Latvian language
Latvian ("Latviešu valoda" ) is a Baltic language spoken in the Baltic region. It is the language of Latvians and the official language of Latvia as well as one of the official languages of the European Union. It is sometimes known in English as Lettish, and cognates of the word remain the most commonly used name for the Latvian language in Germanic languages other than English. There are about 1.3 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and 100,000 abroad. Altogether, 2 million, or 80% of the population of Latvia, speak Latvian. Of those, 1.16 million or 56% use it as their primary language at home. The use of the Latvian language in various areas of social life in Latvia is increasing.
Russian language in Latvia
In 1989 Russian was the native language to 42% inhabitants, including 8% of population who were non-Russians, while 39% inhabitants spoke it fluently as a second language. From 1989 to 1990 an average of 47.5% pupils had enrolled in schools with Russian as the language of tuition, and the number was even higher (69.3%) in urban centers, suggesting that not only an overwhelming majority of non-Latvians, but also some Latvians had enrolled in Russian-language schools.