ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA.
URAL-ALTAIC LANGUAGES
URAL-ALTAIC LANGUAGES. The Ural-Altaic, Finno-Tatar, or "Turanian" languages constitute one of the primary linguistic families (see Philology, vol. xviii. p. 779) of the eastern hemisphere, occupying a vast domain, which extends with few interruptions from the Balkan Peninsula, Hungary, and Lapland eastwards to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Arctic Ocean southwards to China proper, Tibet, and the Mediterranean. It thus compromises nearly the whole of Asiatic and a considerable section of European Russia, the northern half of the Chinese empire, a large part of north Persia, by far the greater part of Asia Minor, and extensive tracts in European Turkey, Austria, Scandinavia, with an area of not less than 10,000,000 square miles and a total population of over 40,000,000. Philologists recognize six well-marked branches, which, with their main subdivisions and four outlying doubtful or extinct members of the family, may be tabulated as under:—
I. |
Yurak and Yenisei, White Sea to Yenisei. Tavghi, between lower Yenisei and Khatanga rivers. Kamasin, upper Yenisei. |
II. |
Finnish, Finland, parts of Norway, Lakes Onega, and Ladoga. Lapp, Russin and Scandinavian Lapland. Esthonian and Livonian, south side of Gulf of Finland. Mordvinian and Tcheremissian, middle Volga. Permian, Volyak, and Siryenian, between the Vyatka and Petchora rivers. |
III. |
Ostiak, middle and upper Obi and its eastern afflnents. Vogul, east slopes of the Ural Mountains. Maygar, central and south-eastern Hungary. |
IV. |
Uigur or East Turki, including Uigur proper of Kashgar, Kulja, and Yarkand; Jagatai of Bokhara, Ferghana, Khiva; Kara-Kalpak, south-eastern side of Aral Sea; Turkoman (Turkmenian), west Turkestan, north Persia and Asia Minor. Seljuk or West Turki or Osmanli, Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula; Tchuvash, south-west of Kazan and about Simbirsk. Kipchak (Kapehak): Coman, extinct, formerly current throughout the Kipchak empire from the Altai Mountains to the Black Sea; Kazan Tatar, middle Volga; Kirghiz, West Siberian steppes, lower Volga, the Pamir, and west slopes of the Altai, Thian-Shan, and Keun-Lun Mountains; Nogai with Kumuk, Bessarbia, Crimera, Volga delta, Daghestan, Terek valley. Yakut, middle and lower Lena and northern slopes of the Sayan Mountains. |
IV. |
Siberian Tatar: Teleut, Koibal, Soyat, Kotta, Bashkir, Mescheryak, and other corrupt Turki dialects spoken by Tatarized Finn populations from the Altai to the Urals. |
V. |
Sharra or East Mongolian, Mongolia; Kalmuck, Dzungaria and lower Volga, thence to lower Don;; Buriat or Siberian Mongolian, east and west of Lake Baikal. |
VI. |
Tungus proper, from the middle Yenisei to the Pacific; Lamut, western coast of the sea of Okhotsk; Manchu, Machuria. |
VII. |
Japanese, Japan and Riu-Kiu (Lew-Chew) Islands; doubtful. |
VIII. |
Corean, Corea; doubtful. |
IX. and X. |
Accad and Etruscan; both doubtful and extinct. |