Baltic Online

After the Second World War, East Prussia fell to Russia. Practically no local inhabitants remained in this land. All the Lithuanian place names of this area were replaced with Russian place names. Such a pitiless historical fate befell the land in which the first Lithuanian book, Martýnas Mãzvydas' Catechism (1547), was published, where Daniel Klein's first Lithuanian grammar (1653) appeared, where Jõnas Bretkunas for the first time translated the Bible, where the chef-d'oeuvre of world fame, Metai 'The seasons' was written by Kristijõnas Doneláitis, where the first Lithuanian newspaper (1822) appeared, and where the first herald of the renaissance of the Lithuanian nation, the newspaper Ausrà 'Dawn' (1883-1886) was published.

Mãzvydas, Bretkunas, Doneláitis, etc. What do I know? Maybe I am their distant relative, said the author, Ievà Simonaitýte, whose mother boasted that she was a descendant of the Old Prussians.

As Výtautas Kubìlius, one of the most prominent scholars of the Lithuanian literature, says, Ievà Simonaitýte, writing her first novel The Fate of the Simoniai from the Village of Aukstujai (1935), felt it her duty as an artist (literally: 'with the artistic word') to encompass the picturesque aspect of Lithuania Minor, its historical memory, its spiritual substance. She was concerned with describing not only the obviously evident patriarchal way of life of the Prussian Lithuanians (lietùvninkai), but to look into remnants of the old beliefs and moral precepts in view of the German newcomers. She understood that the literature of a small nation would lose its roots if it did not consider the problems of national existence. Simonaitýte poeticized the way of life of the Prussian Lithuanians considering it essential for the endurance and survival of the people. Still she felt the illusory character of such poeticization in the whirlpools of the XXth century unifying civilization and the policy of denationalization carried out by the great empires -- a cruel fate, coming to East Prussia after the raging 1709 plague destroyed seven generations of honorable Prussian Lithuanians. German colonists began to move into lands that had been thinned out by the plague. Here they act(ed) like the real masters. All the heroes of the chronicle of this family are marked with the elegy of defeat. Simonaitýte feels that the time of this Lithuanian tribe is at an end. Only the old names recall many of their former habitats, and these old names will soon be changed. Simonaitýte wrote The fate of the Simoniai from the village of Aukstujai, keeping before her eyes the model of the novel-family chronicle that is popular in the German Heimatdichtung literature.

Reading and Textual Analysis

Here we give a selection from the first pages of Aukstuju Simoniu likìmas. In it, the castle tower of the family of Simonis the boyar, built on the bank of the river Isrà before the beginning of the raging plague of 1709, is described. This tower is the personified symbol of all of Lithuania Minor and its fate. Formerly it had been the tower of a strong Lithuanian castle that had protected Lithuanians from enemies. Now its protection is no longer needed, since the Lithuanians have long been in the power of foreigners. Yet the tower itself still doesn't understand how alone it is, neglected and comical, although it is still proud and retains in its memory the former Lithuanian power.

Simonaitýte spoke the Samogitian Lithuanian dialect of the Klaipeda region. In this excerpt, she uses the definite form of the pronoun ans, ansai 'that'; the particle mandìng, characteristic of this area, which means 'most likely, it seems to me'; the noun zizdrai, which means 'grains of sand, small particles of sand'; and the word ponyste, characteristic of old literature, which means 'kingdom, country'. Also, constructions with participles, gerunds and half-participles are abundantly used. This is one of the most characteristic features of the language of this area, e.g., pilies buta 'there was, it seems, a castle'; ámziams slenkant 'the centuries passing, in the course of centuries'; gáudydami víenas kìta 'chasing each other'; yrà uzmirses 'have forgotten', etc. Definite forms are frequent in her work, although in this excerpt there are only two: griuvancioji pilìs 'the crumbling castle' and ansai prótevis 'that ancestor'. This excerpt reflects a somewhat different word order compared with contemporary standard Lithuanian, láisves kokiõs 'some kind of freedom'; tvìrtus sáu, sàvo vaikáms ir vaiku vaikáms namùs, literally 'a solid, for himself, his children and his children's children, house'.

Siandien jau niekam nebereikia tõ bóksto sargýbos.

• siandien -- adverb; <siandien> today -- today
• jau -- particle; <jau> already, just -- ...
• niekam -- pronoun; dative singular of <niekas> no one, nobody, nothing -- nobody
• nebereikia -- negative particle; <nebe> not any more + verb; 3rd person present of <reiketi, reikia, reikejo> need -- not need any more
• tõ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- that
• bóksto -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <bókstas> tower -- of tower
• sargýbos -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <sargýba> guard, protection -- the protection

Siandien jõ plysiúotos síenos nè tám, kàd lietùviai, cià pasislepe, sáudytu sàvo strelemìs i neàtmusamus príesus, kuriu pulkai, nesuskaitomi kaip zizdrai prie juros, púola bajõru pìli.

