LANGUAGES WITHIN BELARUSIAN-LITHUANIAN BORDERLAND: STATE, 
ASPECTS, REGIONAL COMMUNICATION 
V.D.Starichenok 
 
А scientific interest to the analysis of linguistic contacts,  processes and results  of 
connection between two or more languages became more intensive кecently. The urgency  of issues  
and the importance of developed researches gave an opportunity to single out a separate line of 
investigation named as contact linguistics. 
The Belarusian-Lithuanian borderland as a multicultural and multilingvistic zone is 
characterized by the fact that the population of this territory  actively use the language of the titular 
nation as a primary communication means, but in everyday life   two or even three languages  are in 
use. Within the Belarusian boundary zone two modifications of the Belarusian language are used:  
dialectal and  mixed Russian-Belarusian, called "trasyanka". The Belarusian literary  language is 
used within the pedagogical sphere and representatives of the artistic intelligentsia. The Russian 
language serves as means of communication between representatives of all nationalities in the 
region (mostly the urban population) and is used within non-personal, official, public,  professional 
sphere, mass culture, politics, religion, etc. The sphere of Polish language usage is limited by 
everyday life and religion. The Lithuanian language serves as  means of communication in the 
sphere of  everyday life,  religion and professional art. The Lithuanian and Polish schools of general 
education may be identified as peculiar "islands" of lithuanistics and polonistics. During  2009/2010 
academic year 544 pupils studied in Polish language (Grodno and Brest region) and 65 pupils 
studied in Lithuanian (Grodno region). In accordance with the results of the  dialectological 
expeditions to Vilnius district the field of the Belarusian language usage in the south-eastern 
Lithuania has narrowed.  It  is connected with the formation of the independent Lithuanian state and 
changes of  the contingent of native speakers of the Belarusian language within the border region.  
The state and the development of the linguistic situation of the border region is influenced 
by its ethnic composition as well as the degree of  a language knowledge at  the  given territory. In 
accordance with the results of the  census of enumeration of the Republic of Belarus in 2009  the 
country is inhabited by 115 nationalities  5087 of which are  Lithuanians (0.1% of total population). 
From 1970 to 2009 the number of Belarusian Lithuanians reduced by 38%. Of the total number of 
Lithuanians only 277 people (5, 5%) use the Lithuanian language in everyday communication.  The 
number of Belarusians living in Lithuania decreased as well (1.7% in 1989, 1.2% in 2001, just over 
1% in 2011). 
The intensive linguistic contacts promoted  the penetration of Belarusian words into  the 
Lithuanian language and conversely Lithuanian  words into  the Belarusian language. As a result of 
the research it is revealed that in the Belarusian language and dialects more than 1,200 lexical units 
(including derived suffixed formations) are used. We can mark out within them about 120 words 
that have passed all the stages of lexical and semantic adaptation and firmly entrenched in the 
Belarusian literary language system  and in its functional styles as well. The other lithuanisms are 
used in  dialects are characterized by a narrow area of  spreading. The basic types of borrowings, 
their thematic structure, the specific character of their phonetic and morphemic structure are 
presented in the draft created by the authors of the Dictionary of Baltic words. The presence of a big 
group of Baltic words in the lexical structure proves the intensive and prolonged contacts of the 
Belarusian and Baltic languages which began nearly fifteen hundred years ago  and lengthen until 
the present time.