Prūsiska bila
Old Prussian
Indo-European
Old Prussian (Prūsiska bila, "Prussian language") was the principal language of the West Baltic Pruzzians (also Aestii, Pruzzi), inhabitants of East Prussia until they were Germanized after the Teutonic Order conquest (1230s-1410s). Distinct from East Baltic Lithuanian and Latvian, Old Prussian shows archaic Indo-European features lost in those languages: preservation of nominative singular -s in some classes, simpler consonant alternations, and Germanic-style declension simplification. Reconstructed primarily from three surviving Catechisms (1545-1561) and the 14th-century Elbing Vocabulary. A modern Old Prussian revival movement, led by linguists since the 1980s, attempts to make Old Prussian a usable second language.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Old Prussian
Water
undan
/undan/
Fire
panno
/panːo/
Sun
saule
/saule/
Moon
menins
/menins/
Star
lauxnos
/ˈlauksnɔs/
Mother
mūti
/muːti/
Father
tāws
/taːws/
I
as
/as/
You
tū
/tuː/
Name
emnes
/ˈemnes/
Eye
ackis
/akis/
Hand
rancko
/ranko/
Heart
sīran
/siːran/
Love
milīt
/miliːt/
Tree
garrin
/ˈɡarin/
House
butt
/butː/
Dog
sūns
/suːns/
Cat
katto
/katːo/
Eat
īst
/iːst/
Drink
poūton
/poʊton/
One
ains
/ains/
Two
dwai
/dwai/
Hello
kaīls
/kaiːls/
Thank you
dīnkun
/diːnkun/
Good
labs
/labs/
Cuckoo
geguse
/ɡɛˈɡuːzɛ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European languages
| Meaning | Old Prussian | Latvian | Old Frisian | Samogitian | Middle English | Latgalian | Gothic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | undan /undan/ | ūdens /uːdɛns/ | wetir /wetir/ | vondou /vɔndɔu/ | water /watər/ | iudiņs /ˈiudʲinʲtsʲ/ | 𐍅𐌰𐍄𐍉 /wɑtoː/ |
| Fire | panno /panːo/ | uguns /uɡuns/ | fiur /fjuːɾ/ | ognės /ɔɡneːs/ | fyr /fyːr/ | guņs /ˈɡunʲtsʲ/ | 𐍆𐍉𐌽 /foːn/ |
| Sun | saule /saule/ | saule /saulɛ/ | sunne /sunːe/ | saulė /sauleː/ | sonne /sɔnːə/ | saule /ˈsaulʲæ/ | 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌽𐍉 /sunːoː/ |
| Moon | menins /menins/ | mēness /meːnɛs/ | mōna /moːnɑ/ | mienou /mʲeːnɔu/ | mone /moːnə/ | mienesnīks /ˈmʲienʲesnʲiːks/ | 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰 /meːnɑ/ |
| Star | lauxnos /ˈlauksnɔs/ | zvaigzne /ˈzvaɪɡzne/ | stera /ˈstɛra/ | žvaigždė /ʒvaɪɡʒdeː/ | sterre /ˈstɛrːə/ | zvaigzne /ˈzvaiɡznʲæ/ | 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐍉 /stɛrnoː/ |
| Mother | mūti /muːti/ | māte /maːtɛ/ | moder /moːdeɾ/ | mama /mama/ | moder /moːdər/ | muote /ˈmuotʲæ/ | 𐌰𐌹𐌸𐌴𐌹 /aiθiː/ |
| Father | tāws /taːws/ | tēvs /teːvs/ | feder /fædeɾ/ | tievs /tʲieːvs/ | fader /faːdər/ | tāvs /ˈtaːvs/ | 𐌰𐍄𐍄𐌰 /ɑtːɑ/ |
| I | as /as/ | es /æs/ | ik /ik/ | aš /aʃ/ | I /iː/ | es /ˈæs/ | 𐌹𐌺 /ik/ |
