184 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ
Ins i u e o he Li huanian Language
ORCID id: o cid.o g/0000-0001-8775-788X
Fields o esea ch: seman ics, lexicology, lexicog aphy,
compu a ional linguis ics.
AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
Ins i u e o he Li huanian Language
ORCID id: o cid.o g/0000-0003-0728-1856
Fields o esea ch: language o child en and you h, language
p e e ences, compu a ional linguis ics.
DOI: doi.o g/10.35321/all86-08
EUROPEAN LANGUAGE
EQUALITY IN THE DIGITAL
AGE: THE CASE OF LITHUANIA
Eu opos kalbų lygybė skai meniniame amžiuje:
Lie u os a ejis
ANNOTATION
The a icle add esses he cu en s a us o Li huanian language echnologies and p esen s
he si ua ion o Eu opean language equali y in he digi al en i onmen . I in es iga es
quan i a i e and quali a i e indica o s e ealing language equali y in he con ex o he
Eu opean Union aking in o accoun he numbe o speake s, digi al language esou ces
and echnologies and he suppo o hem, wi h a special ocus on he case o Li huania.
The a icle in ends o ou line he wo k which has al eady been accomplished in he a ea o
language echnologies and iden i y he gaps and challenges which s ill need o be add essed
in he case o Li huanian as an o icial na ional and EU language. I p o ides he la es
o e iew o he si ua ion o Li huanian language echnologies h ough he analysis o
digi al language esou ces and ools/se ices. The esul s show ha hough a numbe o
changes ha e occu ed in he pas en yea s, he e is s ill a sho age o language esou ces in
educa ion and o he sphe es.
KEYWORDS: Eu opean languages, language esou ces, language ools/se ices,
language equali y, language echnologies.
S aipsniai / A icles 185
Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
ANOTACIJA
S aipsnyje ašoma apie lie u ių kalbos echnologijų būklę, supažindinama su Eu opos
kalbų lygybės skai meninėje e pėje si uacija. Nag inėjami kiekybiniai i kokybiniai kalbų
lygybę a skleidžian ys odikliai Eu opos Sąjungos kon eks e, a siž elgian į kalbė ojų,
skai meninių kalbos iš eklių i echnologijų skaičių bei joms eikiamą pa amą, ypa ingą
dėmesį ski ian Lie u os a ejo analizei. Šiuo s aipsniu siekiama pab ėž i iki šiol kalbų
echnologijų s i yje a lik ą da bą i iš yškin i sp agas bei a skleis i išbandymus, su ku iais
susidu ia i juos sp endžia o iciali nacionalinė i Eu opos Sąjungos kalba – lie u ių kalba.
S aipsnyje pa eikiama naujausia lie u ių kalbos echnologijų padė ies apž alga analizuojan
skai meninius kalbos iš eklius i į ankius / paslaugas. Rezul a ai odo, kad pe pas a uosius
10 me ų į yko nemažai pokyčių, be is da ūks a iš eklių š ie imo i ki ose s i yse.
ESMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: Eu opos kalbos, kalbos iš ekliai, kalbos į ankiai / paslaugos, kalbų
lygybė, kalbų echnologijos.
INTRODUCTION
Language echnologies a e in e ela ed and (in)di ec ly a ec a numbe o
daily ac i i ies: wo k, educa ion, communica ion, e c. Language unde pins mos
digi al esou ces: mobile de ices, social ne wo ks, i ual assis an s, ansla ion
ools, spell-checke s, e c. (Pas o e al. 2017: 19). Na u ally, hese ad ances do
no bene i all Li huanian ci izens on equal e ms. We ha e o admi ha he
echnologies adjus ed o Li huanian a e s ill lacking, and speake s o en need o
e e o English. I is especially impo an when e alua ing language iabili y
and powe , because he lack o language echnologies may esul in he e en ual
decline in language usage. The si ua ion o Li huanian language echnologies
does no ye mee all he needs.
Acco ding o he 2021 da a o he Li huanian Depa men o S a is ics,
in he 16–74 age g oup, almos 87% o he Li huanian popula ion uses he
In e ne (compa ed o almos 64.1% in 2011, and 74.4% in 2016), as many as
100% in he 16–24 age g oup, and 55.2% in he 65–74 age g oup.1 Acco ding
o he 2021 da a, 81.4% o households ha e a pe sonal compu e , and 86.6%
ha e In e ne access.2 The In e ne is mainly used o in o ma ion e ie al,
communica ion, leisu e and banking: 79% o he popula ion aged 16–74 use
1 A ailable a : h ps://osp.s a .go .l /s a is iniu- odikliu-analize?hash=b3603975-ca07-47cb-aaa -
bc3a3a403a1 #/.
2 A ailable a : h ps://osp.s a .go .l /lie u os-s a is ikos-me as is/lsm-2019/
mokslas-i - echnologijos/in o macines- echnologijos.
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
186 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
he In e ne o communica ion; 74% ead he news; 71% use he In e ne o
leisu e ime (wa ch mo ies o TV shows, lis en o music, play o download
eco dings, games); 68% use online banking se ices. Meanwhile, 27% o he
popula ion use he In e ne o lea ning, p o essional de elopmen o sel -
educa ion pu poses.3 Acco ding o he 2021 da a, 82.2% o 16–74 yea -olds
use he In e ne o pe sonal pu poses, o example, 65.2% communica e on
social ne wo ks, 70.5% o he popula ion socialize in eal ime (e.g., ia Skype,
Messenge , Wha sApp, Vibe , Snapcha ).4 In 2021, abou 225,000 .l domains
we e egis e ed (compa ed o abou 139,000 in 2012, and abou 188,000 in 2018),
o which mo e han 2,000 con ain le e s wi h Li huanian diac i ical ma ks (ė, ž,
e c.). In addi ion, Li huania emains among he leade s in ibe -op ic In e ne .
