Old Prussian

Also known as Prussian, Old Prussian language, Prussian language, Prūsiskai

extinct Western Baltic language

AI overview

Old Prussian was a language spoken by the Baltic people of Prussia that died out in the 17th century. It matters because it is the oldest known written Baltic language and provides linguists with crucial evidence for understanding the history and structure of the Baltic language family.

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Wikidata facts

Image: Catechismus in preüßnischer sprach, gecorrigiret und dagegen das deüdsche.jpg

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entry in abbreviations table: прус.
number of speakers, writers, or signers: 50
native label: Prūsiskan
Wikimedia language code: prg
exact match: publications.europa.eu/resource/authority/language/PRG
Commons category: Prussian language

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Article

Old Prussian is an extinct West Baltic language belonging to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European languages, which was once spoken by the Old Prussians, the Baltic peoples of the Prussian region. The language is called Old Prussian to avoid confusion with the German dialects of Low Prussian and High Prussian and with the adjective Prussian as it relates to the later German state. Old Prussian began to be written down in the Latin alphabet in about the 13th century, and a small amount of literature in the language survives. Circa 2021, there has been a revival movement of Old Prussian, and there are families which use Old Prussian as their first language.

Classification