BA_04 History of Baltic Languages

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2026
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Sofiya Smurova (lecturer)
doc. Mag. Vaidas Šeferis, Dr. phil. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mag. Vaidas Šeferis, Dr. phil.
Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mag. Vaidas Šeferis, Dr. phil.
Supplier department: Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 16:00–17:40 B2.22, except Mon 20. 4. to Fri 24. 4.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 64 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Abstract
The course interprets the Baltic languages as a branch of the Indo-European language family. It demonstrates the historical evidence for the various Baltic languages, how the paradigm of these languages has changed over the centuries, under what historical and cultural circumstances the languages have functioned (or disappeared), and under what circumstances they have come to the attention of linguistics.
Learning outcomes
After completing this course students should be able to: -Identify Baltic languages in the typological frame -Explain the linguistic material available for extinct Baltic languages -Describe cultural and social functional basis of recent Baltic languages -Explain basic grammatical features of individual Baltic languages -Explain diachronic development of Baltic languages -Explain main theoretical approaches to the research of Baltic languages
Key topics
  • The concept of Baltic languages in the context of Indo-European studies, systemic relations of Baltic languages to other Indo-European languages
  • The original range of the Baltic languages
  • Material evidence of extinct Baltic languages
  • First historical references to Baltic tribes
  • Prussian, the nature and content of the earliest monuments
  • Lithuanian from the earliest times to the present
  • Latvian from earliest times to the present
  • Basic dialectological features of the Baltic languages (Latgalian, Zhemaitian)
Study resources and literature
    required literature
  • BOJTÁR, Endre. Foreword to the past : a cultural history of the Baltic people. New York: Central European University Press, 1999, viii, 419. ISBN 9639116424. info
  • DINI, Pietro U. Foundations of Baltic languages. Translated by Milda B. Richardson - Robert E. Richardson. Vilnius: Eugrimas, 2014, 725 s. ISBN 9786094372636. info
  • ŠEFERIS, Vaidas a Petra HEBEDOVÁ. „Středověké písemnictví v Pobaltí“. In Jan, Libor; Kostrhun Petr; Nerudová, Zdeňka. Svět tajemných Baltů. The World of the Mysterious Balts, Moravské zemské muzeum, 2013. s. 201-213.
  • DERKSEN, Rick. Etymological dictionary of the Baltic inherited lexicon. Leiden: Brill, 2015, xi, 684. ISBN 9789004278981. info
  • ENDZELĪNS, Jānis. Janis Endzelins' comparative phonology and morphology of the Baltic languages. Translated by William R. Schmalstieg - Benjaminš Jegers. Hague: Mouton, 1971. info
    recommended literature
  • ERHART, Adolf. Baltu valodas. Vyd. 1. Praha: Státní pedagogické nakladatelství, 1984, 199 s. URL info
  • STANG, Chr. S. Vergleichende Grammatik der Baltischen Sprachen. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 1966, viii, 483. info
  • ZINKEVIČIUS, Zigmas. Lietuvių kalbos istorija. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopediju leidykla, 1992, 347 s. info
  • ZINKEVIČIUS, Zigmas. Lietuviu kalbos istorija. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopediju leidykla, 1994, 394 s. ISBN 5-420-01285-5. info
  • MALLORY, J. P. and Douglas Q. ADAMS. The Oxford introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European world. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, xxiv, 731. ISBN 9780199287918. info
  • MIKULĖNIENĖ, D. (2020). Issues of periodization: dialectological thought, methodological development and ideological turns. In V. Miliūnaitė (Ed.). Lithuanian dialectology profiles: problems and findings (pp. 8-37, 292-294). Lietuvių kalbos institutas.
  • MIKULĖNIENĖ, D. & Čepaitienė, A. (2023). Lithuanian dialect classifications. Dialectologia, 2023, Special issue 11, p. 207-235.
  • Ernest Andrews (Ed.). Language Planning in the Post-Communist Era: The Struggles for Language Control in the New Order in Eastern Europe, Eurasia and China.“ Palgrave Macmillan, 193–218.
  • ECKERT R. (1996). The analytic frequentative past in Samogitian and its typological correspondences. In: Res Balticae 2, 51–63.
Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching
Lectures, scholarly discussions, critical analysis of assigned readings, and continuous homework assignments administered via the ELF platform.
Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements
The assessment will consist of several components. Students are required to complete all homework assignments for the course in ELF. During the semester, students must take three interim tests. The dates of these assessments will be determined by the instructor. The final evaluation is conducted in one of two ways: (1) The instructor calculates the mathematical average of the partial assessments, and if the student accepts the resulting grade, this average is recorded in the Information System as the final grade. (2) If the student is not satisfied with the calculated grade, they may take a final examination, the result of which will be entered into the Information System as the final grade.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
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