| Ludza | |
|---|---|
| Lutsi | |
| Ludzī kīļ | |
| Native to | Latvia |
| Region | Latgale |
| Ethnicity | Ludza Estonians |
| Extinct | 2006 with the death of Nikolājs Nikonovs or 2014 with the death of Antonīna Nikonova, some people with slight knowledge remain |
| Revival | Primer in Ludza published in 2020 |
| Latin script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | luts1235 |
 The Ludza area is the enclave at the bottom of the map. | |
The Ludza dialect or Lutsi (Ludzī kīļ) is a dialect of South Estonian that was spoken in Latvia by the Ludza Estonians near the town of Ludza in Latvia. Ludza is the most similar to the Seto dialect of South Estonian.[1] The Ludza dialect has historically been on a decline and is now extinct. It was estimated that around 800 people spoke Ludza in 1894, and by 1936 this number had decreased to only around 30 to 40 people. The last native speaker of the Ludza dialect was Nikolājs Nikonovs, who was from the village of Lielie Tjapši. He died in 2006, but some people still have limited knowledge of the dialect.[1] The last knowledgeable language user with passive knowledge, Antonīna Nikonova, died later in 2014.[2]
- ^ a b "Ludzī kīļ : The Lutsi Language". lutsimaa.lv. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ ULDIS, BALODIS (2019). "Expeditions among the Lutsi Estonians and the design of Language Learning Materials". University of Latvia Livonian Institute.