EXPLORING THE SHARED VOCABULARY: LITHUANIAN, LATVIAN, AND PRUSSIAN

This article provides a comprehensive study of Baltic languages - primarily Lithuanian, Latvian, and the nowextinct Old Prussian - part of the Indo-European language family. Despite their geographical proximity and common ancestry, these languages are not mutually intelligible. They retain many archaic features, making them valuable for reconstructing the Proto-Indo-European language. A shared vocabulary, including cognates, exists between these languages, which, however, doesn't mean linguistic homogeneity due to variations in pronunciation, spelling, and grammar. The influence of Proto-Indo-European is highlighted through examples of inflection, a pitch accent system, and the dual number usage. The article also discusses the extensive grammatical and syntactical similarities among these languages, such as the rich inflectional system and a complex case system