Lithuanian and Latvian Languages
Lithuanian and Latvian have common language roots as two of the Baltic languages.
Scholars believe that both Lithuanian and Latvian languages are descendents of the original Proto-Indo-European language.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the somewhat awkward good fortune to land myself in the midst of the Christmas party of one of the local Lithuanian clubs. Everyone was speaking Lithuanian . . . even to me. As a minority (and only 4th generation Lithuanian, and 1/4 at that), I mostly sat quietly, sampled the traditional Lithuanian cuisine, and grew ever more thankful for the glass of wine I had been offered. However, while doing research for the article about the history of the Lithuanian language, I realized I had been exposed to one of the most academically treasured language relics - as Lithuanian is considered by some scholars to be the most similar surviving language to Proto-Indo-European.
Many people ask me about my last name - "Is it Greek?" "Is it Latin?" No, but Lithuanian, as a very old offshoot of Indo-European, shares some similarities with both languages.
Latvian language, too, is a Baltic language that shares the same roots. However, it has progressed more rapidly than Lithuanian and may bear more differences than similarities at first glance. Both nations have seen surges in the desire to protect the native languages, which wasn't always easy, considering Russian and Soviet governments.