In Li huania, he co e age o he ibe -op ic ne wo k eaches 46.8%.5
On 13 Oc obe 2020, he Seimas o he Republic o Li huania app o ed an
impo an documen o he Li huanian language and i s u u e, The Guidelines
o he De elopmen o he Li huanian Language in he Digi al En i onmen and
he P og ess o Language Technologies o 2021–2027.6 The Guidelines we e
d a ed by a wo king g oup o med by he S a e Commission o he Li huanian
Language. These Guidelines mus help o ensu e he ull use o he Li huanian
language in he digi al en i onmen and o es ablish and main ain he s a us o
he Li huanian language in he in o ma ion socie y. This equi es an inc ease in
digi al language esou ces – ex s and eco dings co po a, he de elopmen o
language echnologies and he c ea ion o public se ices based on hem, so ha
no g oup o socie y o egion can eel he digi al di ide and o eign languages
can in eg a e mo e easily in o he Li huanian socie y. Language echnologies
mus help s eng hen he ies be ween he Li huanian socie y and he diaspo a,
and educe he exclusion o he Li huanian-speaking communi y in he global
knowledge socie y (Ja osla ienė, Miliūnai ė 2020).
The Guidelines se ou he essen ial asks o challenges o Li huanian
language echnologies. They s ipula e wha should be done in Li huania in he
nea u u e and in which di ec ions o wo k: 1. To inc ease he compe ence o
specialis s wo king in he ield o language echnologies and o aise he le el
o socie y’s abili y o use he oppo uni ies p o ided by language echnologies.
3 A ailable a : h ps://osp.s a .go .l /skai menine-ekonomika-i - isuomene-lie u oje-2020/
gy enimas-in e ne e.
4 A ailable a : h ps://osp.s a .go .l /s a is iniu- odikliu-analize?hash=1194ea01-82ee-4bde-a222-
94c5ced50 4e#.
5 A ailable a : h ps://i pk.l .l /l /naujienos/lie u a-islieka- a p-pi maujanciu-s iesolaidinio-
in e ne o-lyde iu-2.
6 A ailable a : h ps://www.e- a .l /po al/l /legalAc /71152ab00eee11ebb74de75171d26d52.
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The Case o Li huania
2. To accumula e and en ich open, eliable, high-quali y, eusable digi al
language esou ces and o he digi al language da ase s. 3. To de elop he
language echnology in as uc u e, he applica ion o language echnologies in
he public sec o and public se ices, o c ea e and imp o e publicly a ailable
in o ma ion echnology solu ions and ools (Guidelines 2020).
I is good o know ha a signi ican p og ess has been made in adap ing he
Li huanian language o he digi al en i onmen : a numbe o digi al language
esou ces and basic language analysis ools, complex online language se ices, he
Li huanian language on ology ha e been de eloped, and a numbe o compu e
p og ams and ools ha e been localized. Applied compu e so wa e ele an o
he socie y is being Li huanianized, s anda diza ion wo ks o compu e e ms a e
being ca ied ou . Li huanian esea che s ac i ely pa icipa e in he coope a ion
and mobili y ac i i ies o in e na ional associa ions, and he co e o Li huanian
language specialis s wo king in he ield o In o ma ion Technology applica ion
and sys ema ically de eloping inno a i e wo ks in his ield is o med. Li huania
also s i es o all ci izens o ha e ull access o digi al solu ions, he e o e he
policy o hei adap a ion o he disabled is e y impo an (Guidelines 2020).
The objec o his a icle is he digi al esou ces and ools/se ices o he
Li huanian language. The a icle seeks o in es iga e he da a on Li huanian digi al
esou ces and o show he cu en s a us o Li huanian language de elopmen in
he digi al en i onmen wi h due ega d o he gene al Eu opean con ex . The
abo e aim en ails he ollowing objec i es: 1) o discuss he s a us o Li huanian
language echnologies in he mul ilingual Eu opean con ex ; 2) o ca y ou
he analysis o he empi ical da a collec ed in he s udy; 3) o de e mine he
majo s eng hs, weaknesses, oppo uni ies and h ea s unde lying he si ua ion
o he Li huanian language in he digi al en i onmen . The esea ch da a we e
collec ed7 in 2021–2022 in he amewo k o he p ojec “Eu opean Language
Equali y” unded by he Eu opean Commission8 (he eina e – ELE).
7 The au ho exp esses he g a i ude o he S a e Commission o he Li huanian Language, Vilnius
Uni e si y, Vy au as Magnus Uni e si y, Tilde IT o assis ance in he collec ion o da a abou
language esou ces.
8 Twen y- ou o icial languages and mo e han 60 egional and mino i y languages cons i u e he
ab ic o he EU’s linguis ic landscape. This p ojec answe s his call and lays he ounda ions o
a s a egic agenda and oadmap o making digi al language equali y a eali y in Eu ope by 2030.
The p ima y goal o ELE is o p epa e he Eu opean Language Equali y P og amme, in he o m
o a s a egic esea ch, inno a ion and implemen a ion agenda and a oadmap o achie ing ull
digi al language equali y in Eu ope by 2030. This p og amme was p epa ed join ly wi h he whole
Eu opean Language Technology, Compu a ional Linguis ics and language-cen ic AI communi y,
as well as wi h ep esen a i es o ele an ini ia i es and associa ions, language communi ies
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
188 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
The aim o he me ada a collec ion ac i i ies was o disco e he componen s
ha con ibu e o he le el o echnological suppo o he Li huanian language.
