Samogitian

Also known as bat-smg, sgs, Samogitian dialect

Eastern Baltic variety spoken mostly in Samogitia, in the western part of Lithuania

AI overview

Samogitian is a dialect of Lithuanian spoken primarily in Samogitia, a region in western Lithuania. It represents an important linguistic variation within Lithuanian that reflects the historical and cultural distinctiveness of its native region.

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Wikidata facts

Image: Mosėdis, lenta žemaitiškai.JPG

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Wikimedia language code: sgs
female form of label: la langue samogitienne
number of speakers, writers, or signers: 500000
native label: Žemaitiu ruoda

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Article

Samogitian (endonym: žemaitiu kalba or sometimes žemaitiu rokunda, žemaitiu šnekta or žemaitiu ruoda; Lithuanian: žemaičių tarmė, žemaičių kalba) is an Eastern Baltic language spoken primarily in Samogitia, that is often considered a dialect of Lithuanian.

It has preserved many features of the extinct Curonian language, such as specific phonological traits and vocabulary. Samogitian differs significantly from standard Lithuanian in phonetics, morphology, syntax, and lexis, with unique archaic features not found in other Lithuanian dialects. This difference often causes speakers of Aukštaitian dialects to not be able to understand speakers of Samogitian. The use of Samogitian is currently in decline, with limited presence in media and education. Efforts are being made to preserve the language, including local initiatives and cultural societies.