Uralic Languages - Classification of Languages

Classification of Languages

Relative numbers of speakers of Uralic languages
Hungarian   56%
Finnish   20%
Estonian   4.2%
Erzya   2.8%
Moksha   2.5%
Mari   2%
Udmurt   1.9%
Komi   1.6%
Other   8.9%

The Uralic family currently comprises nine undisputed language groups. These are not necessarily primary branches of Uralic, but there is no consensus classification. (Some of the proposals are listed in the next section.) Obsolete names are displayed in italics.

  • Finnic (Fennic, Baltic Finnic, Balto-Finnic, Balto-Fennic)
  • Hungarian (Magyar)
  • Khanty (Ostyak, Handi, Hantõ)
  • Mansi (Vogul)
  • Mari (Cheremis)
  • Mordvinic (Mordvin, Mordvinian)
  • Permic (Permian)
  • Sami (Samic, Saamic, Lappic, Lappish)
  • Samoyedic (Samoyed)

There is also historical evidence of a number of extinct languages of uncertain affiliation:

  • Merya
  • Muromian
  • Meshcherian (until 16th century?)

Read more about this topic:  Uralic Languages

Famous quotes containing the word languages:

    “The less sophisticated of my forbears avoided foreigners at all costs, for the very good reason that, in their circles, speaking in tongues was commonly a prelude to snake handling. The more tolerant among us regarded foreign languages as a kind of speech impediment that could be overcome by willpower.”
    —Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)