In he i s s age o he me ada a collec ion p ocess we ocused on Li huanian
language esou ces and echnologies, i.e., co po a a. k. a da ase s (collec ions o
aw o anno a ed, monolingual o bi-/mul ilingual, mono- o mul imodal, ex
segmen s o documen s, audio ansc ip s, sc ip s, audio and ideo eco dings,
e c., as well as lea ne co po a and sign language co po a); language desc ip ions
comp ising language models and compu a ional g amma s; lexical/concep ual
esou ces, comp ising compu a ional lexica, e minological da abases, gaze ee s,
on ologies, e m lis s, hesau i, e c.; ools/se ices: se ices o e ed h ough
he web, o he ne wo ks o unning in he cloud, bu also downloadable ools,
sou ce code, e c. (Giagkou, Pipe idis 2021: 9). These include basic NLP ools
o he Eu opean languages (mo phological analyse s, POS agge s, lemma ize s,
pa se s, e c.), au ho ing ools (e.g., spelling, g amma and s yle checke s),
ools/se ices o in o ma ion e ie al/ex ac ion/mining, ex and speech
analy ics, machine ansla ion, na u al language unde s anding and gene a ion,
speech echnologies, e c.). In he second s age, an addi ional ound o me ada a
collec ion was implemen ed. Du ing he second s age we ocused on iden i ying
LT s akeholde s in Eu ope and na ional and Eu opean LT- ocused p ojec s,
public unding o LT/NLP/AI, o any o he con ex ual ac o s ha may eme ge
om he p elimina y de ini ion o he ELE (Giagkou, Pipe idis 2021: 9).
The collec ed Li huanian language esou ces we e desc ibed unde he
single me ada a o m o be comple ed by all membe s o ELE, which included
he ollowing manda o y and ecommended elemen s. Manda o y elemen s:
esou ce ype (a classi ica ion o esou ces in o ypes: co po a, lexical/
concep ual esou ces, g amma s/(language) models, ools/se ices); esou ce
name (a human- eadable name o i le by which he esou ce is known); landing
page; desc ip ion (a sho ee- ex accoun ha p o ides in o ma ion abou
he esou ce); language(s) ( he language(s) co e ed by a co pus o lexical/
concep ual esou ce o he inpu language o a ool/se ice); co pus subclass;
lexical/concep ual esou ce subclass; subclass o g amma /model; media ype(s)
o pa s ( o co po a and lexical/concep ual esou ces only); media ype(s) o
inpu ( o ools/se ices only); language dependen ( o ools/se ices only),
e c. Recommended elemen s: esou ce sho name; unding ype; esou ce
publica ion yea ; licence; homepage o sou ce; o ganisa ion/p o ide : he
o ganisa ion esponsible o p o iding, cu a ing, main aining and making
a ailable he esou ce; e c.
and RML g oups (mo e in o ma ion abou he p ojec a ailable a : h ps://eu opean-language-
equali y.eu/abou /).

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Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
1. EUROPEAN LANGUAGE EQUALITY:
IS IT (IM)POSSIBLE?
The linguis ic landscape o he Eu opean Union (he eina e – he EU) is
ich and di e se. I is composed o 24 o icial languages and o e 60 na ional
and egional languages. This linguis ic and cul u al di e si y is an essen ial pa
o he he i age o e e y s a e, which is highly app ecia ed and p omo ed in he
EU, wi h a special ocus on mul ilingualism. Mul ilingualism as an EU alue is
guided by he mo o “Uni ed in di e si y”, which i s came in o use in 2000.9
The EU pays special a en ion o egional o mino i y languages d i en by i s
commi men o p o ec hem: “The Eu opean Cha e o Regional o Mino i y
Languages is he Eu opean con en ion o he p o ec ion and p omo ion
o languages used by adi ional mino i ies. Toge he wi h he F amewo k
Con en ion o he P o ec ion o Na ional Mino i ies i cons i u es he Council
o Eu ope’s commi men o he p o ec ion o na ional mino i ies”.10 The equali y
o Eu opean languages is unanimously ecognized as one o he EU’s g ea es
s eng hs. Howe e , i also poses a numbe o challenges, as e e y s a e is in a
di e en demog aphic, geopoli ical, cul u al, e c. si ua ion, and ine i ably aces
a ious ba ie s, including linguis ic; he e is a subs an ial di ide in he a ea o
language echnologies. I is also unde lined in he esolu ion adop ed by he
Eu opean Pa liamen “Language equali y in he digi al age”.11
The numbe s o he speake s o he o icial EU languages indica e (see Fig. 1)
ha he ollowing languages a e he op i e mos spoken languages: English
(app ox. 30%), Ge man (17%), F ench (15%), Spanish (8%), and I alian (7%).
The da a showing he dominan languages ( op i e) do no change i all he
languages o he EU a e e alua ed (e.g., see Fig. 2). I has been exp essly decla ed
since he EU came in o exis ence ha Eu ope e ains i s linguis ic and cul u al
di e si y; signi ican sums a e alloca ed o ha ma e (Rehm, Uszko ei 2013:
12–14). Howe e , he cu en si ua ion shows ha he languages wi h ewe
speake s s ill ace a ious language ba ie s, and i is con inuously discussed
how o educe his language inequali y by digi al means, as i is impossible o
lea n so many EU languages wi hou echnological suppo .
9 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://eu opean-union.eu opa.eu/p inciples-coun ies-his o y/
symbols/eu-mo o_l .
10 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://www.coe.in /en/web/eu opean-cha e - egional-o -
mino i y-languages?.
11 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://www.eu opa l.eu opa.eu/doceo/documen /TA-8-2018-
0332_EN.h ml.
