Memorial to Language

On 15 May 2013 in the Sundial courtyard of the Klaipėda County I. Simonaitytė Public Library there was unveiled the world‘s only monument to the language. The monument consists of the bronze bas-relief, mounted in the granite plate with the inscription: „Passerby, five languages of Balts family have already died, under your feet there are disappeared Lithuanian words. Rememeber and honor your language.“ Next, on the granite blocks that are composed on the path to the library there are carved extinct Lithuanian words, which are collected by professor Danguolė Mikulėnienė. The idea to commemorate the dead words belongs to writers Vytautas Čepas and Juozas Šikšnelis – initiators of foundation of Lithuanian language protection society. These writers with the help of sculptor Algirdas Bosas and linguist Professor Doctor Danguolė Mikulėnienė conceived that the most meaningful monument to the mother tongue which is experiencing not the best times would be commemoration of the dead words of the Lithuanian language as a warning for all of us that usage of language is gradually receding and the most beautiful Lithuanian words are buried, because they are replaced by artificial or even synthetic loanwords – and this is done by will of ourselves, Lithuanians, not by strangers‘ one.     

The monument is created by sponsors funds, which were donated by „Klaipėdos energija“ AB, „Limarko Shipping Company“ AB, „Klasco“, „Klaipėdos mediena“ AB, „Klaipėdos vanduo“ AB, Rotary Club „Aiditė“, JSC „Klaipėdos kartonas“, “Smiltynės perkėla“ AB, A. and D. Bosai family, JSC „Hidrostatyba“ and other. The President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė participated in the opening ceremony of the monument. Poetic composition of old words was performed by actors of Klaipėda Youth Theatre (head prof. Valentinas Masalskis).