The Sámi languages are a branch of Uralic languages spoken by the Sámi people. They are spoken in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. They are related to the Finnish, the Estonian, and the Hungarian language.

"The Sámi languages ... are sometimes considered dialects of one language", says Encyclopædia Britannica; those who speak one Sámi language, [mostly] do not understand other Sami languages; "[t]he Sámi languages share many features (or things,) with the Baltic-Finnic languages (Finnish, Estonian, Karelian, etc.)," but "they cannot be closely related to any of these"... "[T]heir grammars are similar to that of Finnish, although their syntax has been influenced by the Scandinavian languages."

Sámi languages

Among the Sámi languages are

East Sami language

Western Sami languages

Southwestern

Southern Sami (600) Åsele dialect Jämtland dialect Ume Sami (20) Northwestern Northwestern proper Pite Sami (20) Lule Sami (1,000–2,000) Northern Sami (20,000) Torne Sami Finnmark Sami Sea Sami

Sámi languages

Eastern Sami languages

Mainland

Inari Sami (300) Kemi Sami (extinct) Skolt Sami (420) Akkala Sami (extinct) Kainuu Sami (extinct) Peninsular Kildin Sami (500) Ter Sami (2–10)

Sámi languages

Related pages

Sami literature

References

Uralic languages

Languages of Norway

Finnish culture

Swedish culture

Russia