Editing Lithuanian language (section)

==Old Lithuanian==
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| footer = The earliest known Lithuanian glosses (~1520–1530) written in the margins of [[Johannes Herolt]]'s book ''Liber Discipuli de eruditione Christifidelium''. Left: word ''ßch[ÿ]kſtu[m]aſ'' (parsimony); Right: words ''teprÿdav[ſ]ʒÿ'' (let it strike) and ''vbagÿſte'' (indigence).
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[[File:CATECHISMVSA PRAsty Szadei (in Lithuanian language) by Martynas Mažvydas, published in Königsberg, 1547 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas|''Catechism'' of Martynas Mažvydas]], the first printed book in Lithuanian. It was printed on 8 January 1547 by [[Hans Weinreich]] in [[Königsberg]].]]
[[File:Lithuanian panegyric to Sigismund III Vasa, first hexameter in Lithuanian, 1589.jpg|thumb|upright|Panegyric to [[Sigismund III Vasa]], visiting capital [[Vilnius]], first hexameter in Lithuanian language, 1589.]]
[[File:Manifesto of Tadeušas Kosciuška uprising in Lithuanian language; issued and distributed in Vilnius in 1794.jpg|thumb|upright|An example of a text in Old Lithuanian – a [[manifesto]] of the [[Vilnius uprising (1794)|Vilnius Uprising of 1794]] against the [[Russian Partition]], originally issued and distributed in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius in spring of 1794.]]
[[File:Constitution of May 3 in Lithuanian language.jpg|thumb|upright|Old Lithuanian edition of the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]].]]
[[File:Old Lithuanian Texts. Mykolas Karpavičius, Kozonius. (The Lithuanian sermon delivered in the Church of St. Johns, Vilnius), 1794.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sermon]] in Lithuanian language, dedicated to the [[Vilnius uprising (1794)|1794 Vilnius uprising]], which was delivered at the [[Church of St. Johns, Vilnius|Church of St. Johns]] in Vilnius in 1794]]
The language of the earliest Lithuanian writings, in the 16th and 17th centuries, is known as '''Old Lithuanian''' and differs in some significant respects from the Lithuanian of today.

Besides the specific differences given below, nouns, verbs, and adjectives still had separate endings for the [[dual (grammatical number)|dual number]]. The dual persists today in some dialects. Example:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Case !! "two good friends"
|-
| Nom-Acc || dù gerù draugù
|-
| Dat || dvı̇́em gerı̇́em draugám
|-
| Inst || dviẽm geriẽm draugam̃
|}

===Pronunciation===
The vowels written ''ą, ę, į, ų'' were still pronounced as long [[nasal vowel]]s,{{sfnp|Ambrazas et al.|1997|p=13}} not as long oral vowels as in today's Lithuanian.

The original Baltic long ''ā'' was still retained as such, e.g. ''bralis'' 'brother' (modern ''brólis'').

===Nouns===
Compared to modern Lithuanian, there were three additional cases. The original [[locative case]] had been replaced by four so-called ''postpositive'' cases, the [[inessive case]], [[illative case]], [[adessive case]] and [[allative case]], which correspond to the prepositions "in", "into", "at" and "towards", respectively. They were formed by affixing a [[postposition]] to one of the previous cases:

* The inessive added ''*-en'' > ''-e'' to the original locative in singular and to the accusative in plural.
* The illative added ''*-nā'' > {{lang|lt|-n(a)}} to the accusative.
* The adessive added ''*-pie'' > ''-p(i)'' to the original locative in singular and to the inessive in plural.
* The allative added ''*-pie'' > ''-p(i)'' to the genitive.

The inessive has become the modern locative case, while the other three have disappeared. Note, however, that the illative case is still used occasionally in the colloquial language (mostly in the singular): ''Lietuvon'' 'to Lithuania', ''miestan'' 'to the city'. This form is relatively productive: for instance, it is not uncommon to hear "skrendame Niujork'''an''' (we are flying to New York)". There are some words still used in adessive case: esu "namie" (could be equally substituted with "namuose") I'm 'at home'.

The uncontracted dative plural ''-mus'' was still common.

===Adjectives===
Adjectives could belong to all four accent classes in Old Lithuanian (now they can only belong to classes 3 and 4).

Additional remnants of i-stem adjectives still existed, e.g.:
* loc. sg. {{lang|olt|didimè pulkè}} 'in the big crowd' (now {{lang|lt|didžiame}})
* loc. sg. ''gerèsnime'' 'better' (now ''geresniamè'')
* loc. sg. ''mažiáusime'' 'smallest' (now ''mažiáusiame'')

Additional remnants of u-stem adjectives still existed, e.g. ''rūgštùs'' 'sour':
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Case !! Newer !! Older
|-
| Inst sg || rūgščiù || rūgštumı̇̀
|-
| Loc sg || rūgščiamè || rūgštumè
|-
| Gen pl || rūgščių̃ || rūgštų̃
|-
| Acc pl || rū́gščius || rū́gštus
|-
| Inst pl || rūgščiaı̇̃s || rūgštumı̇̀s
|}

No u-stem remnants existed in the dative singular and locative plural.

Definite adjectives, originally involving a pronoun suffixed to an adjective, had not merged into a single word in Old Lithuanian. Examples:
* ''pa-jo-prasto'' 'ordinary' (now ''pàprastojo'')
* ''nu-jie-vargę'' 'tired' (now ''nuvar̃gusieji'')

===Verbs===
The [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] class of [[athematic verb]]s still existed in Old Lithuanian:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! &nbsp; !! 'be' !! 'remain' !! 'give' !! 'save'
|-
| 1st sg || esmı̇̀ || liekmı̇̀ || dúomi || gélbmi
|-
| 2nd sg || esı̇̀ || lieksı̇̀ || dúosi || gélbsi
|-
| 3rd sg || ẽst(i) || liẽkt(i) || dúost(i) || gélbt(i)
|-
| 1st dual || esvà || liekvà || dúova || gélbva
|-
| 2nd dual || està || liektà || dúosta || gélbta
|-
| 1st pl || esmè || liekmè || dúome || gélbme
|-
| 2nd pl || estè || liektè || dúoste || gélbte
|-
| 3rd pl || ẽsti || liẽkt(i) || dúost(i) || gélbt(i)
|}

The [[optative mood]] (i.e. the third-person imperative) still had its own endings, ''-ai'' for third-conjugation verbs and ''-ie'' for other verbs, instead of using regular third-person present endings.

===Syntax===
Word order was freer in Old Lithuanian. For example, a noun in the [[genitive case]] could either precede or follow the noun it modifies.