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
190 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
Fig. 1: Numbe o speake s o he o icial EU languages 12
I we look a he si ua ion o Eu opean language equali y by he numbe o
speake s, we see ha all he EU languages can be g ouped as ollows: he mos
ulne able languages a e a he e y op (Fig. 2), and his lis o languages is
a he ex ensi e; we could ela i ely d aw a line up o Es onian. The middle
g oup is ep esen ed by he languages, which a e spoken by a a he low numbe
o speake s, bu ne e heless occupy highe posi ions by o he indica o s o
language echnologies and echnological suppo (Fig. 3). A he bo om, we
can see a lis o he o icial EU languages aking up he s onges posi ion by he
numbe o speake s and by o he indica o s (see u he ). I espec i e o he ac
ha egionally ecognised languages can unc ion on equal e ms wi h o he EU
languages, he assump ion conce ning he s onges s a us o o icial languages
should no be ejec ed, and he echnological di ide is s ill e y la ge.
12 Da a om: h ps://eu opean-language-equali y.eu/languages/.
S aipsniai / A icles 191
Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
Fig. 2: Numbe o speake s o he EU languages
The la es 2022 da a on language esou ces and he suppo alloca ed o hei
de elopmen (see Fig. 3) show ha English is s ill he bes suppo ed language.
F ench, Ge man and Spanish also compe e, and hei esul s a e simila o English
in some dimensions. O he o icial EU languages a e mode a ely suppo ed; ye
some languages ha e only weak o no suppo . Na ional o egional languages
also ecei e agmen a y suppo ; o he languages a e bo de line cases by
he le el o suppo . The analysis yields a gene al conclusion ha no na u al
language is op imally suppo ed by echnologies, i.e., he equi ed le el o
suppo has no been achie ed o any language, no e en English (Gaidienė,
Tamulionienė 2022: 17).
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
192 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
Fig. 3: S a e o echnology suppo , in 2022 (Figu e om: Gaidienė, Tamulionienė
2022: 17). Ligh g ey: weak/no suppo ; g ey: agmen a y suppo ; da k g ey: good
suppo
S aipsniai / A icles 199
Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
speech ecogni ion ool,54 he au oma ic documen summa y se ice,55 he
iden i ied en i y ecogni ion ool (Guidelines 2020).
2.3. Co po a
Li huania p oceeds o c ea e and de elop he gene al language da a and
esou ces equi ed o p oduce language echnologies and hei applica ions.
The e a e se e al co po a in Li huania which a e domina ed by anno a ed
co po a (91%) wi h ex (96%) as he media ype o pa s aking he lead.
The Co pus o he Con empo a y Li huanian Language56 is he la ges co pus o
he Li huanian language. I includes 140,921,288 wo ds ( ic ion – 11.6%, non-
ic ion – 14.2%, adminis a i e li e a u e – 10%, publica ions – 63.8%, spoken
language – 0.3%). The compila ion o he co pus began in 1992, and was las
upda ed in 2011.
The e a e also mo phologically and syn ac ically anno a ed co po a. The
olume o Mo phologically Anno a ed Li huanian Co pus MATAS57 is 1.6 million
wo ds (36% o ex s om pe iodicals, 24% o ex s om scien i ic li e a u e, 19%
o ex s om ic ion, 2.8% o adminis a i e ex s, 6.8% o e ba im epo s o he
Pa liamen o he Republic o Li huania). The co pus was p oduced in a semi-
au oma ic manne and he ou comes we e e iewed by linguis s. The co pus
e ealed he la ge-scale mo phological polysemy o he Li huanian language, i.e.,
nea ly hal o all he o ms a e mo phologically polysemous. The la es e sion o
he Li huanian T eebank ALKSNIS 58 (ALKSNIS 3.0) ea u es 3,643 syn ac ically
anno a ed sen ences in he PML (P ague Ma k-up Language) o ma .
Se e al pa allel co po a we e launched in Li huania. Pa allel Co pus59
con ains Czech-Li huanian wo ds (20.29%), English-Li huanian wo ds (76.6%),
Li huanian-Czech wo ds (0.8%) and Li huanian-English wo ds (2.31%). LILA
pa allel Co pus60 was c ea ed in a semi-au oma ic manne whe e ex s a e
aligned a a pa ag aph and sen ence le el. The co pus consis s o he ex s
published in 1991 o la e . The o al olume o he co pus is 8,782,050 wo ds:
54 A ailable a : h p://ha espeech. du.l .
55 A ailable a : h ps://www.seman ika.l /Analysis/Summa y.
56 A ailable a : h p:// eks ynas. du.l / eks ynas/.
57 A ailable a : h ps://klc. du.l /ma as-mo ologiskai-ano uo as- eks ynas/.
58 A ailable a : h ps://klc. du.l /alksnis-sin aksiskai-ano uo as- eks ynas/.
59 A ailable a : h ps://klc. du.l /lygiag e us- eks ynas/.
60 A ailable a : h ps://klc. du.l /lila-lygiag e usis- eks ynas/.

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
200 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
Li huanian-La ian ex s occupy he majo pa (3,448,745 wo ds), whe eas
La ian-Li huanian ex s accoun o hal he numbe (1,695,160 wo ds). Such
an asymme ic composi ion o da a esul ed om he highe numbe o ex s
ansla ed om Li huanian in o La ian han ice e sa in ecen yea s.
The e a e also o he ypes o co po a, e.g., The Co pus o he Spoken Li huanian
Language,61 The compendium o ex book ex s KLASIUS62; The Co pus o he Old
Li huanian Language63; Co ALi 64: Co pus Academicum Li huanicum, e c.
Open access o he da a o mos o he co po a is ensu ed.
