Finnougric

Finno-Ugric is a traditional designation for a subdivision of the Uralic language family that groups together the Finnic languages and the Ugric languages. The Finnic group includes Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, and several minority languages such as Sámi, Võro, and Veps; the Ugric group comprises Hungarian, Khanty, and Mansi. The term is common in historical and ethnolinguistic literature, but its status as a strict genetic clade is disputed among linguists.

In contemporary Uralic classification, Finno-Ugric is not universally accepted as a single branch. Some researchers treat it as a valid unit or use the broader Finnic–Ugric label, while others argue for a looser arrangement within the larger Uralic family. Revisions reflect ongoing work on subgrouping, contact, and ancient migrations.

Finno-Ugric languages are spoken across northern Europe and western Siberia. The best-known languages are Hungarian, Finnish, and Estonian. Other significant languages include Sámi varieties, Karelian, Veps, and the Ugric languages Khanty and Mansi. Many minority languages face language endangerment due to shifting demographics and policy in multilingual states.

Linguistic characteristics commonly associated with Finno-Ugric languages include agglutinative morphology with extensive case systems and, in many Finnic languages, vowel harmony. Hungarian features extensive affixation and a complex case system. Written forms use Latin script for most languages (including Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian, and Sámi varieties) with diacritics; some Ugric languages have used Cyrillic in past periods. The Finno-Ugric grouping remains a topic of scholarly discussion rather than a universally settled classification.