ProtoSami

ProtoSami is a hypothetical reconstructed language, theorized to be the ancestor of the Sami languages spoken in northern Europe. Like Proto-Indo-European or Proto-Germanic, ProtoSami is not attested in written records and exists only as a reconstruction by linguists based on comparative analysis of its descendant languages. The primary goal of reconstructing ProtoSami is to understand the historical development and relationships among the various Sami languages, such as Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami.

The reconstruction process involves identifying common features and systematically positing earlier forms that would explain the observed differences in modern Sami languages. This includes analyzing sound correspondences, grammatical structures, and vocabulary. For example, if two Sami languages have words with similar meanings that show a consistent pattern of sound change from a proposed earlier sound, linguists can infer the original ProtoSami word.

Scholarly work on ProtoSami has contributed significantly to the field of Finno-Ugric linguistics, shedding light on the early history and migrations of the Sami people. While the exact period of ProtoSami's existence is debated, it is generally placed before the 1st millennium CE. The reconstruction provides a framework for understanding linguistic innovations and borrowings that occurred as the Sami languages diverged. Research continues to refine the details of ProtoSami grammar and lexicon.