The PrinciPles of Making MaPs and coMMenTaries To The aTlas of The BalTic languages

The principles of making maps and commentaries to The Atlas of the Baltic Languages People in Lithuania and Latvia speak related languages which belong to the Baltic branch. The fate of both states was also similar. After the restoration of independence of both countries in 1990 it was very important to bring out the similarities which link them. This is how the idea of making an atlas of the Baltic languages evolved. Preparing the Atlas of the Baltic Languages Lithuanian and Latvian linguists hope for the following: 1) to research using the geolinguisitc method into what has been common in the Baltic languages; 2) to record the boundaries of the former common area of the living Baltic languages as it was at least at the end of the 20 th century; 3) to demonstrate the vast variety of the Baltic dialects which have been formed naturally in the course of history; 4) to prove the variance and archaism of the lexicon, phonetics, morphology and word formation, syntax and other linguistic phenomena, which exist in the living Baltic languages on the basis of the data obtained from old writings and dialects. The material is not only part of the historical and cultural heritage of the two related nations but also a very valuable treasure of linguistic data on an international level, which can supply much information not only to experts in the Baltic and Slav languages but also to specialists on Indo-European linguistics, ethnography, history, archaeology and other branches. Принципы составления карт и комментариев к Атласу балтийских языков В Литве и Латвии процесс общения осуществляется на родственных языках, относящихся к балтийской ветви индоевропейской группы. После восстановления независимости государств в 1990 г. для обеих народов важным стало не только сохранение национального идентитета, но актуализация объединяющих их общих явлений. Таким образом возникла идея создания Атласа балтийских языков.  При подготовке Атласа балтийских языков литовские и латвийские языковеды должны были решить следующие задачи: 1) пользуясь геолингвистическими методами выявить общие признаки живых балтийских языков; 2) установить общую площадь распространения родственных явлений и фиксировать ее границы на конец XX в.; 3) представить многообразие диалектов балтийских языков, сформировавшихся в ходе исторического развития; 4) на основе сведений диалектов и старых письменных источников раскрыть разнообразие и архаичность лексики, фонетики, морфологии, словообразования, синтаксиса и других общеязыковых явлений. Материалы Атласа балтийских языков являются неотъемлемой частью исторического и культурного наследия родственных народов; они важны и в международном масштабе, поскольку содержат полезную информацию не только для специалистов в области балтийских и славянских языков, но и для широкого круга исследователей-индоевропеистов: лингвистов, историков, археологов и др.


The PrinciPles of Making MaPs and coMMenTaries To The aTlas of The BalTic languages
As it is known, people in Lithuania and Latvia speak related languages which belong to the Baltic branch.The fate of both states was also similar.After the resto ration of independence of both countries in 1990 it was very important to bring out the similarities which link them.This is how the idea of making an atlas of the Baltic languages evolved.The material from the national atlases and the Atlas Linguarum Europae will be used in it.It will also include information from lexicon, phone tics and accentuation, morphology, word formation and syntax.Understandably, the work lasted for more than one decade.
Main sources.At the basis of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages are the maps and commentaries of the Atlas of the Lithuanian Language (further referred to as LKA) as well as those of the Atlas of the Latvian Language (further LVDA), un published materials of the atlases, responses to the questions of the Lexical Ques tionnaire of the Atlas Linguarum Europae (ALE) which are stored at the Latvian Language Institute of the University of Latvia and the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, as well as monographs.The comprehensive Lietuvių kalbos žodynas (Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language), Kārlis Mülenbach and Jānis Endzelīns' Latviešu valodas vārdnīca (Dictionary of the Latvian Language), dictionaries of dialects and data from various works on dialectology were also used.It is intended to supplement the data with the material obtained from smaller programs An tanas Salys' Apklausas Nr. 1, Kalbos faktų rinkimo programa (Questionnaire No 1, Program of gathering language facts, Vilnius, 1983), and Lietuvių kalbos tarmių ir jų sąveikos tyrimo programa.Leksika (Research program of the dialects of the Lithuanian language and their interaction, Vilnius, 1995).A review of the ques tionnaires in the atlases mentioned showed that there were more than five hundred common questions from the lexicon which could be used for the Atlas of the Baltic Languages.
