Which four genetically unrelated language groups are included under the Paleo-Siberian label?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The term Paleo-Siberian languages refers to a grouping of languages spoken in Asian Russia that are not genetically related to one another. The four distinct groups included under this label are:12

While these languages were historically grouped together under the assumption that they were remnants of a single, formerly widespread language family, comparative linguistics has shown that they do not share a common genetic origin. Instead, they are considered a convenient classification for diverse language families that were pushed into isolated regions of Siberia by the expansion of other groups.213