• siandien -- adverb; <siandien> today -- today
• jõ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- its
• plysiúotos -- adjective; nominative plural feminine of <plysiúotas, plysiúota> fissured, cracked -- fissured
• síenos -- noun, feminine; nominative plural of <síena> wall -- walls
• nè -- particle; <nè> no, not -- (are) not
• tám -- adverb; <tám> thereto -- there for
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• lietùviai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <lietùvis> Lithuanian -- Lithuanians
• cià -- adverb; <cià> here -- here
• pasislepe -- verb; nominative plural masculine of preterit participle active reflexive of <pasislepti, pasìslepia, pasìslepe> hidden -- hidden
• sáudytu -- verb; 3rd person subjunctive of <sáudyti, sáudo, sáude> shoot -- would shoot
• sàvo -- pronoun; genitive of <sàvo> he, she -- their
• strelemìs -- noun, feminine; instrumental plural of <strele> arrow -- arrows
• i -- preposition; <i> at, for, in, to -- at
• neàtmusamus -- negative particle; <ne> not + verb; accusative plural masculine of present participle passive of <atmùsti, àtmusa, àtmuse> repulse, repel -- unstoppable
• príesus -- noun, masculine; accusative plural of <príesas> enemy -- enemies
• kuriu -- conjunction; genitive plural masculine of <kurìs, kurì> which, who -- whose
• pulkai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <pulkas> regiment -- regiments
• nesuskaitomi -- negative particle; <ne> not + verb; nominative plural masculine of present participle passive of <suskaitýti, suskaito, suskaite> countless -- countless
• kaip -- conjunction; <kaip> as, like -- as
• zizdrai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <zìzdras> grain -- the grains (of sand)
• prie -- preposition; <prie> at -- at
• juros -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <jura> sea -- the seashore
• púola -- verb; 3rd person present of <pùlti, púola, púole> attack -- attack
• bajõru -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <bajõras> boyar -- the boyars'
• pìli -- noun, feminine; accusative singular of <pilìs> castle -- castle

Taip, kitadõs cià tikrõs pilies buta.

• taip -- particle; <taip> so, therefore -- yes
• kitadõs -- adverb; <kitadõs> once, sometime -- at one time
• cià -- adverb; <cià> here -- here
• tikrõs -- adjective; genitive singular feminine of <tìkras, tikrà> genuine -- real
• pilies -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <pilìs> castle -- a castle
• buta -- verb; neuter of preterit participle passive of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- there was

Bèt, ámziams slenkant, ir griuvancioji pilìs lìko bè prasmes.

• bèt -- conjunction; <bèt> but -- but
• ámziams -- noun, masculine; dative plural of <ámzius> century -- centuries
• slenkant -- verb; present gerund(ive) of <slinkti, slenka, slinko> pass, slip -- slipping by
• ir -- particle; <ir> and -- even
• griuvancioji -- verb; nominative singular feminine of present definite participle active of <griuti, griuva, griùvo> crumble -- crumbling
• pilìs -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <pilìs> castle -- the castle
• lìko -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <lìkti, líeka, lìko> remain -- remained
• bè -- preposition; <bè> before, without -- without
• prasmes -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <prasme> sense, meaning -- meaning

Ir víenas sumanùs Simoniu próteviu pastãte cionai tvìrtus sáu, sàvo vaikáms ir vaiku vaikáms namùs, kuriuõs aplinkiniai burai rumais pràmine.

• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• víenas -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <víenas, vienà> alone, each -- one
• sumanùs -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <sumanùs, sumanì> clever -- clever
• Simoniu -- proper noun, masculine; genitive singular of <Simónis> Simonis -- from among Simonis'
• próteviu -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <prótevis> ancestor -- ancestors
• pastãte -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <pastatýti, pastãto, pastãte> build -- built
• cionai -- adverb; <cionai> here -- here
• tvìrtus -- adjective; accusative plural masculine of <tvìrtas, tvirtà> solid, strong -- solid
• sáu -- pronoun; dative of <saves> oneself, itself -- for himself
• sàvo -- pronoun; genitive of <sàvo> he, she -- his
• vaikáms -- noun, masculine; dative plural of <vaikas> child -- for children
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• vaiku -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <vaikas> child -- children's
• vaikáms -- noun, masculine; dative plural of <vaikas> child -- for children
• namùs -- noun, masculine; accusative plural of <namai> house -- house
• kuriuõs -- pronoun; accusative plural masculine of <kurìs, kurì> which, who -- which
• aplinkiniai -- adjective; nominative plural masculine of <aplinkinis, aplinkine> neighboring -- neighboring
• burai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <buras> peasant -- peasants
• rumais -- noun, masculine; instrumental plural of <rumai> palace -- a palace
• pràmine -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <praminti, pràmena, pràmine> call, name -- called

Visàs nereikalìngas kampúotas síenas ansai prótevis nugrióve.

• visàs -- pronoun; accusative plural feminine of <vìsas, visà> all -- all
• nereikalìngas -- negative particle; <ne> not + adjective; accusative plural feminine of <reikalìngas, reikalìnga> necessary -- unnecessary
• kampúotas -- adjective; accusative plural feminine of <kampúotas, kampúota> awkward -- awkward
• síenas -- noun, feminine; accusative plural of <síena> wall -- the walls
• ansai -- definite pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <anàs, anà> that -- that
• prótevis -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <prótevis> ancestor -- ancestor
• nugrióve -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <nugriáuti, nugriáuna, nugrióve> destroy -- destroyed

Tìk bókstas pasilìko, nórs jõ taip jau nebereikejo.

