Baltic-Finnic languages
Quick Summary
The Baltic-Finnic languages are a subgroup of the Finnic languages, which are part of the larger Uralic language family. This group includes languages such as Finnish, Estonian, Livonian, Votic, Ingrian, Karelian, and Veps. These languages are primarily spoken in Russia and the Baltic nations, near the Gulf of Finland.
Key linguistic features of Finnish, a prominent Baltic-Finnic language, include vowel harmony and consonant gradation. Vowel harmony involves two classes of vowels that cannot appear together in the same word. Consonant gradation causes alterations in stop consonants, such as p changing to v or pp to p, depending on the syllable structure. Many words in Finnish have been borrowed from Indo-European languages, including Baltic languages, German, and Russian.123
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Uralic languagesLanguages of the family…of languages are found: the Baltic-Finnic, the Permic, and the Ob-Ugric. The largest of these, the Baltic-Finnic group, is composed of Finnish, Estonian, Livonian, Votic, Ingrian, Karelian, and Veps. The Permic group consists of Komi, Permyak, and Udmurt. The Ob-Ugric group
Read More…of languages are found: the Baltic-Finnic, the Permic, and the Ob-Ugric. The largest of these, the Baltic-Finnic group, is composed of Finnish, Estonian, Livonian, Votic, Ingrian, Karelian, and Veps. The Permic group consists of Komi, Permyak, and Udmurt. The Ob-Ugric group
Read More- Uralic languagesWord order
Sami, Baltic-Finnic, and Hungarian now show the typical European subject–verb–object order: e.g., Finnish isä osti talo-n ‘father bought a house(-genitive),’ Hungarian János keres egy ház-at ‘John seeks a house(-accusative).’ Although the latter languages have relatively “free” word order, the object precedes the verb only for special…
Read MoreSami, Baltic-Finnic, and Hungarian now show the typical European subject–verb–object order: e.g., Finnish isä osti talo-n ‘father bought a house(-genitive),’ Hungarian János keres egy ház-at ‘John seeks a house(-accusative).’ Although the latter languages have relatively “free” word order, the object precedes the verb only for special…
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