Sámi languages
The Sámi languages are a branch of Uralic languages. They are spoken in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It is related to the Finnish, the Estonian, and the Hungarian language.
| Sámi | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia |
| Region | Sápmi (Lapland) |
| Ethnicity | Sami people |
| Native speakers | Approximately 20,000–30,000[source?] (date missing) |
| Language family | Uralic
|
| Official status | |
| Official language in | Sweden and some parts of Norway; recognized as a minority language in several municipalities of Finland. |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously: sia – Akkala sjd – Kildin sjk – Kemi sjt – Ter smn – Inari sms – Skolt sju – Ume sje – Pite sme – Northern smj – Lule sma – Southern |
 Historically verified distribution of the Sami languages: 1. Southern Sami, 2. Ume Sami, 3. Pite Sami, 4. Lule Sami, 5. Northern Sami, 6. Skolt Sami, 7. Inari Sami, 8. Kildin Sami, 9. Ter Sami. Darkened area represents municipalities that recognize Sami as an official language. | |
"The Sámi languages ... are sometimes considered dialects of one language", says Encyclopædia Britannica; those who speak one Sámi language, [mostly] do not understand other Sami languages; "[t]he Sámi languages share many features (or things,) with the Baltic-Finnic languages (Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, etc.)," but "they cannot be closely related to any of these"... "[T]heir grammars are similar to that of Finnish, although their syntax has been influenced by the Scandinavian languages."[1]
Among the Sámi languages are
Western Sami languages
- Southwestern
- Southern Sami (600)[3]
- Åsele dialect
- Jämtland dialect
- Ume Sami (20)[4]
- Southern Sami (600)[3]
- Northwestern
Eastern Sami languages
- Mainland
- Inari Sami (300)[8]
- Kemi Sami (extinct)
- Skolt Sami (420)[9]
- Akkala Sami (extinct)
- Kainuu Sami (extinct)
- Peninsular
- Kildin Sami (500)[10]
- Ter Sami (2[11]–10[12])
Related pages
References
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sami-language#ref28791 Accessed 2017-08-25
- ↑ "East Sami language". Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ↑ "Saami, South". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, Ume". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, Pite". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, Lule". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, North". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, Inari". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, Skolt". Ethnologue.
- ↑ "Saami, Kildin". Ethnologue.
- ↑ Karpova, Lisa (18 February 2010). "The 5 Smallest Languages of the World". PravdaReport.
- ↑ "Saami, Ter". Ethnologue.
