Jotvingiai ir jų kalba

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Baltų gentys; Jotvingiai; Lietuviai; Onomastika; Prūsai; Sūduviai; Baltic tribes; Lithuanians; Old Prussians; Onomastics; Prussian; Sudovians; Yotvingians.

ENThere were a lot of Baltic tribes. However, only two nations have survived throughout the centuries: Lithuanians and Latvians (approximately about 5 million people altogether). A number of hydro names in Eastern Europe prove that the Baltic tribes inhabited the area from the Vistula up to the Volga in the 1st century. Some Baltic tribes, such as Yotvingians (Sudovians or the inhabitants of Dainava) died out. The author tries to describe the borders of the territory inhabited by the Yotvingian tribes. There are not any written sources concerning the Yotvingian language and therefore the author uses hydro names and other place names to compare the Yotvingian language to Lithuanian and Prussian. It is important to mention that Polish linguists published a number of articles on the research (I. Otrębski, J. Nalepa, A. Kamiński, Cz. Kudzinowski, T. Zdancewicz and others). There were also other linguists who got interested in the topic (K. Būga, J. Gerullis, V Mažiulis, B. Savukynas, A. Vanagas, W Toporow, and K. O. Falk). [From the publication]