• tìk -- particle; <tìk> only -- only
• bókstas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <bókstas> tower -- the tower
• pasilìko -- verb; 3rd person preterit reflexive of <pasilìkti, pasilieka, pasilìko> remain -- remained
• nórs -- conjunction; <nórs> although -- although
• jõ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• taip jau -- adverb; <taip jau> also -- also
• nebereikejo -- negative particle; <nebe> not any more + verb; 3rd person preterit of <reiketi, reikia, reikejo> need -- was unnecessary

Bèt bókstas ir siandien dár nezìno, kàd jìs nebereikalìngas.

• bèt -- conjunction; <bèt> but -- but
• bókstas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <bókstas> tower -- the tower
• ir -- particle; <ir> and -- even
• siandien -- adverb; <siandien> today -- today
• dár -- adverb; <dár> even, still -- yet
• nezìno -- negative particle; <ne> not + verb; 3rd person present of <zinóti, zìno, zinójo> know -- doesn't realize
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• nebereikalìngas -- negative particle; <nebe> not any more + adjective; nominative singular masculine of <reikalìngas, reikalìnga> necessary -- is not necessary

Jìs dár, mandìng, nesupranta dabarties.

• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• dár -- adverb; <dár> even, still -- still
• mandìng -- particle; <mandìng> seem -- (it) seems
• nesupranta -- negative particle; <ne> not + verb; 3rd person present of <supràsti, supranta, suprãto> understand -- doesn't understand
• dabarties -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <dabartìs> present -- the present

Jìs dár vis tebegyvena atsiminìmais ir kazi kõ lýg láukia.

• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• dár vis -- adverb; <dár vis> even, still -- even
• tebegyvena -- verb; 3rd person present of <tebegyvénti, tebegyvena, tebegyveno> still live -- is still living
• atsiminìmais -- noun, masculine; instrumental plural reflexive of <atsiminìmai> memories -- with memories
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• kazi kõ -- pronoun; genitive of <kazi kõ> something -- for something
• lýg -- conjunction; <lýg> as, like -- as if
• láukia -- verb; 3rd person present of <láukti, láukia, láuke> expect, wait -- is waiting

Nè láisves kokiõs.

• nè -- particle; <nè> no, not -- not
• láisves -- noun, feminine; genitive singular of <láisve> freedom -- freedom
• kokiõs -- pronoun; genitive singular feminine of <kóks, kokià> any, some -- some kind of

Jìs visái yrà uzmirses, kàd paskutìne kadáise bùvusi kruvinà kovà baigesi lietùviu nenáudai, ir siandien jie gyvena svetimõj ponystej.

• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• visái -- adverb; <visái> completely, totally -- completely
• yrà -- verb; 3rd person present of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- ...
• uzmirses -- verb; nominative singular masculine of preterit participle active of <uzmirsti, uzmirsta, uzmirso> forget -- has forgotten
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• paskutìne -- adjective; nominative singular feminine of <paskutìnis, paskutìne> last, final -- last
• kadáise -- adverb; <kadáise> once, sometime -- in the past
• bùvusi -- verb; nominative singular feminine of preterit participle active of <buti, yrà, bùvo> be -- (which) took place
• kruvinà -- adjective; nominative singular feminine of <krùvinas, kruvinà> bloody -- bloody
• kovà -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <kovà> battle, struggle -- the battle
• baigesi -- verb; 3rd person preterit reflexive of <baigtis, baigiasi, baigesi> end -- ended
• lietùviu -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <lietùvis> Lithuanian -- of the Lithuanians
• nenáudai -- noun, feminine; dative singular of <nenaudà> disadvantage -- to the disadvantage
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• siandien -- adverb; <siandien> today -- now
• jie -- pronoun; nominative plural masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- they
• gyvena -- verb; 3rd person present of <gyvénti, gyvena, gyveno> live -- live
• svetimõj -- adjective; locative singular feminine of <svetimas, svetimà> foreign -- foreign
• ponystej -- noun, feminine; locative singular of <ponyste> kingdom, country -- in a country

Tiesà, jìs daug kãro gaisru mãtes, daug kãro sauksmu girdejes, ir tõ jìs neuzmirses.

• tiesà -- noun, feminine; nominative singular of <tiesà> truth -- true
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• daug -- adverb; <daug> many, much -- many
• kãro -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <kãras> war -- of war
• gaisru -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <gaisras> conflagration, fire -- conflagrations
• mãtes -- verb; nominative singular masculine of preterit participle active of <matýti, mãto, mãte> see -- has seen
• daug -- adverb; <daug> many, much -- many
• kãro -- noun, masculine; genitive singular of <kãras> war -- of war
• sauksmu -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <sauksmas> call, cry -- calls
• girdejes -- verb; nominative singular masculine of preterit participle active of <girdeti, girdi, girdejo> hear -- has heard
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• tõ -- pronoun; genitive singular masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- that
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• neuzmirses -- negative particle; <ne> not + verb; nominative singular masculine of preterit participle active of <uzmirsti, uzmirsta, uzmirso> forget -- has not forgotten

Todel jìs visadà dár pasirenges atmùsti kazkóki príesa, nórinti uzpùlti Líetuva.