Both in Latvia and Lithuania dialectal data we collected for almost thirty years and at approximately the same time -from the mid1950s.Thus the maps reflect the state of the Lithuanian and Latvian dialects in the second half of the twentieth cen tury.Dictionaries of dialects published at the beginning of the twentyfirst century have been also used as they reflect the state of the dialects at the second half of the last century.
The structure of the atlas of the Baltic languages.By its nature the Atlas of the Baltic Languages is explanatory.It could consist of several volumes (1.Lexicon; 2. Phonetics; 3. Morphology and word formation...) which in their own turn could be published in separate parts as the ALE is published now).
The prospect of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages has already come out as a sepa rate volume (BVA P).It gives a wider picture of this ambitious project by the linguists of the two countries to the academic establishment.It also gives detailed information about the origins and development of the research into the dialects of the Lithuanian and Latvian languages, the peculiarities of the classification of the dialects of the two languages and presents the working methods of the project.The prospect con tains twelve lexical maps and commentaries to them: 1. Words for the Cloud (BVA P 61-68, 141), 2. Words for the Top (of a tree) (BVA P 69-73, 143), 3. Words for the Juniper (BVA P 74-79, 145), 4. Words for the Toad (BVA P 61-68, 147), 5. Words for the Pigeon (BVA P 80-88, 149), 6. Words for the Lark (BVA P 89-93, 151), 7. Words for the Stork (BVA P 99-106, 153), 8. Words for the Swedish Turnip (BVA P 107-112, 155), 9. Words for the Winter Wheat 157), 10.Words for the Grain Bin 159), 11.Words for the Stack (BVA P 123-129, 161), 12. Words for the Blacksmith 163).
Lexical questions have been chosen for the prospect of the Atlas of the Bal tic Languages, however, when maps were made, phonetic, morphological and word formation variants were also given.It will be a more complicated task to give in the atlas those words which are common to both (for instance, ranka (a hand), koja (a leg) ...) languages and there are no synonyms in dialects.There plans to give these groups of words in separate lists in the sections of the Lexicon of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages.It is still more difficult to describe related lexical units in Lithua nian and Latvian, which differ by their semantic meanings.For instance the Lithua nian word gervuogė and Latvian dzervene have a common root (the root originated from the noun dzerve/gervė 'a storklike light grey marsh bird with a curly tail (Grus grus)').The Lithuanian word gervuogė is used in the meaning 'a wild plant in the rose family with woody stems with prickles which yield deep blue, red or black sour berries (Rubus); its fruit', while the Latvian dzervene is 'a fruitbearing shrub in the ericaceae family which grows among bog moss and yields red sour berries (Oxycoccus); its fruit'.
The principles of making maps.In the process of getting ready for the joint project of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language and the Institute of the Latvian Language of the Latvian University -the editing and publishing of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages -several essential differences due to different linguistics traditions came to light.
Different national geolinguistic traditions, different classification principles of the dialects of the two languages and even different ways of presenting dialectal ma terial in the national atlases made it necessary to look for common methods of pre senting the material on the maps: to harmonize the bases of dialectal maps, to use the same way of giving dialectal points, reduce the number of excessively extensive variants in the dialects and others (for details see BVA P 48-49).
Consequently the areas on the maps where the Latvian and Lithuanian lan guages are spoken were joined into one for the Atlas of the Baltic Languages (see Map No 1).

Map No 1. The network of the maps of the atlas of the Baltic languages
In order to achieve the common goal, the presentation of some geographical and other objects (rivers, lakes, the sea, state boundaries and cities) was made uniform on the maps.On the Latvian maps cities are marked by signs which correspond to their outlines, while on Lithuanian maps they are marked by circles of varying sizes

Map No 3. The points in the atlas of the Baltic languages
Therefore it has been kept to one principle in the Atlas of the Baltic Languages, gi ving only the numbers of inhabited areas (for details see BVA P 45-49).The Latvian sub dialects are marked by Arabic numerals on the map, beginning with the northeastern part of the country (i.e. from the top of the map).The network of the subdialects is given according to the meridian lines.A total of 512 subdialects have been mapped (former rural districts of the old administrative division) in Latvia.The material was not colle c ted in several peripheral subdialects, as due to different reasons there were no speakers of Latvian after the Second World War there.Neither was material collected from the subdialects outside Latvia -Lithuania, Estonia, Russia and its Siberian territory.
