Editing Lithuanian language (section)

==Vocabulary==
[[File:Lkz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian|Great Lithuanian Dictionary]] consists of 20 volumes and contains more than half a million [[headword]]s.]]
[[File:Illustration from Lithuanian-language primer (1824).jpg|thumb|Page from the Lithuanian primer ''Naujas moksłas skaytima diel maźū waykū Źemaycziu yr Lietuwos'' illustrating the letters [[D]], [[E]] and [[G]]]]

===Indo-European vocabulary===
Lithuanian retains [[cognate]]s to many words found in classical languages, such as [[Sanskrit]] and [[Latin language|Latin]]. These words are descended from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]]. A few examples are the following:
* Lith. {{Transliteration|lt|sūnus}} and Skt. {{Transliteration|sa|sūnu}} (son)
* Lith. {{Transliteration|lt|avis}} and Skt. {{Transliteration|sa|avi}} and Lat. ''ovis'' (sheep)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|dūmas}} and Skt. ''d<sup>h</sup>ūma'' and Lat. ''fumus'' (fumes, smoke)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|antras}} and Skt. {{Transliteration|sa|antara}} (second, the other)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|vilkas}} and Skt. ''vṛka'' (wolf)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|ratas}} and Lat. ''rota'' (wheel) and Skt. ''rat<sup>h</sup>a'' (carriage)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|senis}} and Lat. ''senex'' (an old man) and Skt. ''sanas'' (old)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|vyras}} and Lat. ''vir'' (a man) and Skt. ''vīra'' (man)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|angis}} and Lat. ''anguis'' (a snake in Latin, a species of snakes in Lithuanian)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|linas}} and Lat. ''linum'' (flax, compare with English 'linen')
* Lith. {{lang|lt|ariu}} and Lat. ''aro'' (I plow)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|jungiu}} and Lat. ''iungo'', and Skt. ''yuñje'' (mid.), (I join)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|gentys}} and Lat. ''gentes'' and Skt. ''játi'' (tribes)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|mėnesis}} and Lat. ''mensis'' and Skt. ''masa'' (month)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|dantis}} and Lat. ''dens'' and Skt. ''danta'' (tooth)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|naktis}} and Lat. ''noctes'' (plural of ''nox'') and Skt. ''naktam'' (night)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|ugnis}} and Lat. ''ignis'' and Skt. ''agni'' (fire)
* Lith. {{lang|lt|sėdime}} and Lat. ''sedemus'' and Skt. ''sīdama'' (we sit)

This even extends to grammar, where for example Latin noun declensions ending in ''-um'' often correspond to Lithuanian ''-ų'', with the [[Latin declension#Fourth declension (u)|Latin]] and [[Lithuanian declension#Table of noun declension endings|Lithuanian fourth declensions]] being particularly close. Many of the words from this list are similar to other Indo-European languages, including English and Russian. The contribution of Lithuanian was influential in the reconstruction of [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]].

Lexical and grammatical similarities between Baltic and [[Slavic languages]] suggest an affinity between these two language groups. On the other hand, there exist a number of Baltic (particularly Lithuanian) words without counterparts in Slavic languages, but which are similar to words in Sanskrit or Latin.<!-- Not from the list above. Cf. Russian сын, овца, дым, волк, etc. --> The history of the relationship between Baltic and Slavic languages, and our understanding of the affinity between the two groups, remain in dispute (see: [[Balto-Slavic languages]]).

===Loanwords===
In a 1934 book entitled ''Die Germanismen des Litauischen. Teil I: Die deutschen Lehnwörter im Litauischen'', K. Alminauskis found 2,770 loanwords, of which about 130 were of uncertain origin. The majority of the loanwords were found to have been derived from [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], and [[German language|German]], with some evidence that these languages all acquired the words from contacts and trade with [[Prussia]] during the era of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cepiene |first=N. |date=2006 |title=Ways of Germanisms into Lithuanian |url=http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?07PLAAAA02144515c |url-status=dead |journal=Acta Baltico-Slavica |type=Abstract |volume=30 |pages=241–250 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206043012/http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?07PLAAAA02144515 |archive-date=6 February 2012}}</ref> Loanwords comprised about 20% of the vocabulary used in the first book printed in Lithuanian in 1547, [[Martynas Mažvydas]]'s ''[[Catechism]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zinkevičius |first=Zigmas |author-link=Zigmas Zinkevičius |date=1996 |title=Martynas Mažvydas' Language |url=http://pirmojiknyga.mch.mii.lt/Leidiniai/History.en.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023445/http://pirmojiknyga.mch.mii.lt/Leidiniai/History.en.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=26 October 2007 |via=pirmojiknyga.mch.mii.lt}}</ref> But as a result of language preservation and purging policies, Slavic loanwords currently constitute only 1.5% of the Standard Lithuanian lexicon, while German loanwords constitute only 0.5% of it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Skoliniai |url=http://www.patariu.lt/studijos/2010/11/skoliniai/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130219022046/http://www.patariu.lt/studijos/2010/11/skoliniai/ |archive-date=19 February 2013 |website=Studijos |language=lt |access-date=21 November 2012}}</ref> The majority of loanwords in the 20th century arrived from [[Russian language|Russian]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sakalauskienė |first=V. |date=2006 |title=Slavic loanwords in the northern sub-dialect of the southern part of west high Lithuanian |url=http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?07PLAAAA02154540 |journal=Acta Baltico-Slavica |type=Abstract |volume=30 |pages=221–231 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206043018/http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?07PLAAAA02154540 |archive-date=6 February 2012 |access-date=26 October 2007}}</ref>

Towards the end of the 20th century, a number of words and expressions related to new technologies and telecommunications were borrowed from [[English language|English]]. The Lithuanian government has an established language policy that encourages the development of equivalent vocabulary to replace loanwords.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seimas of Lithuania |date=2003 |title=State Language Policy Guidelines 2003–2008 |url=http://www.vlkk.lt/files/language_policy_guidelines.doc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001220256/http://www.vlkk.lt/files/language_policy_guidelines.doc |archive-date=1 October 2006 |access-date=26 October 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, despite the government's best efforts to avoid the use of loanwords in Lithuanian, many English words have become accepted and are now included in Lithuanian language dictionaries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=English to Lithuanian to English Dictionary |url=http://www.dicts.info/2/english-lithuanian.php?word=student |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628231229/http://www.dicts.info/2/english-lithuanian.php?word=student |archive-date=2011-06-28 |website=Dicts.info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lingvozone English to Lithuanian Online Dictionary |url=http://www.lingvozone.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014110255/http://www.lingvozone.com/ |archive-date=14 October 2008 |website=Lingvozone.com}}</ref> In particular, words having to do with new technologies have permeated the Lithuanian vernacular, including such words as:
* Monitorius (vaizduoklis) ([[computer monitor]])
* Faksas ([[fax]])
* Kompiuteris ([[computer]])
* Failas (byla, rinkmena) ([[electronic file]])

Other common foreign words have also been adopted by Lithuanian. Some of these include:
* Taksi ([[taxicab|taxi]])
* Pica ([[pizza]])
* Alkoholis ([[Alcohol (chemistry)|alcohol]])
* Bankas ([[bank]])
* Pasas ([[passport]], pass)
* Parkas ([[park]])

These words have been modified to suit the grammatical and phonetic requirements of Lithuanian, mostly by adding -as ending, but their foreign roots are obvious.