• todel -- adverb; <todel> therefore -- therefore
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• visadà -- adverb; <visadà> always -- always
• dár -- adverb; <dár> even, still -- still
• pasirenges -- verb; nominative singular masculine of preterit participle active reflexive of <pasirengti, pasirengia, pasìrenge> prepare -- is prepared
• atmùsti -- verb; infinitive of <atmùsti, àtmusa, àtmuse> repulse, repel -- to repulse
• kazkóki -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <kazkóks, kazkokià> some -- whatever
• príesa -- noun, masculine; accusative singular of <príesas> enemy -- enemy
• nórinti -- verb; accusative singular masculine of present participle active of <noreti, nóri, norejo> want -- (which)wants
• uzpùlti -- verb; infinitive of <uzpùlti, uzpúola, uzpúole> attack -- to attack
• Líetuva -- proper noun, feminine; accusative singular of <Lietuvà> Lithuania -- Lithuania

Juokìngas tàs senis bókstas.

• juokìngas -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <juokìngas, juokìnga> comical -- is comical
• tàs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- that
• senis -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <senis> old man -- old man
• bókstas -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <bókstas> tower -- tower

Jìs ne pàts nebezìno, kàd tie plysiai, kur kitadõs lietùviu saudykles kýsojo, siandien nèt labai padideje.

• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• ne -- particle; <ne> even -- even
• pàts -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <pàts, patì> itself -- itself
• nebezìno -- negative particle; <nebe> not any more + verb; 3rd person present of <zinóti, zìno, zinójo> know -- doesn't know
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- that
• tie -- pronoun; nominative plural masculine of <tàs, tà> this, that -- those
• plysiai -- noun, masculine; nominative plural of <plysys> fissure, cleft -- fissures
• kur -- adverb; <kur> where -- where
• kitadõs -- adverb; <kitadõs> once, sometime -- once
• lietùviu -- noun, masculine; genitive plural of <lietùvis> Lithuanian -- of Lithuanians
• saudykles -- noun, feminine; nominative plural of <saudykle> gun -- guns
• kýsojo -- verb; 3rd person preterit of <kýsoti, kýso, kýsojo> stick out -- stuck out
• siandien -- adverb; <siandien> today -- today
• nèt -- particle; <nèt> even -- even
• labai -- adverb; <labai> very much -- much
• padideje -- verb; nominative plural masculine of preterit participle active of <padideti, padideja, padidejo> increase -- have increased

Todel jìs kartais atródo lýg bedantis senelis.

• todel -- adverb; <todel> therefore -- therefore
• jìs -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <jìs, jì> he, she, it -- it
• kartais -- adverb; <kartais> sometimes -- sometimes
• atródo -- verb; 3rd person present of <atródyti, atródo, atróde> look -- looks
• lýg -- conjunction; <lýg> as, like -- like
• bedantis -- adjective; nominative singular masculine of <bedantis, bedante> toothless -- toothless
• senelis -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <senelis> old man -- an old man

Vejai svilpia ir ubauja prõ anuõs plysiùs, gaúdydami víenas kìta.

• vejai -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <vejas> wind -- the winds
• svilpia -- verb; 3rd person present of <svilpti, svilpia, svilpe> whistle -- whistle
• ir -- conjunction; <ir> and -- and
• ubauja -- verb; 3rd person present of <ubauti, ubauja, ubavo> hoot -- howl
• prõ -- preposition; <prõ> through -- through
• anuõs -- pronoun; accusative plural masculine of <anàs, anà> that -- those
• plysiùs -- noun, masculine; accusative plural of <plysys> fissure, cleft -- fissures
• gaúdydami -- verb; plural masculine of half participle of <gáudyti, gáudo, gáude> chase -- chasing
• víenas -- pronoun; nominative singular masculine of <víenas, vienà> alone, each -- each
• kìta -- pronoun; accusative singular masculine of <kìtas, kità> other -- other

Õ tai girdisi lýg kàd senis svepliótu.

• õ -- conjunction; <õ> and, but -- but
• tai -- pronoun; neuter of <tàs, tà> this, that -- it
• girdisi -- verb; 3rd person present reflexive of <girdetis, girdisi, girdejosi> be heard -- sounds
• lýg -- conjunction; <lýg> as, like -- like
• kàd -- conjunction; <kàd> that -- ...
• senis -- noun, masculine; nominative singular of <senis> old man -- an old man
• svepliótu -- verb; 3rd person subjunctive of <sveplióti, svepliója, svepliójo> lisp -- would lisp

Lesson Text

Siandien jau niekam nebereikia tõ bóksto sargýbos. Siandien jõ plysiúotos síenos nè tám, kàd lietùviai, cià pasislepe, sáudytu sàvo strelemìs i neàtmusamus príesus, kuriu pulkai, nesuskaitomi kaip zizdrai prie juros, púola bajõru pìli. Taip, kitadõs cià tikrõs pilies buta. Bèt, ámziams slenkant, ir griuvancioji pilìs lìko bè prasmes. Ir víenas sumanùs Simoniu próteviu pastãte cionai tvìrtus sáu, sàvo vaikáms ir vaiku vaikáms namùs, kuriuõs aplinkiniai burai rumais pràmine. Visàs nereikalìngas kampúotas síenas ansai prótevis nugrióve.

