Dr. Letas PALMAITIS
Balticist & Orientalist, Ethnologist
Cell. ph. +370 67746906, e-mail: [email protected]
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1. Introduction
2. Positions and grants
3. Research work: Orientalistics, Indoeuropean and General linguistics,
INDOEUROPEAN and BALTIC linguistics, Prussology
4. Life programme: N.-Baltic boundary, Toponyms, Rurik, Experimental Prussian,
Documented novel about Ingermanland
5. Support
INDOEUROPEAN AND BALTIC LINGUISTICS
Dr. L. Palmaitis' first attempt of diachronic-typological explanation of the origin of forms of the Indoeuropean declension was connected with the development of the ablaut. 19 years later the research of V. Maziulis in the field of declension was transferred into the field of the verb. The resulting monograph Development of the Grammatical System of the Baltic Languages presents consequently formed linguistical views of the author:
The author goes closest to his teacher Vytautas Maziulis, who in his turn develops principles first introduced in Baltic linguistics by Jonas Kazlauskas. Nevertheless the author essentially differs from his Lithuanian colleagues in two points: a) all ideas are included in the field of the contensive typology of languages and on this basis the whole picture of the development of the Baltic languages is depicted; b) many ideas are verified by external comparison with non-Indoeuropean languages. In the PREFACE to the book a short notice of its typological statements is given and a role of Vytautas Maziulis in creating theory of Baltic and Indoeuropean declension is emphasised. After that the author elucidates terms which are constanly used by him but are not used by his Lithuanian colleagues. Further GOALS AND METHODS of the book are discussed: 1) to present historical development of the Baltic grammatical system as a result of changing language structure from its Indoeuropean stage of the "Active" typology to the stage of the "Accusative" typology; 2) to do this on the basis of the inner reconstruction and typological verification. Among the MAIN CONCEPTS of the book especial attention is to be paid to the concept of the grammatical category of version, to crucial distinction between the lexical-syntactical category of class and the morphosyntactical category of gender, to the author's treatment of the concepts of language and dialect. PART I sets forth the author's view of Baltic as of the last manifestation of Common Indoeuropean on the basis of the newest concept of the parent language as of in space and time wandering zone of minimum innovations. In this part are discussed: a) the author's concept of the Indoeuropean vowel-gradation, viewed morphonologically (this is essential to understand origin of the Baltic declension), b) inherited integrant features of Baltic and Germanic languages paying attention to the class of preterital-present verbs (this is essential to understand origin of the Baltic conjugation). PART II deals with the history of the Baltic noun. Here the development of the nominal and pronominal declension in Lithuanian, Latvian and Old Prussian is discussed on the basis of distinction between four Baltic paradigmatic cases and several adverbial non-paradigmatic cases (the theory of V.Maziulis). The idea of later development of pronominal paradigms is set forth by the author once again after the pause of 20 years. For the first time the author summarises here his principles of Prussian reconstructions. PART III deals with the history of the Baltic verb. It begins with the SEMANTICAL CLASSIFICATION of the verbal STEMS, and is carried out for Lithuanian, Latvian and Old Prussian. On the basis of the analysis of the paradigmatical and syntagmatical relations (11 distinctive features chosen) and semantical neutralization in formal classes of Baltic stems, semantical classes of the Baltic verbal stems are identified. The said analysis is later used to specify history of some verbal stems in separate Baltic languages. Historical analysis begins with identifying PRETERITAL-PRESENT verbs in Baltic. Further the PRE-INFINITIVE period as well as expression of the 3rd PERSON are touched upon. The book ends setting forth a concept of FORMATION OF VERBAL PARADIGMS finishing the intemediate stage of verbal ATEMPORALITY. The book is supplemented with annexes of which the STRUCTURAL INDEX OF BALTIC VERBS is mostly significant while presenting results of formal and semantical classification of verbal stems in Lithuanian, Latvian and Old Prussian (every verb is given with ist numbers in corresponding formal and semantical classes).
