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Tungusic languages

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tungusic
Geographic
distribution:
Siberia, Manchuria
Linguistic classification:possibly Altaic (controversial)
  • Tungusic
Subdivisions:
Northern
Southern
Ethnologue code:17-844
ISO 639-5:tuw

Geographic distribution

The Tungusic languages (also known as Manchu-Tungus, Tungus) are spoken in Eastern Siberia and Manchuria. Some linguists consider them to be part of the Altaic languages but many others do not think so.

Many Tungusic languages are in danger, and the long-term future of the family is uncertain.

Classification

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Linguists working on Tungusic have proposed a number of different classifications based on different criteria, including morphological, lexical, and phonological characteristics.

Northern Tungusic

These languages can be considered dialects or related languages of Evenki:

Southern Tungusic

Jurchen-Manchu (Jurchen and Manchu are simply different stages of the same language).

References

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  • Ethnologue entry for Tungus languages
  • Kane, Daniel. The Sino-Jurchen Vocabulary of the Bureau of Interpreters. Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series, Volume 153. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies, 1989.

Other websites

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