In summa y, he p oduc ion and de elopmen o he exis ing digi al language
esou ces and ools/se ices e idenced a ema kable p og ess in Li huania;
he e a e e en se e al in as uc u es o Li huanian language esou ces and
ools/se ices (E. KALBA, RAŠTIJA.LT, e c.), gi ing a ee access o di e en
digi al dic iona ies, lexicons, e c. and p o iding a ious speech-con olled
se ices, he basic analyses o he digi al ex s in Li huanian, ee open-code
ools, e c. Va ious co po a and machine ansla ion sys ems a e p oduced and
u he de eloped. Ne e heless, he e is a sho age o mul imedia language
da a, pa allel co po a gea ed o machine y ansla ion, a ious speech co po a,
e c. As o ex seman ics, he e a e s ill gaps, as quali a i e wo dne s, on ologies,
e c. a e lacking. The a ea o g amma is cu en ly a he abandoned: he e is a
sho age o digi al g amma s and o he echnological ools ha may con ibu e
o he de elopmen o language echnologies and hei highe quali y.
3. SITUATION OF LITHUANIAN IN
THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT:
STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES,
OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS
The s a us o Li huanian in he digi al en i onmen was e alua ed aking
in o accoun he main a ailable da abase o documen s, as well as na ional
in as uc u es o language esou ces and echnologies and main conso ia,
ede a ions and p ojec s. The main documen s and esou ces a e desc ibed in
de ail (see Guidelines 2020). This a icle aims o desc ibe hem in gene al e ms in
o de o ace he o igins o he s eng hs, weaknesses, oppo uni ies, and h ea s.
61 A ailable a : h p://saky inis eks ynas. du.l .
62 A ailable a : h ps:// aš ija.l / esu so-ka alogas/klasius- 2/.
63 A ailable a : h p://co ali .l /node/1.
64 A ailable a : h p://co ali .l .
S aipsniai / A icles 201
Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
3.1. The Li huanian go e nmen and o he s a e ins i u ions suppo se e al
p og ams o p omo e a ange o linguis ic esea ch and dissemina ion. The
ollowing a e alid documen s on language echnology policies in Li huania:
1) The Guidelines o he De elopmen o he Li huanian Language in he Digi al
En i onmen and he P og ess o Language Technologies o 2021–202765 ( o mo e
in o ma ion, see page 2); 2) The Li huanian A i icial In elligence S a egy: A Vision
o he Fu u e (2018)66 issued by he Minis y o he Economy and Inno a ion o
he Republic o Li huania. The aim o he s a egy is “ o Li huania o become a
egional leade on he basis o he exis ing esou ces, expe ience and po en ial.
I aims o inc ease Li huania’s compe i i eness among he EU coun ies and
o ensu e i s success ul pa icipa ion in he global AI ecosys em” (AI S a egy
2018); 3) The s a egy o Li huania’s ad ancemen “Lie u a 2030”.67 This s a egy
ou lines he “ ision and de elopmen p io i ies o he s a e as well as he di ec ions
o hei implemen a ion un il 2030. I is he main planning documen ha mus
be aken in o accoun in s a egic decisions and he p epa a ion o s a e plans
o p og ams” (S a egy 2012). On 2 July 2021, he Eu opean Commission ga e
i s g een ligh o he Li huania’s eco e y and esilience plan. “The ans o ma i e
impac o Li huania’s plan is he esul o a s ong combina ion o e o ms and
in es men s which add ess he speci ic challenges o Li huania”.68
3.2. Li huania has se e al na ional echnology and language da a in as uc u es:
1) RAŠTIJA LT69 is he sys em o in eg a ed Li huanian language and w i ing
esou ces, p oduc s and se ices de eloped by he Ins i u e o Ma hema ics and
In o ma ics o Vilnius Uni e si y: knowledge base, sea ch ools, e c.; 2) CLARIN-
LT70 – he Li huanian Na ional Conso ium (membe o CLARIN-ERIC)
es ablished in 2015. I cu en ly consis s o 5 esea ch ins i u ions: Vy au as
Magnus Uni e si y (coo dina o ), Kaunas Uni e si y o Technology, Vilnius
Uni e si y, Mykolas Rome is Uni e si y and he Bal ic Ins i u e o Ad anced
Technologies; 3) E. KALBA71 – he Li huanian language esou ces in o ma ion
sys em managed by he Ins i u e o he Li huanian Language. In his sys em one can
ind nine monolingual and en bilingual dic iona ies, a ious iles and da abases
65 A ailable a : h ps://e-seimas.l s.l /po al/legalAc /l /TAD/911407 20ee911ebbedbd
456d2 b030d.
66 A ailable a : h ps://eimin.l .l /uploads/eimin/documen s/ iles/DI_s a egija_LT(1).pd .
67 A ailable a : h ps://e-seimas.l s.l /po al/legalAc /l /TAD/TAIS.425517.
68 A ailable a : h ps://ec.eu opa.eu/in o/business-economy-eu o/ eco e y-co ona i us/ eco e y-
and- esilience- acili y/li huanias- eco e y-and- esilience-plan_en.
69 A ailable a : h ps:// aš ija.l .
70 A ailable a : h p://cla in-l .l .
71 A ailable a : h ps://ekalba.l .
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
202 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
(dialec a chi e; geoin o ma ion da abase o Li huanian place names, e c.), as well
as elec onic se ices (sea ch in he Ne wo k o Meanings, E-Concep s, Opinion
Analyze , e c.); 4) SEMANTIKA72 – he Li huanian Syn ac ic and Seman ic
Analysis In o ma ion Sys em (LSSAIS), which “is a unique language echnology
in as uc u e and s a e in o ma ion sys em p o iding speech ecogni ion and
ex analysis se ices o he Li huanian language. Vy au as Magnus Uni e si y
is he manage o he in o ma ion sys em”.73
3.3. Main conso ia, ede a ions and p ojec s, which Li huania belongs o o
pa icipa es in. The ep esen a i es o Eu opean Fede a ion o Na ional Ins i u ions
o Language (EFNIL) in Li huania a e he Ins i u e o he Li huanian Language
and he S a e Commission o he Li huanian Language. The Fede a ion pays
pa icula a en ion o he languages o he EU Membe S a es and he linguis ic
di e si y o Eu ope.74 Eu opean Language Resou ce Coo dina ion (ELRC)
“manages, main ains and coo dina es he ele an language esou ces in all
o icial languages o he EU and CEF associa ed coun ies. These ac i i ies will
help o imp o e he quali y, co e age and pe o mance o au oma ed ansla ion
solu ions in he con ex o cu en and u u e CEF digi al se ices”.75 Common
Language Resou ces and Technology In as uc u e (CLARIN-ERIC) is “a esea ch
in as uc u e ha was ini ia ed om he ision ha all digi al language
esou ces and ools om all o e Eu ope and beyond a e accessible h ough an
online en i onmen o he suppo o esea che s in he humani ies and social
sciences”.76 CLARIN-LT is a Li huanian na ional conso ium coo dina ed by
Vy au as Magnus Uni e si y, which has been a membe o CLARIN-ERIC.