Publications:
Monographs
1. Indoeuropean Vowel Gradation and Development of Declensional Models in the Aspect of Diachronic Typology [in Russian]. Tbilisi university press, 1979.
2. Development of the Grammatical System of the Baltic Languages, 364 pages, tables [in Lithuanian]. Kaunas: Ðviesa, 1998.
Articles
1. Is the form musuose reprehensible? [in Lithuanian] / Musu kalba [University Vilnius], 1975, 1, p. 57 - 59.
2. Forms of personal pronouns in some ancient Lithuanian written documents [in Lithuanian] / Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of the Lithuanian SSR, Series A [Vilnius], 1975, 4(53), 167 - 185.
3. Once again on the origin of the IE inflexional system [in Lithuanian]. / Baltistica [Bl] 11, 1975, 1, 31 - 36.
4. History of the Baltic Personal pronouns. [Doctor theses manuscript in Russian]. The University Vilnius, 1975.
5. On the non-nominative past of the Baltic languages [in Lithuanian] / In: The 3rd All-Union Conference of Baltists. The University Vilnius, 1975, p. 43 - 44.
6. Notes on the development of the Baltic declension. / Bl 13, 1977, 2, 331 - 337.
7. On the non-nominative past of the Baltic languages [in Lithuanian] / Bl Supplement II, 1977, p. 114 - 123.
8. The problem of changing language structure: gender in Baltic and Indoeuropean. / In: Actual Problems of Linguistics. The University Vilnius, 1979, p. 58 - 60.
9. Kartvelian archaisms and the Indoeuropean reconstruction [in Russian] / Proceedings of Tbilisi University [The University Tbilisi] 202, 1979, p. 116 - 181.
10. Proto-Indoeuropean vocalism and the development of the IE declensional models. / Indogermanische Forschungen [IF] 84, 1979, p. 17 - 48.
11. Indoeuropean vowel gradation and the development of declensional models in the aspect of diachronic typology. / Bl 16, 1980, 1, 93 - 94.
12. The Prussian deiwas: the Sanskrit devasya , Lithuanian dievojis and Russian yevonyi - the mythical genitive formant *-syo and the degenitive declension [in Russian] / Bl 16, 1, 1980, 19 - 24.
13. The new look of Indoeuropean declension. / IF 86, 1981, 71 - 95.
14. Historical features characteristic to the accentual paradigms of the Baltic languages [in Lithuanian]. / In: IV All-Union Conference of the Baltists. Riga, 1981, p. 62.
15. Indoeuropean masdar as the 3rd person and yra in Baltic. / Bl 20, 1984, 2, 126 - 135.
16. [Together with Valdis Muktupavels] Toward reconstructing the Baltic text [in Lithuanian] / In: International Congress of the Baltists. The University Vilnius, 1985, p. 88.
17. Grammatical categories of the verb and the Baltic languages [in Lithuanian]. / Bl 22, 1986, 1, 11 - 24.
18. Review: Z.Zinkevicius, Lietuviu kalbos kilme 1. Vilnius: Mokslas 1984 [The Origin of the Lithuanian Language, in Lithuanian] / Bl 22, 1986, 1, 93 - 102.
19. Review: Th.V. Gamkrelidze & Vj. Ivanov, Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans, 1, 2. University Tbilisi 1984. / IF 93, 1988, 280 - 292.
20. [Together with Stanislav Kaira] Proto-Indoeuropean, Baltic, Kartvelian [in Russian] / In: Mutual Influences between Oriental and Western Cultures. Vilnius [The University], 1988, p. 55 - 58.
21. Why does Baltic have the unmarked verbal form of the 3rd person? / Bl 24, 1988, 2, 138 - 141.
22. Die Ursprache als in Zeit und Raum wandernde Zone der minimalen Innovationen (am Beispiel des Baltogermanischen). / Res Balticae 2, 1996 (Pisa, ECIG), p. 17-26.