JONAS JABLONSKIS

From the text in „Acquaintance with Lithuania. Book of the Millenium. I“. Kaunas: “Krastotvarka”, 1999. C.68-74

 

 

Jonas Jablonskis (December 30, 1860, Kubilenai - February 23, 1930, Kaunas). He developed the standard Lithuanian language. He prepared Lietuviskos kalbos gramatika (The Grammar of the Lithuanian Language) and published it under the pen-name of Petras Kriausaitis in Tilze in 1901. The book included the programme of the standardization of the Lithuanian language which was based on the dialect of Upland Lithuanians of Kaunas area. His Lietuviu kalbos gramatika, first published in Vilnius in 1919, remains one of the best and most complete textbooks of the Lithuanian language for the college students and secondary school teachers. Jonas Jablonskis' works on syntax, including Lietuviu kalbos sintakse (The Syntax of the Lithuanian Language.) and Linksniai ir prielinksniai (Cases and Prepositions), have been of great significance to the Lithuanian linguistics. He published over 150 articles on the issue of language in Varpas and other periodicals. Jablonskis edited the literary works by Zemaite, Gabriele Petkevicaite-Bite, Jonas Biliunas and other Lithuanian writers.