Editing Samogitian language (section)

{{Short description|Eastern Baltic language spoken in Lithuania}}
{{Distinguish|Samoyedic languages}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Samogitian
| nativename       = {{lang|sgs|Žemaitiu kalba}}
| states           = [[Lithuania]]
| region           = [[Samogitia]]
| speakers         = < 500,000
| date             = 2009
| ref              = <ref>{{cite web| url=http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/cr_files/2009-050_sgs.pdf| title=Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3| publisher=ISO 639-3 Registration Authority| date=2009-08-11}}</ref>
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Balto-Slavic languages|Balto-Slavic]]
| fam3             = [[East Baltic languages|East Baltic]]
| fam4             = [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]
| iso3             = sgs
| glotto           = samo1265
| glottorefname    = Samogitian
| map              = Dialecto samogitiano.PNG
| mapcaption       = {{Legend|#7D399D|Area where Samogitian is spoken}}
}}

'''Samogitian''' ({{langx|sgs|label=[[endonym]]|žemaitiu kalba|}} or sometimes {{lang|sgs|žemaitiu rokunda}}, {{lang|sgs|žemaitiu šnekta}} or {{lang|sgs|žemaitiu ruoda}}; {{langx|lt|žemaičių tarmė, žemaičių kalba}}),<ref>Juozas Pabrėža. ''Žemaičių kalba ir rašyba''. Šiauliai: Šiaulių universitetas, 2017.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yRz0DQAAQBAJ&q=standardisation+of+samogitian&pg=PA177 |title=Multilingual Europe, Multilingual Europeans |date=2012 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-94-012-0803-1 |editor-last=Marácz |editor-first=László |page=177 |language=en |editor-last2=Rosello |editor-first2=Mireille}}</ref> is an Eastern Baltic language spoken primarily in [[Samogitia]] and is often considered a [[Lithuanian dialects|dialect of Lithuanian]]. 

It has preserved many features of the extinct [[Curonian language]], such as specific phonological traits and vocabulary. Samogitian differs significantly from [[Lithuanian language|standard Lithuanian]] in phonetics, morphology, syntax, and lexis, with unique archaic features not found in other Lithuanian dialects. This difference often causes speakers of Aukštaitian dialects to not be able to understand speakers of Samogitian.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Subačius |first1=Giedrius |title=The Lithuanian language: traditions and trends |date=2005 |publisher=The Lithuanian Institute, [[Ministry of Culture (Lithuania)|Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania]] |isbn=9955-548-09-6 |url=https://subacius.people.uic.edu/SUB_KN/SUB_2005_Lith_Lang_2nd_ed_ENGLISH.pdf |page=7 |access-date=16 January 2023}}</ref> The use of Samogitian is currently in decline, with limited presence in media and education. Efforts are being made to preserve the language, including local initiatives and cultural societies.