The points of Lithuanian dialects are also numbered from the top of the map, from left to right in an increasing order to the southernmost points of the area of the Lithuanian language to the present territories of Poland and Belarus.A total of 717 set tlement points have been marked on the area where Lithuanian is spoken: 704 in Ara bic numerals on the presentday territory of the Republic of Lithuania, and, in Roman numerals, 13 inhabited areas outside Lithuania.Some points where dialectal data was collected have disappeared (V, VII, X-XII) or are on the verge of extinction (I, VIII).
The numbers of dialects and subdialects are only seen on a separate sheet of film, which can be placed over every map of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages.They are not seen on separate maps, which helped not to overcrowd the maps, and attention can be focused on the linguistic phenomena depicted (BVA P 163), see Map No 4.
Map No 4. The words for the blacksmith in the latvian and lithuanian dialects All linguistic phenomena have been mapped using a dual system of colours and signs.The character of marking depends on the amount of the material col lected.The data collected according to the lexical questionnaire of the Atlas Lin guarum Europae is insufficient to identify the precise or at least approximate boundaries of the spread of a phenomenon both in the areas of the Lithuanian and Latvian dialects: the material about the Lithuanian dialects was collected in 46 language areas, while the Latvian material comes from 36 inhabited areas (sub dialects), see Map No 5.

Map No 6. The words for the stork in the latvian and lithuanian dialects
It is different with the dialectal material collected for the national atlases.The amount of the material collected from almost all points in the Lithuanian and Latvian language areas is sufficient.Therefore it is not so difficult to determine the boundaries of a certain linguistic phenomenon and for this, colours are used, see Map No 5 above.
Phonetic and morphologic variants on all maps are mostly given in a generalised way.If the spread of a linguistic phenomenon is marked in colours, variants of standard language which are still in use are coloured in green or yellow.The use of other dia lec tal varieties is indicated in other colours and shades.Loanwords from Slavic languages are usually marked in blue (or violet) colours.The signs and symbols used on the maps should also be treated in a similar way: the spread of a standard variant in dialects is shown by a coloured circle (or square).Other phonetic or morphological variants can be marked by a sign of the same form and colour, but having a distinct feature.
Mixed cases are also possible.In the area of the usage of a certain linguistic pheno menon which is coloured by one colour, other cases are marked by separate different signs (BVA P 143), see Map No 7.In this way the dialectal variety has been demonstrated.

Map No 7. The words for the top of a tree in latvian and lithuanian dialects
There is very little data from the Prussian language which disappeared a long time ago.They are used to explain the origin of the names of natural phenomena, living beings, things and other in the commentary to the maps.
The principles of making commentaries.The scientific commentaries are a sig nificant and interesting part of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages.They give more de tails about the information on the maps and important knowledge from the fields of geolinguistics, language history and dialectology.The descriptions on all maps of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages are given in three languages -Latvian, Lithuanian and English.Therefore not only Lithuanian and Latvian linguists can use it, but also foreign researchers who are interested in the Baltic languages and their dialects as well as into geolinguistics and the issues of language typology.
At the beginning of the commentary to every map the main sources used for the preparation of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages are given.In this respect the maps and commentaries are not of equal value as not all main sources contain the necessary material.For example describing the words for the stork in Lithuanian and Latvian dialects (LVDA, Map No 36) and the commentary as well as responses to Question No 117 of the Questionnaire on Lexicon of the Atlas Linguarum Euro pae were used (BVA P 99, 104).The words for the toad were described according to LKA I Map No 81, LVDA, Map No 30 and their commentary as well as the responses to Question 134 of the Questionnaire on Lexicon of the Atlas Linguarum Europae (BVA P 80, 86).The words for the cloud were commented according to the responses to Question 9 of the Questionnaire on Lexicon of the Atlas Linguarum Europae and Benita Laumane's investigation (BVA P 61, 66).
