----- Original Message -----
From: Sergejus Tarasovas
To: phoNet@egroups.com
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2000 4:28 PM
Subject: RE: [phoNet] Lithuanian/Russian: FIXED

Piotr wrote:  
 Latvian is less archaic than Lithuanian? It depends. In what respect? Literary Latvian retains the old pronunciation of Baltic *a:, it reflects the original Baltic intonations more faithfully than Lithuanian does .
 
Most Lithuanian dialects of Aukštaitija retain this *a: as well (just drive 50 km. to the north of Vilnius to get convinced). Colloqiual Latvian has completely neutralized all the intonations and can be considered as a stress language now (just come to Riga).
 
I know; I was referring to the conservative norm.
Piotr