Overview of the early development of the lexicography of the three Baltic nations (from 17th to 19th century)

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Baltijos tautos, dvikalbiai, leksikografija; Dvikalbis (daugiakalbis) žodynas; Estų kalba; Latvių kalba; Leksikografija; Baltic nations, bilingual, lexicography; Bilingual (multilingual) dictionary; Estonian; Latvian; Lexicography; Lithuanian.

ENThe three Baltic nations (as a geographical and political concept) and languages share many similarities and as many differences. So far no serious comparison of the lexicography of the three languages has been carried out. This paper looks mostly at key general tendencies and key lexicographical works. These show that the bilingual/multilingual beginnings of the 17th century set a tradition for the following two centuries. Also the role of German pastors and the non-native target audience of the dictionaries was retained for the same period. The dictionaries grew in scope and precision. In all Baltic nations the living vernacular language really appeared in dictionaries only in the second half of the 19th century when after the National Awakening dictionaries were made mostly by native philologists. Encyclopedias (Konversationlexikonen), foreign word dictionaries appeared around the turn of the 19th and 20th century. This prepared the ground for the iconic national works which were developed in the early 20th century during the independence period. Yet the bilingual dictionaries of various type have dominated the scene and for the Baltic nations the term ‘dictionary’ was and is mostly associated with a bilingual one. [From the publication]

• Kalbotyra / Linguistics
• Istorija / History