The commentary starts with a general overview of the linguistic phenomenon given on the map.First, words common to the two languages or their cognates are given.Preferable variants in both or one of the two standard languages are indicated, original and inherited words are also given.Then other words common to both lan guages (and common borrowings) are described.For instance discussing the names for the stork first of all the words with the root gandr in Standard Latvian and Lithua nian and their dialects are given (Lith.gandras, Lett.gandrs and gandris), then the variants with the root stark (Lith.starkas, stárkas, starkus and sterkus, Lett.stārķis, starķis, storķis, stārks, starks, starka, štarks and tarks).Later, the loanwords from Slavic languages Lith.bacionas, bocėnas and Lett.bacjans, which are used in eastern bor derline areas of Latvia and Lithuania, are discussed.Then follow words with the root svē̹t (svētelis, svē̹tputns, svē̹tainis, svē̹tulis, etc.) which are used in some Latvian sub dialects.The names žugure, žūguris, zugur(i)s, zubur(i)s) and žubure used in seve ral Latvian subdialects; garnỹs, gužùtis and gùžas used by the Western Aukštaitians and is some places of the Žemaitian subdialects are discussed separately.In the eas tern part of the area of western Highlanders, in many southern and eastern subdia lects of Highlanders the words bùsilas, bùselas and bùsela are used.At the end of the commentaries to the word stork mention is made of several rarely used names in the Latvian dialects: aists, kalests, klikuns, poļaks and žūrējs (BVA P 99-106).
The commentary to every word consists of several parts: 1) the prevalence of the name in the dialects of the Lithuanian and Latvian languages is discussed on the basis of the principles of geolinguistic geography; 2) etymological notes and references to the sources used; 3) the use of the word in the old writings of the two languages be tween the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries; 4) examples of texts in the dialects.
Geolinguistic commentary is short and concrete, listing all recorded phonetic, word formation and morphological variants of the concrete word, i.e.
(BVA P 104) In order to find out whether the name is used in the definite place which is not mentioned in the commentary, a map and a sheet of film, where the borders of the Lithuanian and Latvian dialects are shown, as well as the numbers of the places or points (the meaning of the latter is explained in the supplements) can be used.
Further a short description of the etymology of the word (and its variants) is given.If its etymology (e.g.Lith.garnỹs) raises doubts or is controversial, a short commentary to all known versions of its explanation and sources where a more com prehensive explanation can be found are given, i.e.
(BVA P 106) In this part of the commentary reference is made to works by various Lithuanian, Latvian and other specialists on the Baltic languages (A.Sabaliauskas, P. Skardžius, V. Mažiulis, E. Frenkel, J. Endzelīns, K. Karulis, W. Smoczyński, W. Schulze, V. Topo rov and others).
After etymological commentary examples with the word discussed from old written sources of Latvian and Lithuanian follow: from dictionaries, bibles, collec tions of sermons and so on.For instance the equivalent of kalējs1, the smith, used in the Latvian subdialects is illustrated by the following examples form old writings: (BVA P 134) 1 For the links of Lett.kalējs and Lith.kalvis, kavolis, kavolius with equivalents in other European languages see Weijnen A. 2002: 120, 122, 124, Map No. I.67.Some of them are publications, while others can be found in online databases.There the databases of old (16th and 17th century) Lithuanian sources which have been created and are being expanded by the researchers of the Lithuanian Language Institute, helped by researchers of the Vytautas the Great University, Vilnius University and Šiauliai Universi ty can be accessed at http://www.lki.lt/seniejirastai/.They contain old Lithuanian written texts, concordances, indexes and digital facsimiles.Many writings in the old Latvian lan guage of the 16th and 17th century and their indices which have been used for the prepa ration of the Atlas of the Baltic Languages can be accessed at http://www.ailab.lv.
True, it is not always possible to give numerous examples in the commentaries as some of the names cannot be found in old written sources (e.g. the words for the stork garnỹs, gužùtis and gùžas are known only in Lithuanian dialects, while cimenis and struņķis 'Swedish turnip' are not mentioned in old Latvian writings, cf.BVA P 102,106,108,112).In cases where many examples with the word discussed were available, the most interesting ones with different content have been chosen.