Eu opean Language G id (ELG) “de elops and deploys a scalable cloud pla o m,
p o iding, in an easy- o-in eg a e way, access o hund eds o comme cial and
non-comme cial Language Technologies o all Eu opean languages, including
unning ools and se ices as well as da a se s and esou ces”.77 Since 2019,
ELG has been ep esen ed in Li huania by he Ins i u e o he Li huanian
Language. The p ima y goal o Eu opean Language Equali y (ELE) is “ o p epa e
he Eu opean Language Equali y P og amme, in he o m o a s a egic esea ch,
inno a ion and implemen a ion agenda and a oadmap o achie ing ull digi al
72 A ailable a : h ps://www.seman ika.l .
73 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://www.seman ika.l /Help/Abou .
74 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h p://www.e nil.o g.
75 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://www.l -coo dina ion.eu.
76 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://www.cla in.eu.
77 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://www.eu opean-language-g id.eu.
S aipsniai / A icles 203
Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
language equali y in Eu ope by 2030”.78 Since 2021, ELE has been ep esen ed
in Li huania by he Ins i u e o he Li huanian Language.
Du ing he pe iod o 2014–2020, he unding o he implemen a ion
o Li huanian language solu ions in he digi al space was ecei ed om he
Ope a ional P og amme o he EU Funds In es men s, p io i y axis 2 (P omo ing
he In o ma ion Socie y). Fi e p ojec s we e launched in 2018: “De elopmen
o Li huanian Speech-Con olled Se ices” (LIEPA-2), “De elopmen o he
Public Se ices o he In o ma ion Sys em o Syn ac ic-Seman ic Analysis
o Li huanian Tex s” (SEMANTIKA-2), “Enhancemen and De elopmen o
Machine T ansla ion Sys ems and Localisa ion Se ices”, “De elopmen o he
In o ma ion Sys em o In eg a ed Li huanian Language and W i en Resou ces
(RAŠTIJA 2), and “De elopmen o he In o ma ion Sys em o Li huanian
Language Resou ces” (E. KALBA). A o al o 21 public e-se ices we e c ea ed
by he end o 2020. Resea ch and educa ional es ablishmen s and business
en e p ises we e he mos ac i e pa icipan s in he p og amme (Guidelines
2020). In addi ion o he abo e p ojec s, o he language echnology p ojec s
unded by he EU s uc u al unds, he Eu opean Commission, na ional p ojec
unds, e c. we e implemen ed as well.
3.4. A SWOT (s eng hs, weaknesses, oppo uni ies and h ea s) analysis is
p o ided in he P og amme o he Li huanian Language in In o ma ion Socie y
o 2007–2010 app o ed by he Seimas o he Republic o Li huania.79 I is an
excellen s a ing poin o he analysis o he cu en si ua ion. I is g a i ying
ha a ema kable p og ess has been made, and mos o he weaknesses o h ea s
o ha pe iod ha e long been elimina ed and o go en. Signi ican p og ess has
been made in adap ing he Li huanian language o he digi al en i onmen : a
numbe o digi al language esou ces and basic language analysis ools ha e been
de eloped, complex online language se ices ha e been c ea ed, an on ology o
he Li huanian language has been de eloped and localiza ion o many compu e
p og ams and ools has been achie ed. Compu e applica ions ele an o
he socie y ha e been localised, compu e e ms s anda dised. Li huanian
esea che s ac i ely pa icipa e and coope a e in he mobili y ac i i ies o
in e na ional associa ions. Many Li huanian language specialis s ocus on he
ield o in o ma ion echnology and sys ema ically de elop inno a i e wo k in
his a ea. Li huania is e y in e es ed o ha e a ull access o digi al solu ions o
all ci izens, which makes he adap a ion o access o esou ces o pe sons wi h
disabili y e y impo an (Gaidienė, Tamulionienė 2022: 17–18).
78 Mo e in o ma ion a ailable a : h ps://eu opean-language-equali y.eu.
79 A ailable a : h ps://e-seimas.l s.l /po al/legalAc /l /TAD/TAIS.294883?j wid=32w 9h0y.
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
204 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
The gene al analysis o he cu en s a us o Eu opean languages, he
inno a ions coming up on a daily basis, he g owing needs o socie y, e c. a e
posing new challenges and open new oppo uni ies as well as new h ea s.
Li huania s ill lacks language esou ces in he elec onic en i onmen o
as e in eg a ion o he Li huanian language and In o ma ion Technologies,
as well as s anda ds o managing he Li huanian language wi h In o ma ion
Technologies. The e is a wide ange o ele an so wa e ha has no ye been
Li huanianized and adap ed o he needs o socie y; i is necessa y o u he
ensu e he uni o m use o compu e e ms, ocabula y and ph ases in so wa e,
and o con inue o ake ca e o he use o he spoken Li huanian language
(speech) in he elec onic, compu e , and compu e ized de ice en i onmen .