Tìk bókstas pasilìko, nórs jõ taip jau nebereikejo. Bèt bókstas ir siandien dár nezìno, kàd jìs nebereikalìngas. Jìs dár, mandìng, nesupranta dabarties. Jìs dár vis tebegyvena atsiminìmais ir kazi kõ lýg láukia. Nè láisves kokiõs. Jìs visái yrà uzmirses, kàd paskutìne kadáise bùvusi kruvinà kovà baigesi lietùviu nenáudai, ir siandien jie gyvena svetimõj ponystej. Tiesà, jìs daug kãro gaisru mãtes, daug kãro sauksmu girdejes, ir tõ jìs neuzmirses. Todel jìs visadà dár pasirenges atmùsti kazkóki príesa, nórinti uzpùlti Líetuva.

Juokìngas tàs senis bókstas. Jìs ne pàts nebezìno, kàd tie plysiai, kur kitadõs lietùviu saudykles kýsojo, siandien nèt labai padideje. Todel jìs kartais atródo lýg bedantis senelis. Vejai svilpia ir ubauja prõ anuõs plysiùs, gaúdydami víenas kìta. Õ tai girdisi lýg kàd senis svepliótu.

Translation

Today nobody needs the protection of that tower any more. Today its fissured walls are not there for Lithuanians, who, hidden here, could shoot their arrows at unstoppable enemies whose regiments, countless as the grains of sand at the seashore, attack the boyars' castle. Yes, at one time there was surely a real castle here. But in the course of centuries even the crumbling castle remained without meaning. And one clever person from among Simonis' ancestors built for himself, his children and his children's children a solid house, which the neighboring peasants called a palace. This ancestor destroyed all the unnecessary awkward walls.

Only the tower remained, although that was also unnecessary. But the tower even today doesn't realize that it is no longer necessary. It seems that it still doesn't understand the present. It is still living with its memories and seems to be waiting for something. Not some kind of freedom. It has completely forgotten that the last bloody battle ended to the disadvantage of the Lithuanians and now they live in a foreign country. True, it has seen many conflagrations of war, has heard the clamor of war and has not forgotten this. Therefore it is always prepared to repulse whatever enemy wants to attack Lithuania.

That senile old man tower is comical. It doesn't know itself that those fissures where Lithuanian guns once stuck out have become much bigger today. Therefore it sometimes looks like a toothless old man. Chasing each other the winds whistle and howl through these fissures. But it sounds like a lisping old man.

Grammar

16. The Accent Classes of the Nouns

16.1. The Third Accent Class

The third accent class comprises nouns that, in the dative plural, have their stress on the ending while in the accusative plural the stress may fall on any syllable of their stem. When the stress falls on the penultimate syllable, it is always acute; when the stress falls on any other syllable of the stem before penultimate, it may be acute, circumflex, or the syllable may be short, e.g., acc.sg. délna 'palm (of the hand)'; debesi 'cloud'; dóbila 'clover'; ùzdavini 'task'.

In trisyllabic and quadrisyllabic nouns, the play of stress is ordinarily between the initial syllable and the final syllable. If the stress on the initial syllable is the acute, these nouns are labelled 3^a for trisyllabic and 3^4a for quadrisyllabic. If the stress on the initial syllable is circumflex or the syllable is short, they are labelled 3^b and 3^4b respectively, e.g., acc.sg. kepala 3^b 'loaf'; zìburi 3^b; tráukini 3^a; ãpdangala 3^4b 'cover'; láiskanesi 3^4a 'postman'; pìktadari 'malefactor' 3^4b.

Examples of the third accent class are given below:

16.2. The Fourth Accent Class

The fourth accent class comprises nouns that, in the dative and accusative plural, have their stress on the ending. In their paradigm the stress alternates between the ending and the penultimate syllable, which is either short or has the circumflex intonation. The fourth accent class seems to be a kind of combination of the second and third accent classes. In any particular case if the stress is required on the inflectional syllable by either the rules of the second or the third accent class, then the stress will be on the inflectional syllable. In other words the stress is on the case ending unless a stem stress is demanded for that same case in both the second and third accent classes. The paradigms for the nouns of the fourth accent class are given bellow. In this paradigm the noun virsùs 'top' is mostly used as singularia tantum and the noun pietus 'dinner', 'south' is pluralia tantum.

17. Numerals

Numerals are inflected for case, partly for gender and number. Some numerals are similar to nouns, others to adjectives. There are two main groups of numerals: cardinal and ordinal numerals. Cardinal numerals are subdivided into several groups: basic numerals, plural (pluralia tantum) numerals, collective numerals and fractions. According to their structure numerals are simple, derived, compound or composite (multiword) numerals.

17.1. Basic Numerals

The following numerals from one to nine are simple numerals:

The number víenas is declined like a regular first declension adjective and agrees in case, number and gender with the noun which it modifies, e.g., Jìs tùri tìk víena dvìrati 'He has only one bicycle'. The number trys is inflected for gender only in the locative, e.g., trijuosè viesbuciuose 'in three hotels' vs trijosè kavìnese 'in three cafes'.

The declension of penkì and septynì differs from keturì only by virtue of the fact that they belong to different accent classes. Sesì is declined and accented like penkì, and astuonì and devynì like septynì.

The numerals from two to nine agree with the word they modify in case and gender:

• Svarstymas bùvo atidetas keturióms dienóms
• 'A discussion was delayed for four days'.

Desimtìs 'ten'is declined like a regular third declension noun of accent class 3^b, however, it is used rarely. The indeclinable form desimt 'ten' is used instead.

