The History Behind the Latvian Language
Latvian is a Baltic language, a branch of the larger Indo-European language family. The Baltic languages are closely related to each other, as well as to the Slavic languages.
The earliest written records of the Latvian language date to the 16th century. Before that, Latvian was primarily a spoken language, passed down through oral tradition. It was influenced by neighboring languages, including German, Russian, and Swedish, due to the historical context of Latvia's location at the crossroads of trade and cultural exchange.
The first book printed in the Latvian language which has still been preserved today is known as the "Katehisms" or the "Catechism" and it was published in 1585 in Vilnius. (Some earlier works also have been noted by historians, but they have not been preserved until today). “Katehisms” was written by a pastor named Johann Spangenberg and it was intended to be used as a religious text to educate the Latvian-speaking population about Christianity.
“Katehisms” was printed in Gothic script and included translations of Christian prayers, hymns, and the Ten Commandments. It was an important milestone in the development of the Latvian language, as it helped to establish a standardized written form of Latvian and provided a basis for further literary and linguistic development.
Over the next several centuries, several other important works were published in Latvian, including dictionaries, grammar, and literary texts. These works helped to further refine the Latvian language and establish it as a distinct literary and cultural tradition.
One of the earliest Latvian linguists was a pastor named Johann Christoph Brotze, who was born in Saxony in 1742 and spent much of his life in Latvia. Brotze was a self-taught linguist who became interested in the Latvian language and culture during his time as a pastor in rural Latvia. Brotze's most important contribution to the study of Latvian language and culture was his book "Sammlung der Liefländischen Sprachlehre" (Collections of Livonian Language), which was published in 1790.
Another important Latvian linguist was Krišjānis Barons, who lived from 1835 to 1923. Barons was a prolific collector and researcher of Latvian folk songs, and he is best known for his monumental work "Latvju dainas" (Latvian Folk Songs), which includes over 200,000 Latvian folk songs that he collected and classified.
Barons' work on Latvian folk songs was groundbreaking, as it helped to preserve and document a rich tradition of Latvian oral literature that might otherwise have been lost. In addition to his work on folk songs, Barons also wrote extensively on the Latvian language and its grammar and syntax.
These and other early Latvian linguists played an important role in establishing Latvian as a distinct language and in promoting the study and preservation of Latvian culture and traditions.
During the 19th century, as Latvian nationalism grew, efforts were made to standardize and codify the Latvian language. This included the creation of the first Latvian grammar and orthography, as well as the translation of important literary works into Latvian. The standardization process continued into the 20th century, and today Latvian is the official language of the Republic of Latvia.
The Latvian language has a rich and complex grammar, with six noun declensions, seven verb conjugations, and extensive use of case markings. It also features a distinctive pitch accent, which is used to distinguish words that would otherwise be spelled identically. Latvian has several dialects that are spoken in different regions of Latvia. Each of the dialects has its unique characteristics, including differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. However, they are all mutually intelligible, meaning that speakers of different dialects can understand each other with relative ease.
Today, Latvian is spoken by approximately 1.5 million people worldwide, with the majority of speakers living in Latvia. It is also spoken by Latvian diaspora communities around the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and of course in European countries.