The illustrative material of the old writings is given in accordance with the well established historical tradition of spelling, which has been preserved in both coun tries since the 16th century: in Gothic script or using a transcript of the Latin antiqua.All illustrative texts are in Palemonas font which has over 4,000 typefaces (see Aleknavičienė ir kt.2005; http://www.vlkk.lt/palemonas.html).
The usage of the names discussed in the commentaries is also reflected in va rious examples of Latvian and Lithuanian dialects taken from the Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language, K. Mülenbach and J. Endzelīns' Dictionary of the Latvian Language, dictionaries of dialects of the second half of the twentieth century, card indices of dialectal dictionaries of the beginning of the twentyfirst century, which are being prepared for publication, and data available in a variety of works on dia lectology.For instance the use of the name of gandras (the stork) in Lithuanian and Latvian is reflected in the dialects in the following way: (BVA P 104) Where it was possible, examples of the name with as many different morpho logical and phonetic variants have been given.
Undoubtedly, as the meaning and spelling of the sentences or phrases taken from the old writings and dialectal dictionaries can be completely incomprehensible or difficult to understand to the reader explanations in inverted commas are given next to them.The examples which have been taken from dialectal dictionaries and other sources of dialectology are quoted precisely.They show clearly, for instance, which transcription -phonetic or phonologic -the editors preferred and how pre cisely they tried to reflect phonetic (length of sounds, quality, accent, etc.), morpho logic and other peculiarities.This discloses the broadening outlook of the editors of old writings and dialectological sources, and the development of the Lithuanian and Latvian linguistic thinking in general2.
In certain cases commentaries are supplemented with ethnolinguistic facts.For instance, at the end of the commentary to the word stork it is said that the bird is sacred in Lithuanian and Latvian religions; therefore it must not be killed.The stork is linked with harvest and livestock; it also predicts happiness (marriage, birth of children) or misfortunes (death).In the commentary to the toad it is said that various names for this amphibian in both Latvian and Lithuanian languages are used not only in the direct meaning, but in negative comparisons and swear words.
general conclusion.Preparing the Atlas of the Baltic Languages Lithuanian and Latvian linguists hope for the following: 1) to research using the geolinguisitc method into what has been common in the Baltic languages; 2) to record the boun daries of the former common area of the living Baltic languages as it was at least at the end of the 20 th ; 3) to demonstrate the vast variety of the Baltic dialects which have been formed naturally in the course of history; 4) to prove the variance and archa ism of the lexicon, phonetics, morphology and word formation, syntax and other linguistic phenomena, which exist in the living Baltic languages on the basis of the data obtained from old writings and dialects.
It is planned to systemise the material of the dialects of the Baltic languages employing the latest methods of geolinguistics.The material is not only part of the historical and cultural heritage of the two related nations but also a very valu able treasure of linguistic data on an international level, which can supply much information not only to experts in the Baltic and Slav languages but also to spe cialists on IndoEuropean linguistics, ethnography, history, archaeology and other branches.

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BVA P 137, 139).For the Atlas of the Baltic Languages the Latvian variant has been chosen as being more advanced.The worst problem was very different classifications of dialects in Lithuanian and Latvian: the Lithuanian dialect classification is based on the most general dia lectal features, while the Latvian classification of dialects has retained the 1939 bor ders of the administrative division (BVA P 25-29), see Map No 2. Map No 2. The network of the latvian and lithuanian dialects For this reason it has been decided not to indicate the traditional borders of the Latvian subdialects which correspond with the old borders of the Latvian divi sion into rural districts.Only inhabited areas have been indicated -LVDA and LKA points (see Map No 3).
Map No 5.The network of the atlas linguarum europae in the area of the lithuanian and latvian languages Therefore these data are mostly marked with signs (BVA P 153), see Map No 6.The numbers of the corresponding points (dialects) of the atlases of the Lithua nian and Latvian languages are indicated (just like in the atlases of Lithuanian and Latvian).