The term
Curonian language (; ; ) may refer to two different, but related
Baltic languages.
Old Curonian
Traditionally
Old Curonian refers to an
extinct language spoken by the
Curonian tribe, who lived mainly on the
Courland peninsula (now western
Latvia) and along the nearby Baltic shores.
The language disappeared by the 17th century, leaving substrata in western dialects of the
Latvian and
Lithuanian languages, namely the
Samogitian dialect. No written documents in this language are known, but some ancient Lithuanian texts from western regions show some Curonian influence.
New Curonian
The area where New Curonian was spoken in 1649
The so-called
New Curonian language (New Curonian:
Kursenieku valoda; ) is spoken by the
Kursenieki of the
Curonian Spit. In the process of various migrations of the 14th-17th centuries, Curonians (already speaking in Latvian) settled along the Curonian Spit in
East Prussia and became known as the
Kursenieki.
Their language was influenced by
Old Prussian,
Low German,
High German and
the Samogitian dialect respectively, and by the end of the 18th century new Curonian dialects had formed, with the dialect of the Curonian Spit being notably distinct, due to its isolation from the mainland. New Curonian vocabulary published in 1927 shows: 60% of Curonian words were the same as Latvian, 26% were loanwords from “German” (i.e. Low German and High German), and 13% from Lithuanian dialects. The New Curonian language is
mutually intelligible with Latvian, especially with its southwestern dialects, and Latvians can communicate easily with Kursenieki today.
Before
World War II, the New Curonian language was a
sociolect of Kursenieki fishermen of the Curonian Spit. In other spheres of everyday life Kursenieki used the Low German and High German languages.
The events of the first half of the 20th century, including the Soviet occupation of the
Baltic states and later
East Prussia, led to the near extinction of the language, making it
severely endangered. Several remaining native speakers live in
Germany, having been
expelled in the
ethnic cleansing that took place in East Prussia after World War II.
Curonian language revival
After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Baltic states saw a revival of scientific and cultural interest in the extinct Baltic languages and tribes, including
Yotvingian, Curonian, and
Old Prussian. An example is the
documentary film Tarp 8 vėjų ("Amidst 8 Winds") by
Arturas Barysas, about the decline of the Curonian language.
Curonian grammar
The Curonian language is a highly inflected and archaic language. Its grammar is reconstructed basing on
Latvian,
Lithuanian and
Old Prussian grammars and known
Curonian place-names and New Curonian texts and vocabulary.
Monuments
Lord´s Prayer
Teve mūses, kur tu es danguj,
Garbiets ir taue vards.
Lai nāke taue karelīste.
Taue vale nuoase duoade ka is dange, ta ir us zeme.
Mūse diene maize duoade mums šuoadiene.
Ir paduoade mums mūse kalte,
Ka ir mes paduoadame mūsams kaltejams.
Ir nevede mums is pajundijuma,
Islidze mums nu piktume.
Tad taue ir ta kareliste un ta sile un ta šviesibe
Nu amžu lidz amžu. Amen
Meals
Kuoa tie Laužes ede
Kad tie zvejes par labes saguvumes juoa dauge āspelnij, tap pirages cepte, tas jau pussvete tap uoazgrieste un duoate.
Svedienes deve tad sāles rāpučes ar pečānes brādes, apvirtes gribes, tie rudina tap ielikte, va ieliktes bruklines lasete is kāpe meze.
Ieliktes melines, kracines va aviečes deve nu kāde reze va us svediene pa edine. (Richard Pietsch)
Literature
- Ambrassat, August "Die Provinz Ostpreußen", Frankfurt/ Main 1912
- Endzelin, J.: Über die Nationalität und Sprache der Kuren, in Finnisch-Ungarische Forschungen,XII, 1912
- Gaerte, Wilhelm "Urgeschichte Ostpreussens", Königsberg 1929
- Gimbutas, Marija "Die Balten", München-Berlin 1983
- Kurschat, Heinrich A.: Das Buch vom Memelland, Siebert Oldenburg 1968
- Kwauka, Paul, Pietsch, Richard: Kurisches Wörterbuch, Verlag Ulrich Camen Berlin, 1977, ISBN 3-921515-03-3
- Kwauka, Paul: Namen des Memellandes/ Unsere „fremdartigen“ Familiennamen, Archiv AdM, Oldenburg
- Lepa, Gerhard (Hrsg) "Die Schalauer", Tolkemita-Texte Dieburg 1997
- Mortensen, Hans und Gertrud "Die Besiedlung des nordöstlichen Ostpreußens bis zum Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts", Leipzig 1938
- Mortensen, Hans und Gertrud: Kants väterliche Ahnen und ihre Umwelt, Rede von 1952 in Jahrbuch der Albertus-Universität zu Königsberg / Pr., Holzner- Verlag Kitzingen/ Main 1953 Bd. 3
- Peteraitis, Vilius: Mažoji Lietuva ir Tvanksta (Lithuania Minor and Tvanksta) Vilnius 1992
- Pietsch, Richard (künstlerischer Entwurf und Text): Bildkarte rund um das Kurische Haff, Heimat-Buchdienst Georg Banszerus, Höxter, Herstellung: Neue Stalling, Oldenburg
- Pietsch, Richard: Deutsch-Kurisches Wörterbuch, Verlag Nordostdeutsches Kulturwerk Lüneburg 1991, ISBN 3-922296-60-2
- Pietsch, Richard: Fischerleben auf der Kurischen Nehrung dargestellt in kurischer und deutscher Sprache, Verlag Ulrich Camen Berlin 1982
- Schmid, Wolfgang P. (Hrg): Nehrungskurisch, Sprachhistorische und instrumentalphonetische Studien zu einem aussterbenden Dialekt, Stuttgart 1989
- Schmid, Wolfgang P.: Das Nehrungskurische, ein sprachhistorischer Überblick
- Tolksdorf, Ulrich "Fischerei und Fischerkultur in Ostpreußen", Heide/ Holstein 1991
- Žadeikiene, Daiva, Krajinskas, Albertas: Kurenkahnwimpel, ISBN 9986-830-63-X
