Uralliset

Uralliset refers to a group of languages traditionally classified as part of the Uralic language family, primarily spoken in the Uralic region of Russia and neighboring areas. The term "Uralliset" is the Finnish language name for these languages, which includes Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, Veps, Votic, Livonian, and several smaller or extinct languages like Karelo-Finnish dialects and the now-extinct Meadow Mari and Mountain Mari languages.

The Uralic languages are distinct from Indo-European languages and are not closely related to them. They are instead part of a broader family that also includes the Samoyedic languages spoken by indigenous groups in Siberia. Finnish and Estonian are the most widely spoken Uralic languages today, with Finnish having over five million speakers and Estonian around one million.

Finnish and Estonian share a common ancestor, Proto-Finnic, but have diverged significantly over time. Finnish is the national language of Finland and is mutually intelligible with Karelian and some other dialects, while Estonian is the official language of Estonia. Both languages have rich literary traditions and are known for their agglutinative grammar, where words are formed by adding numerous affixes.

Other Uralic languages like Livonian, once spoken by the Livonians in present-day Latvia, are now critically endangered, with only a handful of speakers remaining. The Veps and Votic languages, spoken by small communities in Russia, are also endangered but have seen some revival efforts.

The Uralic languages exhibit unique phonetic and grammatical features, such as vowel harmony, a complex system of cases, and a lack of grammatical gender. They have influenced each other over centuries, particularly through contact and cultural exchange, contributing to their shared linguistic heritage.