Learn to speak Lithuanian  

Lithuanian Language

Lithuanian CD-ROM
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Where does Lithuanian come from?
Lithuanian is one of two Baltic languages, which form a branch of the Indo-European family of languages. It is closely related to Latvian.

It is perhaps the oldest of the modern Indo-European languages and it has been said that the speech of a Lithuanian peasant is the closest thing existing today to that of the original Indo-Europeans. It also bears similarities to Sanskrit, the progenitor of the modern Indic languages. Especially since World War II, Russian has been a major influence on Lithuanian.

How many people speak Lithuanian?
About 4 million people speak Lithuanian.

In how many countries?
Lithuanian is the native language of the Republic of Lithuania, where over 3 million people speak it - about 80 percent of the total population. Concentrations of speakers may be found in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Belarus, Kazakjstan, Uzbekistan and Latvia.

Lithuanian Culture

Lithuanian Music and Dance
Musical traditions emerged before the 13th century in folk music. Later alliances with Poland and Russia contributed to a rich musical heritage celebrated in festivals of dance and music held throughout the country each summer.

Folk music has had great influence on the development of Lithuanian music, and choral singing - periodically demonstrated in huge singing festivals - remains extremely popular.

The Baltika Annual International Folklore Festival, which has taken place in each Baltic capital in turn since 1987, is a weeklong affair of music, dance, exhibitions and parades.

Lithuanian Food and Drink
Dairy products and potatoes are mainstays of the Lithuanian diet, and pancakes are particularly popular. A traditional meal is cepelinai, a zeppelin-shaped parcel of potato dough, with a wad of cheese, meat or mushrooms in the centre. It comes topped with a sauce made from onions, butter, sour cream and bacon bits.

Sakotis is a tall, Christmas-tree shaped cake generally served at weddings, while dinner on Christmas Eve consists of 12 different vegetarian dishes.

Sweet dishes include Vysniu saltsriube (sweet cherry soup), Saltanosiai (blueberry dumplings), Grybukai (Honey mushrooms) and Aguonu pyragas (Poppyseed coffee cake).

Lithuanian Attractions
Vilnius Lithuania's capital city has an international flavour, partly due to the influence of the big Lithuanian diaspora and partly because it has always been exposed to influences from central Europe and beyond. The Old Town, the largest in Eastern Europe, has winding streets, countless hidden courtyards and a variety of notable buildings.

Hill of Crosses at Siauliai This is covered in a forest of crosses - large and tiny, expensive and cheap, wooden and metal. Some are devotional, to accompany prayers, others are memorial. It's thought that the tradition of planting crosses here may have begun in the 14th century. In the Soviet era the crosses were bulldozed at least three times, only to spring up again.

About Talk Now! Language CD-ROMs
This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun, easy and relaxing. There is no better way to teach an old dog new tricks and this fun element of the program means that your fears are forgotten as you absorb words and phrases without even realising you are learning them.

Talk Now! is the world's best selling language learning CD-ROM series for beginners, used by more than three million people to date. It's ideal for travellers, holidaymakers, business people, schoolchildren, students and families.

Anyone over 10 years of age will find the disc indispensable for improving listening, understanding and spoken language skills. There are nine topics: first words, food, colours, phrases, parts of the body, numbers, time, shopping and countries.

The games and quizzes included on the disc ensure that users have fun whilst using the disc, without realising that they're learning. The "intelligent" software feature remembers words you get wrong and targets your weak points.

"This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! Uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun and relaxing." - PC Answers

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