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Language Family

Tungusic

Eurasian Language Families

A family of a dozen living languages spoken across Siberia, Manchuria and Xinjiang, split into a Northern (Ewenic-Udegheic) and a Southern (Jurchenic-Nanaic) branch. Manchu, historically the most influential Tungusic language, is now critically endangered, and many other Tungusic languages face the same threat.

Facts
Region
Siberia, Manchuria, Xinjiang 1
Speaker Count
75,000 1
Proto-Language Status
Tungusic is considered a primary language family in its own right, with internal relationships among its languages well established even as many member languages face severe endangerment. 1
Connections

Held Differently

Altaic, Language Families

Why this is disputed. Tungusic is one of the three core families the Altaic hypothesis proposes to unite; most specialists attribute the resemblance to areal contact rather than common descent.

Source Wikipedia: Altaic Languages

Includes

Evenki, Languages
Source Wikipedia: Evenki Language
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Tungusic Languages
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Introduction
    approximately 75,000 native speakers of the dozen living languages
  • Relationships section
    considered a primary language family
  • Lead section
    There are approximately 75,000 native speakers of the dozen living languages of the Tungusic language family.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Altaic Languages
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Altaic, IntroductionView the Source
Wikipedia: Evenki Language
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Evenki, Lead section, largest member of the northern group of Tungusic languagesView the Source
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