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 toFinland, Norway, Sweden, and Russia
RegionSápmi (Lapland)
EthnicitySami people
Native speakersApproximately 20,000–30,000[source?]  (date missing)
Language family
Uralic
  • Sámi
Official status
Official language inSweden and some parts of Norway; recognized as a minority language in several municipalities of Finland.
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
sia – Akkala
sjd – Kildin
sjk – Kemi
sjt – Ter
smn – Inari
sms – Skolt
sju – Ume
sje – Pite
sme – Northern
smj – Lule
sma – Southern
Corrected sami map 4.PNG
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

Eastern Sami languages

 
Sami languages and settlements in Russia:      Skolt (Russian Notozersky)      Akkala (Russian Babinsky)      Kildin      Ter

Related pages

References

  1. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sami-language#ref28791 Accessed 2017-08-25
  2. "East Sami language". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  3. "Saami, South". Ethnologue.
  4. "Saami, Ume". Ethnologue.
  5. "Saami, Pite". Ethnologue.
  6. "Saami, Lule". Ethnologue.
  7. "Saami, North". Ethnologue.
  8. "Saami, Inari". Ethnologue.
  9. "Saami, Skolt". Ethnologue.
  10. "Saami, Kildin". Ethnologue.
  11. Karpova, Lisa (18 February 2010). "The 5 Smallest Languages of the World". PravdaReport.
  12. "Saami, Ter". Ethnologue.