Semigallian language
{{Short description|Extinct Baltic language of Semigallia}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=ru|otherarticle=Земгальский язык|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Semigallian
| altname = Zemgalian
| states = Latvia and Lithuania
| region =
| extinct = 16th century
| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = Balto-Slavic
| fam3 = East Baltic
| iso3 = xzm
| linglist = xzm
| glotto = zemg1234
| glottoname = Zemgalian
}}
Semigallian or Zemgalian, was an East Baltic language of the Baltic language sub-family of the Indo-European languages.
History
It was spoken in the northern part of Lithuania and southern regions of Latvia in what is known as Semigallia. It is thought that it was extinct by the 16th century, with the assimilation by the Latvians.{{Cite web|url=http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631220398_chunk_g978063122039831_ss1-2|title=Zemgalian : Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe : Blackwell Reference Online|website=www.blackwellreference.com|access-date=2017-06-28}} Semigallian is known only from references to it in documents and texts from before the 16th century.
Phonology
Semigallian shares some phonological similarities to Curonian and, to a lesser extent, Latvian. The Common Baltic {{IPA|/k/}}, {{IPA|/ɡ/}} consonants became {{IPA|/c/}}, {{IPA|/d͡z/}} in their soft varieties in Semigalian. All long vowels and diphthongs at the end of the word in Common Baltic were reduced to simple short vowels in Semigallian.{{Cite web|url=http://tied.verbix.com/tree/balt/semigalian.html|title=Semigalian language|last=Babaev|first=Cyril|website=tied.verbix.com|access-date=2017-06-28}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Baltic languages}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Semigallian Language}}
Category:East Baltic languages
Category:Extinct Baltic languages
Category:Extinct languages of Europe
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