Samoyedic Languages - Classification

Classification

The language and respective ethnic groups are traditionally divided into Taiga, Tundra, and Mountain groups, and further into Northern and Southern groups; these are areal rather than genealogical groupings.

Northern / Tundra Samoyed (areal)

• Nganasan (Tavgy, Tavgi, Tawgi, Tawgi-Samoyed)
• Enets–Nenets
  • Enets (Yenets, Yenisei-Samoyed)
  • †Yurats, transitional between Enets and Nenets
  • Nenets (Yurak), divided in in two closely related languages or dialects:
    • Forest Nenets
    • Tundra Nenets

Southern Samoyed (areal)

• Selkup / Taiga (Ostyak-Samoyed), divided in divergent dialects:
  • Taz Selkup
  • Tym Selkup
  • Ket Selkup
• Sayan / Mountain Samoyed
  • †Kamassian (Kamas)
  • †Mator (Motor, Taigi, Karagas)

Genealogical classifications point to an early divergence of Nganasan and (perhaps to a lesser degree) Mator, with Enets–Nenets–Yurats and Kamas–Selkup forming internal branches. (Janhunen 1998)

Nganasan

†Mator

Core Samoyedic

• Enets–Nenets
  • Enets (Yenets, Yenisei-Samoyed)
  • †Yurats
  • Nenets (Yurak)
    • Forest Nenets
    • Tundra Nenets
• Kamas–Selkup
  • †Kamassian (Kamas)
  • Selkup (Ostyak-Samoyed)
    • Taz Selkup
    • Tym Selkup
    • Ket Selkup