Why do some smaller Uralic language communities face extinction?

Smaller Uralic language communities face the risk of extinction primarily due to cultural assimilation. Throughout their history, many of these groups have had to resist encroachment from neighboring populations, including Germanic, Slavic, and Turkic groups.1

In the modern era, this pressure often manifests as linguistic and cultural assimilation into dominant surrounding societies. For instance, smaller communities like the Votic people face extinction as speakers are pressured to adopt more dominant languages, such as Russian or Estonian. This process is often exacerbated by the demographic imbalance between these smaller groups and the larger, more populous national groups, as well as the historical political status of these communities within Russia, where their level of autonomy and recognition has varied significantly.12

Preserving linguistic diversity is a vital ethical imperative, as language is a fundamental component of cultural identity and human heritage. The loss of any language diminishes the collective knowledge and unique perspective of humanity.