Want To Learn Latvian?
Ever visited Latvia before? It is a small country located in the Baltics. What it lacks in size, however, it makes up for in sights, culture and more. Directly bordering with Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus, it shares many features neighbors while still remaining unique. So then, what is it like to learn Latvian?
The Latvian language is a member of the Baltic family of languages. It is closely related to Lithuanian, but the vocabulary differs significantly. In total, there are about 1.75 million Latvian speakers, most of which are in Latvia. Its writing system is based on the Latin alphabet, though the characters of Q, W, X and Y are omitted, with Latvian phonology being used to recreate their corresponding sounds.
Latvian uses two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine, along with two numbers. Though there are no articles used in the language, there are a total of seven cases to contend with. As such, Latvian can be described as having complex conjugation system. Prefixes are widely used to modify words and provide context. The word order of Latvian can loosely be described as SVO.
While they do share common roots, Latvian is not a Slavic language - it is a Baltic one. This present many unique opportunities to learn new sounds and grammar. For others, it is a more unique sounding language that may stand out from the crowd. If you plan to set out on a Baltic holiday, prepare yourself by learning Latvian.