The Oxford Guide to the Uralic Languages

Abstract

Abstract The Uralic (Finno-Ugric) languages, the second largest language family in Europe, including three European nation-state languages (Hungarian, Finnish, Estonian) and a number of minority languages in Northern Eurasia, look back to a long history of research. However, a major part of this research has been conducted within diverse national traditions and institutions, it is often poorly available or available only in languages such as Russian, Finnish, or Hungarian. The aim of this book is to offer an accessible introduction to the Uralic languages, especially for linguists and students of linguistics interested in the history, typology, development, and contacts of this language family. The first part of the book includes both an historical introduction to the reconstructed Proto-Uralic and its divergence into today’s languages, and brief overviews of the status, use, and cultivation of the Uralic languages: codification and standardization, language policies and language planning, endangerment and revitalization. The second part consists of concise descriptions of the Uralic languages, and the third part includes cross-Uralic comparative studies on typologically interesting issues such as case, negation, clause structure, or information structuring.