Valoda un nacionālā pašapziņa

Abstract

The paper deals with the problem of self- identification of the Lithuanians and the Latvians. It is maintained that the differences in self-identity and civilization between these two nations are based on the differences between Polish and German culture. The Latvians seem to be more “western” than the Lithuanians. There were several reasons for that. The first one was that the Protestant German culture was much more progressive than the conservative Catholic Polish culture. The second was that the Lithuanians retained their nobility, while the Latvians lost it during the wars against the crusaders in the 13th century. In turn, the Lithuanian nobility chose Polish as the language of their estate and ignored Lithuanian. The Germans in Livonia and later in the Duchy of Courland as well as in Swedish Livonia did not ignore the Latvian language and Latvian ethnicity, in contrast to the Polish-Lithua - nian Commonwealth (1569–1795), where Poles constantly treated everything that was Lithuanian in an arrogant way. This also in - cluded the negative attitude of Poles to the Lithuanian language and the ban on the Lithuanian language in church. Therefore, the national revival of the Lithuanians faced great difficulties at the end of the 19th and even at the beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays we can also see some aspects of the former discord between the Lithuanians and the Poles as well as the arrogance of Poles in relations between modern Poland and Lithuania.