Letter: Lithuania's claim to oldest language

Wednesday 26 October 1994 00:02 GMT

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Sir: In his obituary of the late Dyfnallt Morgan (17 October), D. Ben Rees describes Welsh as 'the oldest living tongue in Europe'. While his perspective on the matter is understandable, the fact remains that many philologists stoutly maintain that this title belongs to Lithuanian.

Elements of this Baltic language may be still heard today which are virtually unaltered from the original Indo-European (the origin of Welsh and most other European tongues), and some may even predate it.

Yours faithfully, R. A. J. GREENHILL West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire 17 October

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Letter: Lithuania's claim to oldest language

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