ARTICLE
TITLE

Baltic and Finnic linguistic relations reflected in geolinguistic studies of the Baltic languages

SUMMARY

The article provides insight into the reflection of Baltic and Finnic language contacts in geolinguistic studies of the Baltic languages. These contacts have a rather long history, and are particularly intense between the Latvian language and Finnic languages (especially Livonian and Estonian). In Lithuanian, Finnic borrowings have mostly appeared through Latvian, and fall into the dialectal Lithuanian vocabulary. The analysed material makes it possible to distinguish several areas of Finnic influences in Latvian sub-dialects. They are as follows: 1) the territory of the Livonian dialect which originated from Latvian-Livonian contact; 2) the sub-dialects along the Estonian border; 3) the sub-dialects around Gulbene and Aluksne; 4) the territory of the krievini (descendants of people who spoke Votic) in the Zemgale region; and 5) the sub-dialects in the Latgale region around Ludza. Geolinguistic research on language contacts may be helpful in solving certain problems of ethnic history.

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Revista: Baltistica