A a na ional le el, a clea legal amewo k is essen ial o ensu e an equal
ea men o esea ch (non-comme cial and comme cial) inno a ion based
on he au oma ic ex ac ion and analysis o da a om elec onic uns uc u ed
in o ma ion sou ces ( ex s). Only a e a su icien amoun o ele an esou ces
e lec ing he phenomena o he cu en Li huanian language has been ga he ed,
will i be possible o de elop e ec i e ools o he applica ion o he Li huanian
language in In o ma ion Technologies. Pa icula a en ion mus be paid o
adap ing o he oppo uni ies and needs o all consume s, so as no o p og am
social exclusion, which will ha e i s implica ions on he socie y as a whole.
I is impo an o c ea e Li huanian in e aces ha would di ec ly educe he
social linguis ic seg ega ion, p omo e he legal use o so wa e, and educe he
gap wi h he old EU membe s a es in he use o In o ma ion Technology. I is
also impo an o c ea e condi ions o he use o he Li huanian language on
compu e s, compu e -con olled de ices, compu e s con olled in he spoken
Li huanian language (speech), o imp o e he means o compu e oice con ol
so ha disabled people and o he pe sons should ha e an un es ic ed access
o elec onic se ices. Compu a ional linguis ics and language echnologies, as
a sepa a e subjec , a e no ye es ablished in he Li huanian e ia y educa ion
sys em. No uni e si y o e s language echnology s udies a all le els. This
needs o change (Gaidienė, Tamulionienė 2022).
In Li huania, he e is a need o inc ease he compe ence o specialis s wo king
in he ield o language echnologies and o aise he le el o he socie y’s abili y
o use he oppo uni ies ha language echnologies ha e o o e . I is also
impo an o ain specialis s who know he speci ics o language and in o ma ion
echnologies, o inance undamen al and applied esea ch, o suppo scien i ic
and echnical in as uc u es. Mo eo e , i is c ucial o accumula e and inc ease
he a ailabili y o open, eliable, high-quali y, sus ainable digi al language
esou ces and o he digi al language da ase s. The e is a need o de elop he
language echnology in as uc u e, he applica ion o language echnologies

S aipsniai / A icles 205
Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
in he public sec o and public se ices, eaching and lea ning ins i u ions, and
o de elop and imp o e publicly a ailable IT solu ions and ools. Li huania
needs o become e en mo e ac i ely in ol ed in he Eu opean Communi y and
o he in e na ional language echnology p og ams. I is impo an o upda e
in as uc u es wi h he necessa y digi al esou ces, o upg ade and main ain
in as uc u e ha dwa e, o in eg a e in as uc u es in o la ge na ional,
Eu opean and in e na ional language esou ce sys ems, and o ensu e he
openness o echnologies and da a s o ed he ein (Guidelines 2020).
To sum up, he de elopmen o language echnologies is essen ial o
Li huanian as well as any o he language. To achie e p ospe i y in his a ea,
Li huania should wo k on he de elopmen s ha we e and we e no co e ed in
his a icle. To achie e he goals, i is necessa y o uni e he e o s o he s a e,
science and business.
CONCLUSIONS
A e a e iew o he si ua ion o Li huanian language echnologies in he
mul ilingual Eu opean con ex and a sys ema ic analysis o he Li huanian
language esou ces and ools/se ices, we may o mula e se e al majo
conclusions conce ning he s a us o he Li huanian language in he digi al
en i onmen .
1. The esul s show ha a signi ican p og ess has been made in Li huania
since 2012 in de eloping a ious digi al language esou ces and ools/se ices.
Though Li huanian is g ouped as he language wi h a low numbe o speake s,
i is p og essing apidly in he a ea o language echnologies. As o digi al
esou ces and ools/se ices, he e a e s ill a eas equi ing u he ad ances.
Though a numbe o Li huanian language digi al esou ces a e al eady
a ailable, conside ing he demands o language echnologies and o he
public, new monolingual dic iona ies (dic iona ies o synonyms, an onyms,
ph aseology, e c.) and bilingual dic iona ies as well as a ious lexicons s ill ha e
o be de eloped o upda ed. On ologies, wo dne s, co po a ha e o be enla ged
and expanded; mul ilingual pa allel co po a equi ed o machine ansla ion
need o be de eloped, e c. Conce ning e minology, addi ional and upda ed
compendia o e ms a e needed; he s uc u e and echnological solu ions o
he da abases o e ms a y, making i mo e di icul o u ilize da a o o he
echnological solu ions; he e is also a sho age o open e minological da a.
Li huanian is in need o digi al g amma s, anno a ed speech da abases and o he
esou ces ha would accele a e he p og ess o language echnologies.
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
206 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
2. A ema kable p og ess has been achie ed in language echnologies in
Li huania, bu he inno a ions showing up e e y minu e, he g owing needs,
e c. no only open new oppo uni ies and challenges bu also show weaknesses
and h ea s.
2.1. The in as uc u e o open-access language esou ces is s ill unde
de elopmen in Li huania; he cul u e o da a sha ing is s ill s alling; he
ques ions o licencing a e s ill pending: he egula ions o in ellec ual p ope y
igh s and he GDPR need o be mo e lexible and pe mi ing a wide use o
he da a, which a e subjec o in ellec ual p ope y igh s, o he de elopmen
o language echnologies and esou ces so ha au ho s’ in e es s would no be
in inged.
2.2. The equi ed human esou ces a e lacking in Li huania: he e is a sho age
o IT specialis s and esea che s wo king in he ield o language echnologies;
he e a e no specialized s udy p og ams.
2.3. The de elopmen o Li huanian language echnologies equi es a s ong
na ional and in e na ional suppo , including ele an long- e m language
echnology p og ams suppo ing esea ch and business on equal e ms. I is
impo an o synch onize na ional and in e na ional ac i i ies, wi h due ega d
o esea ch in as uc u e and esea ch p io i ies.