Numbers from eleven to nineteen are denoted by compound numerals. They are built by adding -lika (derived historically from the verb lìkti 'remain') to simple numerals from one to nine:

• vienúolika 'eleven';
• dvýlika 'twelve';
• trýlika 'thirteen';
• keturiólika 'fourteen';
• penkiólika 'fifteen';
• sesiólika 'sixteen;
• septyniólika 'seventeen';
• astuoniólika 'eighteen';
• devyniólika 'nineteen'.

They are not inflected for gender, but they are declined like a regular second declension nouns of the first accent class (cf: síela, 'soul') except that the accusative is like the nominative: vienúolika.

Tens are indicated by compound numerals, the first constituent of which coincides with the accusative form of simple feminine numerals, e.g., dvi-, tris-, keturias-, etc. and the second constituent is the numeral desimt:

• dvìdesimt 'twenty';
• trìsdesimt 'thirty';
• keturiasdesimt 'fourty';
• penkiasdesimt 'fifty';
• sesiasdesimt 'sixty';
• septýniasdesimt 'seventy';
• astúoniasdesimt 'eighty';
• devýniasdesimt 'ninety'.

These numerals are declined like desimtìs. However, uninflected forms are used more often, e.g.:

• Bè dvìdesimt (or gen. dvidesimties) vadoveliu neissiversime
• 'We cannot do without twenty text-books'.

Simtas 'hundred' is declined like a regular first declension noun of the fourth accent class (cf: na~mas 'house').

Tukstantis 'thousand' is declined like a regular first declension noun of the first accent class (cf: brólis 'brother').

Milijõnas 'million' is declined like a regular first declension noun of the second accent class (cf: pirstas 'finger').

Numerals from 10 to 19, numerals indicating tens (20-90), also simtas 'hundred', tukstantis 'thousand', milijõnas, 'million', milijárdas 'billion' require that the noun quantified be in the genitive plural. They are used as nouns, e.g.:

• Sesiólika streliu 'sixteen arrows';
• penkiasdesimt piliu 'fifty castles';
• simtas vaiku 'a hundred children';
• tukstantis príesu 'a thousand enemies';
• milijõnai vabzdziu 'millions of insects';
• milijárdas zvaigzdziu 'a billion stars'.

In declining multi-word numerals, we decline all the components except for the uninflected ones, e.g., nom. dù simtai penkiasdesimt devynì; gen. dvieju simtu penkiasdesimt devyniu; dat. dvíem simtáms penkiasdesimt devyníems, etc.

17.2. Plural Numerals

Those numerals which are reserved for use with nouns which have a plural form but a singular meaning are as follows:

The plural number vienerì, vienerios 'one' is a new form in Lithuanian. Also the plural forms of the cardinal numbers vienì, víenos are used with pluralia tantum. These numerals are formed by adding the suffixes -eji, -ejos or -eri, -erios to a simple cardinal numerals.

Numerals of this group are declined like the adjectives of the second declension (cf: zãlias, zalià 'green'):

Dvejì and trejì are accented like the ajectives of the fourth accent class, whereas all the others are accented like the adjectives of the third accent class.

17.3. Collective Numerals

There are eight collective numerals: dvejetas 'two', trejetas 'three', ketvertas 'four', penketas 'five', sesetas 'six', septýnetas 'seven', astúonetas 'eight', devýnetas 'nine'. They are formed by adding the suffixes -etas or -tas (ketvertas 'four') to a basic numeral or plural numerals. Víenetas 'one' does not denote number so it cannot be regarded as a collective numeral. It is used as a noun, e.g.:

• Lìtas yrà Lietuvõs pinigìnis víenetas
• 'The litas is the basic unit of currency in Lithuania'.

Other collective numerals (mostly their diminutive forms) can also be used as nouns:

• Stártinis penketùkas jau bùvo pasiruõses zaisti
• 'The starting line-up of five (players) was ready to play'.

These numerals belong to accent class one and are declined like regular first declension nouns (cf: výras).

The collective numerals show that the objects under consideration are to be taken as a group:

• Uztrùksiu tik trejeta dienu 'I will be delayed only for three days'.
• Sesetas výru megìno inèsti pianìna i vìdu '(A group of) six men were trying to bring a piano inside'.
• Ligónis nesugebejo zengti ne ketverto zingsniu 'The patient was not able to take even four steps'.

The noun quantified by these collective numerals is always in the genitive plural.

18. Adjective Inflection

18.1. The Definite Adjectives

The forms of the definite adjective are mainly obtained by adding the appropriate case of the third person pronoun to the indefinite adjective:

• naujas + jìs 'new' + 'he' = naujàsis 'new';
• naujà + jì 'new' + 'she' = naujóji 'new'.

But there are some changes in the vowels in their declension:

Definite forms are not formed from the third declension adjectives (e.g., auksìnis 'golden'), but they can be formed from comparative and superlative adjectives: naujesnysis, naujesnióji 'newer'; naujáusiasis, naujáusioji 'newest'.

Some pronouns and numerals and many participles also have definite forms, e.g., tasai bókstas 'that tower'; pirmóji kovà 'the first battle'; griuvancioji pilìs 'the crumbling castle'.

The definite form of the adjective is used to point out some particular object in a group of similar objects:

• Ant stãlo gùli keletas ivairiu spalvu piestùku. 'There are some pencils of different colors on the desk.'
• Kuriõ tù noretum? 'Which one would you like?'
• Padúok mán (tã) zãliaji. 'Give me the green one.'