| You | tū /tuː/ | tu /tu/ | thū /θuː/ | tŭ /tʊ/ | thou /θuː/ | tu /ˈtu/ | 𐌸𐌿 /θuː/ |
| Name | emnes /ˈemnes/ | vārds /vaːrds/ | nama /ˈnama/ | vards /vards/ | name /ˈnaːmə/ | vuords /ˈvuorts/ | 𐌽𐌰𐌼𐍉 /nɑmoː/ |
| Eye | ackis /akis/ | acs /ats/ | āge /aːɣe/ | akės /akʲeːs/ | eye /iːə/ | acs /ˈatsʲ/ | 𐌰𐌿𐌲𐍉 /ɑuɣoː/ |
| Hand | rancko /ranko/ | roka /ruɔka/ | hond /hond/ | ronka /rɔŋka/ | hand /hand/ | rūka /ˈruːka/ | 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐍃 /hɑndus/ |
| Heart | sīran /siːran/ | sirds /sirds/ | herte /heɾte/ | šėrdės /ʃʲeːrdʲeːs/ | herte /hɛrtə/ | sirds /ˈsʲirtsʲ/ | 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍄𐍉 /hɛrtoː/ |
| Love | milīt /miliːt/ | mīlestība /miːlɛstiːba/ | minne /minːe/ | meilė /mʲɛileː/ | love /lʊvə/ | mīleiba /ˈmʲiːlʲeiba/ | 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌰𐌸𐍅𐌰 /friɑθwɑ/ |
| Tree | garrin /ˈɡarin/ | koks /kuɔks/ | bām /baːm/ | medis /mʲɛdʲɪs/ | tre /treː/ | kūks /ˈkuːks/ | 𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃 /bɑɣms/ |
| House | butt /butː/ | māja /maːja/ | hūs /huːs/ | noms /nɔms/ | hous /huːs/ | sāta /ˈsaːta/ | 𐍂𐌰𐌶𐌽 /rɑzn/ |
| Dog | sūns /suːns/ | suns /suns/ | hund /hund/ | šou /ʃɔu/ | hound /huːnd/ | suņs /ˈsunʲtsʲ/ | 𐌷𐌿𐌽𐌳𐍃 /hunds/ |
| Cat | katto /katːo/ | kaķis /kacis/ | katte /katːe/ | katė /katʲeː/ | catte /katːə/ | kačs /ˈkatʃs/ | *𐌺𐌰𐍄𐍄𐍃 /kɑtːs/ |
| Eat | īst /iːst/ | ēst /eːst/ | eta /etɑ/ | valgītė /vaɫɡʲiːteː/ | eten /eːtən/ | ēst /ˈæːsʲtʲ/ | 𐌼𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 /mɑtjɑn/ |
| Drink | poūton /poʊton/ | dzert /dzɛrt/ | drinka /dɾinkɑ/ | gertė /ɡʲɛrteː/ | drinken /drɪŋkən/ | dzert /ˈdzʲærtʲ/ | 𐌳𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌺𐌰𐌽 /driŋkɑn/ |
| One | ains /ains/ | viens /viɛns/ | ān /aːn/ | vins /vʲɪns/ | oon /oːn/ | vīns /ˈvʲiːnts/ | 𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 /ains/ |
| Two | dwai /dwai/ | divi /ˈdivi/ | twā /twaː/ | du /dʊ/ | two /twɔː/ | divi /ˈdʲivʲi/ | 𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌹 /twai/ |
| Hello | kaīls /kaiːls/ | sveiki /svɛiki/ | heil /heil/ | labs /labs/ | hail /hɛːl/ | vasals /ˈvasals/ | 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐌻𐍃 /hails/ |
| Thank you | dīnkun /diːnkun/ | paldies /paldiɛs/ | thank /θank/ | ačiū /atʃuː/ | thank /θank/ | paļdis /ˈpalʲdʲis/ | 𐌸𐌰𐌲𐌺𐍃 /θɑŋks/ |
| Good | labs /labs/ | labs /labs/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ | gers /ɡʲɛrs/ | good /ɡoːd/ | lobs /ˈlɔps/ | 𐌲𐍉𐌸𐍃 /ɡoːθs/ |
| Cuckoo | geguse /ɡɛˈɡuːzɛ/ | dzeguze /ˈdzɛɡuzɛ/ | — | — | cuccu /ˈkukuː/ | dzagiuze /ˈdzaɡʲiuzʲæ/ | — |
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