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Could it be true?

Posted: 2005-05-23, 1:40
by Chico-Nico
I hear there is a hypothesis that the Finno-Ugric languages could somehow be related to the Altaic languages. I find this very puzzling because it is amazing how the languages of both families are spread out, and some of the roots and syntax seem convincing. It would be funny to think that Finnish and Mongolian are distantly related to each other.

Posted: 2005-06-09, 16:43
by Vinaok
That's probably if we assume the theory of a huge migration of mongolian people that settled up Finland and Russia as correct. The hypothesis you heard is very common, according to me i think it's a bit fabolous, i mean that the linguists who set it up had only brought to their mind the history of that culture without counting what really fits to the two language-families

Posted: 2005-06-09, 17:04
by Pittsboy
A must-read book by Cavali-Sforza "Geni, popoli e lingue" or, in English "Genes, peoples and languages".

He even talks about it there.

Re: Could it be true?

Posted: 2005-07-10, 11:01
by Oric
Chico-Nico wrote:and some of the roots and syntax seem convincing.


A lot of root comparisons across languages are simply coincidence- it's quite surprising, really.