In most cases the English adjective plus one construction could be the best rendered by the definite adjective in Lithuanian.

The definite form of the adjective may also impart a generic meaning of the noun, because it denotes a permanent characteristic. Thus pilkà zasìs merely means 'a gray goose', whereas pilkóji zasìs is the variety the gray goose (Latin Anser anser). These forms are common in various terms where they cannot be replaced in most cases with the indefinite forms, e.g., greitàsis traukinys 'the fast train' and greitas traukinys 'a fast train'.

Definite forms are used to form proper names:

• Juodóji jura 'The Black sea';
• Baltíeji rumai 'The White House';
• Výtautas Didysis 'Vytautas the Great'.

In many cases the definite adjectives differ very little from the simple adjectives. The definite adjectives merely emphasize more the attributive characteristics of the nouns. Thus, their use can be subjective, e.g.:

• Mán skauda desine (desiniaja) ãki
• 'My right eye aches'.

Definite adjectives can be used as substantives of the sentence:

• Zalíeji uztvere autostrãda 'The Greens blocked the highway'.
• Uz vagyste jìs pateko i sáltaja 'He was locked up in prison (lit. 'the cold one') for the theft'.
• Desiniéji pralaimes rinkimùs 'The right-wingers will lose the election'.

18.2. Comparision of Adjectives

There are three basic degrees of comparision in Lithuanian just as in English: the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

The positive adjectival forms do not refer to any difference in the degree of a quality.

The comparative degree is formed by dropping the endings (-(i)as, -us) of the masculine nominative singular of the adjective and adding -esnis (for masculine) or -esne (for feminine), e.g., zalèsnis 'greener', zalèsne; saldèsnis 'sweeter', saldèsne. There is practically no comparative degree with the adjectives of the third declension (auksìnis 'golden', vilnõnis 'woolen').

The comparative adjectives are declined as follows:

There are some positive adjectives which are also declined according to this paradigm, e.g., dìdelis 'big', dìdele; desinys 'right', desine; kairys 'left', kaire. In the adjective dìdelis 'big' -elis is dropped before the addition of the comparative or supperlative endings -esnis, -iausias, e.g., didèsnis 'bigger', didziáusias 'biggest'.

The comparative degree denotes that there is a greater degree of the quality in question in one object than in another. The concept "than" in most cases is expresed by negù, nei, with the following noun in the nominative case or ùz with the accusative case. Other expressions (kaip, nekaip) are rarer.

• Tàvo masinà naujèsne negù màno (masinà) 'Your car is newer than my car'.
• Juodà dúona sveikèsne ùz bálta (dúona) 'Brown bread is more healthy than white bread'.
• Mònikos výras turtingèsnis nei Sãros výras 'Monica's husband is richer than Sara's husband'.

The superlative degree is formed by dropping the -(i)as, -us of the masculine nominative singular of the adjective and adding -iausias, -iausia, e.g., zaliáusias, 'greenest' zaliáusia; saldziáusias 'sweetest', saldziáusia. If the stem ends in -d or -t these are replaced by -dz and -c respectively. They are declined like the adjectives of the first declension (cf: zãlias 'green'):

The superlative degree denotes the highest or greatest existing degree of the quality expressed by the adjective:

• Siuõ metù jìs yrà svarbiáusias zmogùs ìs visu 'Now he is the most important man of all (people)'.
• Atvyksta jauniáusia dukte 'The youngest daughter is coming'.
• Pérduok jíems màno nuosirdziáusius linkejimus 'Give them my warmest greetings'.

The neuter adjective has a comparative -iau and superlative -iausia, e.g., grazù 'beautiful', graziau , graziáusia; pìkta 'angry', pikciau, pikciáusia:

• Siandien silciau nei vãkar 'Today is warmer than yesterday'.
• Mán apmaudziáusia del tõ pralaimejimo 'I am mostly annoyed because of that defeat'.

There is a degree which is somewhat stronger than the positive and weaker than the comparative. It is formed with the suffixes -elesnis, -elesne, e.g., mazelèsnis 'a little smaller' mazelèsne. Some other transitional stages are expressed by the prefixes apy- and po- or the suffix -okas, e.g., apýsunkis 'pretty hard', apýsunke; apýnaujis 'pretty new' apýnauje; póminkstis 'pretty soft', póminkste; didókas 'rather big', didóka.

19. The Participles, Half-participles, and Gerunds

Participles in Lithuanian are similar to participles in English and other languages. They are a variety of adjectives derived from verbs. In Lithuanian they are declined like adjectives and they can denote the characteristic of an object. They can possess definite forms. But, since they are formed from verbs, they also have verbal characteristics: they can denote action and are inflected for tense and can be active and passive. The reflexive forms are also an important verbal characteristic of the participles.

Participles can be used in the following four cases: (a) as modifiers (adjectival use); (b) in compound tenses; (c) in participial phrases; (d) in indirect discourse.

The special adverbial participles (half-participles) denote an action which is simultaneous with the action of the main verb.

Four indeclinable forms of active participles are traditionally called gerunds. They are formed by adding the same suffixes to the same stems as any other active participle. The main difference is the absence of case endings.

