct.
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| Romani, Baltic | [rml]
8,000 in Latvia (1995 V. Zeps).
Dialects: Latvian Romani (Lettish Romani), North Russian Romani, White Russian Romani, Estonian Romani, Polish Romani.
Classification: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Central zone, Romani, Northern
|
| Yiddish, Eastern | [ydd]
800 in Latvia.
Alternate names: Judeo-German.
Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, High German, Yiddish
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