2.4. Wha would happen in Li huania i he de elopmen o language
echnologies s opped al oge he ? Why is i epea edly highligh ed by he EU
ha language equali y can be achie ed h ough p omo ing he echnological
de elopmen o all EU languages? The e is a b oad consensus on he s eng h
o language di e si y and on he impac o na i e language echnologies on
he p o ec ion o linguis ic and cul u al di e si y. The e o e, i no ac ions a e
aken in his a ea, he echnological, linguis ic di ide would inc ease and he
p es ige o he Li huanian language would educe, Li huania would no longe
be compe i i e in he a eas o a i icial in elligence and o he cu ing-edge
echnologies; o he o eign languages would g adually occupy he place o
Li huanian in he digi al en i onmen .
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AI s a egy 2018: The Li huanian A i icial In elligence S a egy: A ision o he u u e.
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Gaidienė Anželika, Tamulionienė Au elija 2022: Repo on he Li huanian
Language. A ailable a : h ps://eu opean-language-equali y.eu/wp-con en /
uploads/2022/03/ELE___Deli e able_D1_23__Language_Repo _Li huanian_.pd .
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Eu opean Language Equali y in he Digi al Age:
The Case o Li huania
Giagkou Ma ia, Pipe idis S elios 2021: Eu opean Language Equali y. Guidelines
o T1.3 con ibu o s. In e nal o ELE ne wo k.
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h ps://www.e- a .l /po al/l /legalAc /71152ab00eee11ebb74de75171d26d52.
Ja osla ienė Ju gi a, Miliūnai ė Ri a 2020: Be ibis lie u ių kalbos pasaulis
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Eu opos kalbų lygybė skai meniniame amžiuje:
Lie u os a ejis
SANTRAUKA
S aipsnyje ašoma apie lie u ių kalbos echnologijų būklę, supažindinama su Eu opos
kalbų lygybės skai meninėje e pėje si uacija. Nag inėjami kiekybiniai i kokybiniai kal-
bų lygybę a skleidžian ys odikliai Eu opos Sąjungos kon eks e, a siž elgian į kalbė ojų,
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ,  AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
208 Ac a Linguis ica Li huanica LXXXVI
skai meninių kalbos iš eklių i echnologijų skaičių bei joms eikiamą pa amą, ypa ingą
dėmesį ski ian Lie u os a ejo analizei. Šiuo s aipsniu siekiama pab ėž i iki šiol kalbų
echnologijų s i yje a lik ą da bą i iš yškin i sp agas bei a skleis i išbandymus, su ku iais
susidu ia i juos sp endžia o iciali nacionalinė i Eu opos Sąjungos kalba – lie u ių kalba.
S aipsnyje pa eikiama naujausia lie u ių kalbos echnologijų padė ies apž alga analizuojan
skai meninius kalbos iš eklius i į ankius / paslaugas.
Gau i ezul a ai odo, kad nuo 2012 m. Lie u oje pada y a didžiulė pažanga plė ojan
į ai ius skai meninius kalbos iš eklius i į ankius / paslaugas. No s lie u ių kalba y a p i-
ski iama p ie mažai kalbė ojų u inčių kalbų, ji gana spa čiai obulėja kalbos echnologijų
s i yje. Nepaisan o, kad esama suku a nemažai lie u ių kalbos skai meninių iš eklių, a si-
ž elgian į kalbos echnologijų i isuomenės po eikius, bū ina ku i i a naujin i ienakal-
bius (sinonimų, an onimų, azeologijos i pan.) i d ikalbius žodynus, į ai ius leksikonus.
Bū ina gausin i i plės i į ai iais kalbos duomenimis on ologijas, žodžių inklus, eks ynus,
ku i mašininiam e imui eikalingus keliakalbius lygiag ečiuosius eks ynus i k . Kalban
apie e miniją, ūks a daugiau i naujesnių e minų inkinių, e minų bazių s uk ū a i
echnologiniai sp endimai ski iasi, o ai apsunkina galimybes panaudo i duomenis ki iems
echnologiniams sp endiniams, aip pa ūks a a i ųjų e minologinių duomenų. Lie u ių
kalbai labai ūks a skai meninių g ama ikų, ano uo ų ga synų i ki ų iš eklių, ku ie p isi-
dė ų p ie spa esnės kalbos echnologijų pažangos.
Lie u oje is da a koma a i ųjų p ieigų kalbos iš eklių in as uk ū a, ne isai iš-
sp ęs i licencija imo klausimai – in elek inės nuosa ybės eisių i BDAR eglamen ai, ku ie
u i bū i lanks esni i leidžian ys plačiau naudo i in elek inės nuosa ybės eisėmis apsaugo-
us duomenis kalbos echnologijų plė ai i iš eklius aip, kad nebū ų pažeis i au o ių in e-
esai. Lie u oje ūks a bū inųjų žmogiškųjų iš eklių: ūks a kalbų echnologijų IT specia-
lis ų, aip pa šios s i ies mokslininkų, nė a specializuo ų s udijų p og amų. Lie u ių kalbos
echnologijų plė ai eikalinga s ip i nacionalinė i a p au inė pa ama, įskai an am ski as
ilgalaikes kalbų echnologijų p og amas, ku ios ienodai emia iek mokslinių y imų, iek
e slo eiklą. S a bu sinch onizuo i nacionalinę i a p au inę eiklą, ypač mokslinių y i-
mų in as uk ū os i mokslinių y imų p io i e ų a ž ilgiu.
Į eik a 2022 m. gegužės 18 d.
ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ
AURELIJA TAMULIONIENĖ
Lie u ių kalbos ins i u as
Pe o Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius, Lie u a
[email protected]
au elija. [email p o ec ed]