Lithuanian is an Eastern Baltic language that is part of the Indo-European language family’s Baltic branch. It is the official language of Lithuania and one of the European Union’s official languages.
Since 1991, the Baltic language of Lithuanian, which is closely linked to Latvian, has been the official language of Lithuania. Over 80% of the country’s 3.8 million people speak Lithuanian as their primary language. Belarusian (1.5%), Polish (7.7%), and Russian (8% are minority languages.
1. Lithuanian
Lithuanian, or lietuvi kalba, is one of the two Baltic languages that remain from the Indo-European linguistic family. Another Baltic language is Latvian, which is why the Lithuanian language is closely related to Latvian. There were many more languages in the Baltic language group in the past, but now there are only two left in the world. Skalvian, Selonian, Sudovian, and Old Prussian are among the extinct Baltic languages; some of these were even spoken by people in Lithuania before becoming extinct.
Therefore, since the 19th century, to identify a Lithuanian citizen, one of the definitive factors is to see whether one can speak Lithuanian or not.
The present Lithuanian language is divided into two dialects: Auktaii (Auktaitia, Highland Lithuanian) and emaii/emaitiu (Samogitian, Lowland Lithuanian). The two dialects can be further subdivided: Auktaitia, or Highland Lithuanian dialect, can be divided into West, South, and East, while Samogitian can be divided into West, North, and South- based on geographical location.
The Samogitian dialect is thought to have been influenced by an extinct Baltic tribe language, the Curonian language; thus, the present Samogitian is significantly different from the mainstream Lithuanian language and can also be regarded a separate language.
2. Russian
Russian is one of the most widely spoken minority languages in Lithuania, second only to Polish, and is spoken natively by 8.2% of the population. The majority of Russian native speakers reside in cities. Other ethnicities who speak Russian include Belarussians, Jews, Ukrainians, and others.
These Russian speakers are known as Russophones.Many Russophones speak a language other than English as their first and second language. However, in some situations, their Russian is better than their Lithuanian, and in others, they do not speak Lithuanian at all. As a result, they, particularly the elder generation, prefer Russian.
Russian is also the second most widely spoken foreign language in Lithuania, however its use is declining. During the Soviet Union’s occupation, it was critical to master Russian, making the older generation fluent in the language. Many members of the younger generation, however, believe that learning the language is unnecessary because it is a reminder of previous colonization.
Since Russian’s popularity has declined, numerous public signs and inscriptions have been substituted with English.
3. Polish
Poles are Lithuania’s largest minority community, with the majority of the people concentrated in southeast Lithuania. However, because Lithuania has many communities, certain towns actually use Polish as the major spoken language, with 7.8% of the Lithuanian population being native speakers.
While all official communication is in Standard Lithuanian, the government encourages minority languages to be spoken and taught in the regions where they are spoken, as well as utilized as a medium in public schools.
While native speakers do speak the language, non-Poles rarely learn and speak Polish as a second language. Nonetheless, there are many Polish signage for travelers, particularly in Polish-populated areas.
4. English
English is the most popular foreign language in Lithuania and the most popular for Lithuanians to learn, with 30% of the total population and 80% of the youth fluent in the language.
However, older Lithuanians are less likely to study English because it was not widely pushed during the Soviet era. However, the younger generation of Lithuanians is aware that the majority of tourists and foreigners speak English the most of the time. As a result, it is taught in schools and employed in tourist attractions such as hotels and museums.
5. German
German is another major foreign language spoken by the Lithuanians. This is because of the Soviet Union and its tight ties with East Germany. 8% of the population speaks German.
Other languages
French (spoken by only 2% of the population), Belarusian (1.5%), and Spanish (spoken by 1% of the population) are the other foreign languages heard in Lithuania.