The Samoyedic languages (/sæmɵˈjɛdɨk/ or /ˈsæmɵjɛd/) are spoken on both sides of the Ural mountains, in northernmost Eurasia, by approximately 30,000 speakers altogether.
The Samoyedic languages derive from a common ancestral language called Proto-Samoyedic, and they form a branch of the Uralic languages. They are not a diverse group of languages, having separated perhaps in the last centuries BC (Janhunen 1998), and are traditionally considered to be an outgroup, branching off first from the other Uralic languages.
Read more about Samoyedic Languages: Etymology, Classification, Geographical Distribution
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“I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigree of nations.”
—Samuel Johnson (17091784)