19.1. The Present Active Participles and Half-participles

The present active participles are formed by replacing the 3rd person endings -a, -i, -o with (a) the masculine nominative singular endings -as, -is, -as or (b) the feminine nominative singular endings -anti, -inti, -anti, e.g.:

The present active participles are declined as follows:

The forms begantis 'running', begantys are used only in adjectival function, e.g., begantis ciáupas 'running tap', begantys ciáupai 'running taps'. Begãs ciáupas and begã ciáupai would be uncommon in Modern Lithuanian.

In the nominative singular and plural the present active participles have a special form which is used in adverbial function. It is called in Lithuanian as the half-participle. Half-participles are formed by adding -damas, -dama to the infinitival stem, e.g.,

• beg-ti 'to run': sg. begdamas, begdamà;
• myle-ti 'to love': sg. myledamas, myledama.

These forms are inflected for gender and number and they agree with the subject of the sentence in gender and number, e.g.:

• Vaikas begdamas trenkesi i durìs
• 'The child struck the door while running'.

19.2. The Past Active Participle

The past active participle is formed by replacing the 3rd person simple preterit endings -o and -e with (a) the masculine nominative singular -es or (b) the feminine nominative singular -usi, e.g.,

• bego '(he) ran': beges, begusi '(the one who) ran';
• gýde '(he) cured': gýdes, gýdziusi '(the one who) cured'.

A paradigm of the declension for the past active participles is given below:

19.3. The Frequentative Past Active Participle

The frequentative past active participle is formed by removing the 3rd person ending of the frequentative past tense, i.e. -o and adding the same endings as those used for the past active participle (see above), e.g.:

• begdavo '(he) used to run': begdaves, begdavusi;
• gýdydavo '(he) used to cure': gýdydaves, gýdydavusi/.

This form is used rarely in Lithuanian. Examples are given below:

• Vãsara jie vaziúodave prie juros 'In summer they used to go to the sea'.
• Às prisìmenu gerai zmõgu, váiksciodavusi cià kasdien 'I remember well the man who used to walk here every day'.

It is declined like the past active participle.

19.4. The Future Active Participle

The future active participle is formed by adding the same endings as those used for the present active participle (i.e. -as, -anti) to the future stem of the 2nd person singular, e.g.:

• 2nd sg.fut. begsi 'you will run': begsias, begsianti;
• 2nd sg.fut. mylesi 'you will love': mylesias, mylesianti.

Since all of the present active participle endings begin with a vowel, the -si- denotes here merely palatalized -s-.

Future active participles are not used frequently in Lithuanian:

• Rytój jie vyksiantys namõ
• 'Tomorrow they (maybe) will go home'.

These participles are declined like the present active participles.

19.5. The Gerunds

The gerunds are formed from the active participles by dropping the final -i of the feminine nominative singular forms, e.g.:

• beganti: begant;
• begusi: begus;
• begdavusi: begdavus;
• begsianti: begsiant.

They denote an action or situation which is accessory or incidental to the action of the main verb. Such forms are used rather than the adverbial participle or the past active participle to show that the subject of the concomitant action is not the same as that of the main verb, e.g.:

• Bèt, ámziams slenkant, ir griuvancioji pilìs lìko bè prasmes 'But in the course of centuries even the crumbling castle remained without meaning'.
• Isvýdus tóki vaizda, jiems plaukai pasisiáuse 'Having seen such a sight, their hair stood on end'.

The gerund can have not only an object (e.g., vaizda 'sight'), but a subject too. Such a subject is put in the dative case (e.g., ámziams 'centuries') and than we have what is known as a dative absolute construction.

20. Some Impersonal Constructions

Impersonal constructions can be formed with impersonal (subjectless) verbs. The impersonal verbs usually denote natural phenomena, e.g., témti 'to get dark', lynóti 'to drizzle', or person's physical or mental state, e.g., mausti 'to ache', atródyti 'to seem'. These verbs cannot be combined with a subject expressed in nominative case. Such constructions may consist of a predicate alone or a predicate and other dependents (e.g., oblique cases, adverbials, infinitives):

• Idienójo 'It was broad daylight'.
• Vaika pykina 'The child feels sick'.
• Jám pasìseke laimeti 'He succeeded in winning'.
• Siandien jau niekam nebereikia tõ bóksto sargýbos 'Today nobody needs the protection of that tower any more'.

The logical subject of the verb nebereikia is in the dative case (niekam) and the logical object is in the genitive case (sargýbos).

Some of impersonal verbs denoting natural phenomena can take a tautological or cognate subject, e.g.:

• Lietùs lyja
• (literally) 'Rain is raining'.

The neuter forms are commonly used with the verb buti 'to be' in certain impersonal constructions:

• Búvo kársta 'It was hot'.
• Mán baisiai pìkta 'I feel extremely angry'.
• Ligóniui sunkù sedeti 'It is difficult for the patient to sit'.
• Tòmui gaila sàvo draugo 'Tomas is sorry for his friend'.

The present tense form of buti 'to be' is usually omitted.

These forms may also be used with an infinitive of a verb occurring as a subject of certain constructions, e.g.:

• Píena sveika gérti 'It is healthy to drink milk'.
• Nãma sunkù statýti 'It is difficult to build a house'.

Another type of such a construction is also possible with the neuter adjective, although such a construction is to be considered an exception rather than the general rule. In such constructions the logical object of the infinitive is in the nominative case, e.g.:

• Píenas sveika gérti 'Milk is healthy to drink'.
• Nãmas sunkù statýti 'The house is difficult to built'.