Lexicography in the Baltic Countries (Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian Lexicographies)

The three Baltic nations–Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian–have had different historical development, also reflected in their dictionary scene. Latvian and Lithuanian are kindred languages, but Latvian shares with Estonian similar history as both came under German and Lutheran dominance, while Lithuanian had a Polish-bound Catholic history. All three started with bilingual dictionaries, because in their (partly different) contact situations, bilingual dictionaries were needed for religious purposes. Most dictionaries were produced by non-native speakers until the middle of the 19th century. German dominated the bilingual scene, even though Lithuania was not under German dominance. Then Russian took over. The three Baltic nations underwent national awakenings in the 19th century, but Lithuanian lagged behind due to a Russian ban on the Lithuanian language. As a result, the iconic Estonian dictionary is end of the 19th century product, Latvian dictionary beginning of the 20th century work, while Lithuanian one took a full century to finish. All three involved notable linguists. It is noteworthy that interbaltic bilingual dictionaries appeared only in the 20th century. Gradually the nations overcame the shortcomings of the earlier productions and now have fully mature lexicographies