Uralic languages facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Uralic
Geographic distribution:	Eastern and Northern Europe, North Asia, Siberia
Linguistic classification:	One of the world's major language families (possibly Uralo-Siberian family)
Proto-language:	Proto-Uralic
Subdivisions:	Finnic Hungarian Khanty Mansi Mari Mordvinic Permic Sami Samoyedic
ISO 639-5:	urj
Finnic      Sami      Mordvinic      Mari      Permic      Ugric      Samoyedic

The Uralic languages are a language family. They were originally spoken in Eastern Europe and Asia but originated somewhere in eastern Siberia near Lake Baikal.

There are two modern main kinds: the Samoyedic languages and the Finno-Ugric languages.

Origin

The proto-Uralic languages and the early Uralic people originated somewhere in eastern Siberia or possibly Northeast Asia. They were closely related to other Siberian and East Asian but also Inuit people. They migrated into central Siberia and then about 3,000 years ago started to migrate to the Baltic region in northeastern Europe. They assimilated many Paleo-European tribes. Genetic and anthropologic studies show that the early Uralic people were similar to various Siberian and East Asian people (Mongoloids).

External relations

The distribution of the Uralo-Siberian family.

Several linguists and geneticists suggest that the Uralic languages are related to various Siberian languages and possibly also some languages of northern Native Americans. A proposed family is named Uralo-Siberian. It includes Uralic, Yukaghir, Eskimo–Aleut (Inuit), possibly Nivkh and Chukotko-Kamchatkan.

List of Uralic languages

• Finno-Ugric languages
  • Hungarian
  • Khanty
  • Mansi
  • Estonian
  • Finnish
  • Karelian
  • Livonian
  • Votic
  • Ingrian
  • Saami
  • Erzya
  • Moksha
  • Mari
  • Udmurt
  • Komi
  • Samoyedic languages
  • Nenets

Images for kids

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  Uralic languages (Meänkieli, Kven and Ludic are debated)

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  The Uralic/Siberian origin of Hungarians was long hypothesized by European scholars. Here, Sigismund von Herberstein's 1549 map of Moscovia shows in the top right "Yugra from where the Hungarians originated" (Iuhra inde ungaroru origo), east of the Ob River. The Ural Mountains in the middle of the maps are labeled Montes dicti Cingulus Terræ ("The mountains called the Girdle of the Earth")

See also

In Spanish: Lenguas urálicas para niños