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does Hungarian resemble any other language?
by zoe on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 at 04:11:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It's related to Finnish and Estonian (all three being fenno-ugric languages), but they're not that similar.

"The basis of optimism is sheer terror" - Oscar Wilde
by NordicStorm (michael<-at->sturmbaum.net) on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 at 04:18:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Closest are the other two languages in the Ugric branch, Khanti and Mansi, but those are far enough too. Of course, written language is much younger than the branching-apart.

I note all but 3-4 of the vocals corresponding to the 43 letters exist in French or English. And the very first, denoted with a, I know to exist in only one other language: German, but German-speakers trying to pronounce a Hungarian a don't realise until one points them out.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 at 04:52:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
and where are they spoken?
by zoe on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 at 05:28:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Here. Wiki is your friend.

The various Finno-Ugric languages of the Finnish branch live from the Urals to Finland in the North of Russia. I note some Ukrainian nationalists want to deny that Russians are 'true' Slaws on the basis that Moscow's missionaries Christianised a lot of Finno-Ugric people and  the populations merged... with present-day Udmurt etc. speaking populations as mere left-overs. No idea if there is any quantitative data on the mixing and on the modern 'Russian' gene pool, tough.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Thu Aug 30th, 2007 at 05:52:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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