The Finno-Permic or Finno-Permian languages, sometimes just Finnic languages, are a proposed subdivision of the Uralic languages which comprise the Balto-Finnic languages, Sámi languages, Mordvinic languages, Mari language, Permic languages and likely a number of extinct languages. In the traditional taxonomy of the Uralic languages, Finno-Permic is estimated to have split from Finno-Ugric around 3000–2500 BC, and branched into Permic languages and Finno-Volgaic languages around 2000 BC. Nowadays the validity of the group as a taxonomical entity is being questioned, and the interrelationships of its five branches are debated with little consensus.
The term Finnic languages has often been used to designate all the Finno-Permic languages, with the term Balto-Finnic used to disambiguate the Finnic languages proper. However, in many works, Finnic refers to the Baltic-Finnic languages alone.
Subclassification The subclassification of the Finno-Permic languages varies among scholars. During the 20th century, most classifications treated Permic vs Finno-Volgaic as the primary division. In the 21st century, Tapani Salminen rejected Finno-Permic and Finno-Volgaic entirely. Other classifications treat the five branches of Finno-Permic as follows.
Janhunen (2009) Häkkinen (2007) Lehtinen (2007)Michalove (2002)Michalove, Peter A. (2002) The Classification of the Uralic Languages: Lexical Evidence from Finno-Ugric. In: Finnisch-Ugrische Forschungen, vol. 57 Kulonen (2002)Permic Finno-Volgaic Mari Finno-Samic Sámi Finno-Mordvin Mordvin Balto-Finnic & Para-FinnicMari-Permic Mari Permic Finno-Mordvin Finnic Sámi MordvinPermic Finno-Volgaic Mari Mordvin Finno-Samic Sámi Balto-FinnicPermic Mari Sámi Mordvin Balto-FinnicPermic Mari Mordvin Finno-Samic Sámi Balto-Finnic
See also Proto-Finnic language
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