Finno-Ugric languages (original) (raw)

The Finno-Ugric languages are a subfamily of the Uralic languages. It consists of several languages, notably Finnish, Hungarian and Estonian. Contrary to most of the languages spoken in Europe, the Finno-Ugric languages are not part of the Indo-European family of languages.

The ancestor of the modern Finno-Ugric languages, the so-called Proto Finno-Ugric was spoken about 5000 years ago on the western side of the Ural mountains. There is evidence that before the arrival of Slavonic tribes to their present territory in Russia, a sprinkling of Finno-Ugrians inhabited the whole territory from the Urals to the Baltic Sea.

The Finno-Ugric subfamily of the Uralic languages has the following members:

• Finno-permic
  • Finno-cheremisic
    * Finno-mordvinic
    * Finno-Lappic
    * Baltic Finnic:
    * Finnish
    * Estonian
    * Karelian
    * Me�nkieli
    * Veps - In danger of extinction
    * Livonian - Almost extinct
    * Votic - Almost extinct
    * Izhorian - Almost extinct
    * Ingrian Finnish
    * Lappic
    * Saami (or Lappish)
    * Mordvin
    * Erzya-Mordvin
    * Moksha-Mordvin
    * Mari or Cheremis
  • Permic group:
    * Udmurt or Votyak
    * Komi-Permyak
    * Komi-Zyrian
• Ugric
  • Hungarian
  • Ob Ugric
    * Khanty or Ostyak, see Khant
    * Mansi or Vogul