Grammatica Litvanica

Grammatica Litvanica (Lithuanian: Lietuvių kalbos gramatika, lit. 'Lithuanian grammar') is the first prescriptive printed grammar of the Lithuanian language which was written by Daniel Klein in Latin and published in 1653 in Königsberg, Duchy of Prussia.[1][2][3][4][5]

Grammatica Litvanica
Title page of the first edition
AuthorDaniel Klein
CountryDuchy of Prussia
LanguageMostly in Latin, partly in Lithuanian, German, Polish
SubjectGrammar
Published1653
PublisherJohann Reusner in Königsberg
Media typePrint
Pages205
OCLC164636567

Overview

The Grammatica Litvanica was printed in 1653 by Johann Reusner who arrived to Königsberg from Rostock in 1639.[6] The checking of the manuscript of the Grammatica Litvanica was entrusted to Johann Lehmann, a priest of Lithuanian churches in Klaipėda.[2] The Grammatica Litvanica mostly follows the traditional Latin grammarians scheme (also in some parts Greek and Hebrew grammars) while the lexical material was taken from the living Lithuanian language and writings.[1][3] With this work Klein sought to prove that the Lithuanian language can also have its own grammar.[1]

The dedication of the book contains emphasis that Duke Friedrich Wilhelm and the Prussian authorities takes care of publishing of the Lithuanian books.[1] The preface of the book contains Klein's expression of gratitude for his helpers, described as great connoisseurs of the Lithuanian language: Didieji Rudupėnai (German: Enzuhnen) priest Kristupas (Kristoforas) Sapūnas, Katnava priest Johann Klein, Ragainė priest Johan Hurtel, Žiliai (German: Szillen; Russian: Zhilino) priest Friedrich Prätorius, Klaipėda priest Johann Lehmann, Verdainė (now part of the city of Šilutė) priest Vilhelmas Martinijus.[7] The preface also contains criticism of those who opposed the Klein's grammar and did not believe in his work:

However, we cannot avoid the envy and slander of ill-wishers. There are those who, having appropriated the censor's rod, rashly judge our works (...) But slanderers and moths have a natural desire to sting a high thing with low poison. Such are those people that they never feel so happy when they can insult a well-deserved good name. Jealous people, what you are doing![7]

In 1654 Klein wrote a German-language summary of the Grammatica Litvanica titled Compendium Litvanico-Germanicum, oder Kurtz und gantz deutliche Anführung zur Littauischen Sprache wie man recht Littauisch lesen/schreiben und reden sol. (transl. Compendium Litvanico-Germanicum, or Short and clear introduction to the Lithuanian language on how to read/write and speak Lithuanian properly.) for the less educated Prussian officials.[1][3][8][9]

The distinctive Lithuanian letter Ė was used for the first time in the Klein's Grammatica Litvanica and firmly established itself in the Lithuanian language; it is still in use today.[7][10][11][12] In the Grammatica Litvanica Klein also established the use of the letter ⟨W⟩ for marking the sound [v], the use of which was later abolished in the Lithuanian language in favor of ⟨V⟩.[7]

The Grammatica Litvanica and other grammars written by Klein had great significance for the development of Lithuanian linguistics as they systematically described the grammatical structure of the Lithuanian language for the first time, and established more stable general language norms, based on the dialect of Western Aukštaitians (English: Western Highlanders).[3]

In 1643 Christophorus Sapphun wrote the Lithuanian grammar Compendium Grammaticae Lithvanicae slightly earlier than Klein, however the edited variant of Sapūnas's grammar was published only in 1673 by Theophylus Gottlieb Schultz.[13][14][15][16] Despite the similar periods of publishing, philologists conclude that the foundations of the Grammatica Litvanica and the Compendium Grammaticae Lithvanicae grammars were laid by their authors independently of each other and that coincidences could have appeared later during the editing process of those grammars.[17]

See also

References
  1. Kaunas, Domas; Žemaitaitis, Algirdas. "Danielius Kleinas". Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  2. "Klaipėdos Laukininkų bažnyčia" [Klaipėda's Laukininkai Church]. Krastogidas.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  3. Sabaliauskas, Algirdas. "Danielius Kleinas". Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  4. Novickas, Elizabeth (2004). "The printer and the scholar: the making of Daniel Klein's Grammatica Litvanica" (PDF). Archivum Lithuanicum. Chicago: University of Illinois Chicago. 6: 17–41. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  5. "LR Konstitucija - 14 straipsnis". Lrk.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  6. Šilas, Vytautas; Sambora, Henrikas. "Karaliaučius, Tvangystė" [Königsberg, Tvangystė]. National Commission for Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  7. Milinienė, Audronė; Subačius, Giedrius (30 September 2017). "Kas išrado raidę Ė?" [Who invented letter Ė?]. Ve.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  8. "Vakarinis raštų variantas" [Western variant of the writings]. Šaltiniai.info (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  9. Schmalstieg, William R. (1982). "Early Lithuanian Grammars". Lituanus.org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  10. Gedutienė, Audronė. "Danieliaus Kleino knyga" [Daniel Klein's book]. Maironiomuziejus.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  11. Subačius, Giedrius (2005). The Lithuanian language: traditions and trends (PDF). The Lithuanian Institute, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. p. 9. ISBN 9955-548-09-6. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  12. "Seniausia unikali lietuvių kalbos raidė" [The oldest unique letter of the Lithuanian language]. Records of Lithuania (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  13. "Kalbotyros pradmenų konspektas" [Compendium of elementary linguistics]. Mokslai.lietuviuzodynas.lt (in Lithuanian). 16 June 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  14. Zinkevičius, Zigmas. "Kristupas Sapūnas". Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  15. Zinkevičius, Zigmas. "Teofilis Gotlibas Šulcas". Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  16. Labutis, Vitas (2004). "Pirmųjų spausdintų lietuvių kalbos gramatikų sintaksė" [The syntax of the first printed grammars of the Lithuanian language]. Archivum Lithuanicum (in Lithuanian) (6): 51–62. ISSN 1392-737X. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  17. Kazimieras, Eigminas; Stundžia, Bonifacas; Buchienė, Tamara; Palionis, Jonas (1999). "Sapūno ir Šulco gramatika" (PDF). Archivum Lithuanicum (in Lithuanian). Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Institute (1): 163. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
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