Lithuanian

Discovering the language

Lithuania, which was once one of the most powerful countries in Europe, then lived for a long time under the tutelage of Poland and Russia, regained its independence in 1991 and joined the European Union in 2004. This has given Lithuanian a new importance. Lithuanian is the official language of Lithuania and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. It is spoken by some 4 million people worldwide.
Lithuanian is, along with Latvian, the last of the Baltic languages. It is the most conservative of the Indo-European languages; in terms of grammatical structure, it is in some respects still close to the Sanskrit or Ancient Greek spoken 2,500 years ago. The study of Lithuanian is therefore of fundamental interest for the study of Indo-European languages and for linguistics in general.
Lithuanian writers have taken advantage of this original language, and the literature that flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries is of great wealth. Unfortunately, knowledge of these valuable authors is reserved, for the most part, for the small number of Lithuanian speakers and those learning Lithuanian, as translators and translations from Lithuanian into French are rare.
Inalco is the only establishment in France to offer a complete degree course in Lithuanian. The 3-year course combines comprehensive, progressive language teaching with a detailed approach to the history and geography of Lithuania, as well as its institutions, culture, customs, press and rich literature.

Lithuanian is the only language in France to offer a complete degree course in Lithuanian.