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Sino-Uralic
Sino-Uralic
(Proposed, no significant support)
Geographic; distribution	Northern Eurasia, East Asia
Linguistic classification	Proposed language family
Subdivisions	Uralic; Sinitic;
Language codes
Glottolog	None
	Sino-Uralic languages

Sino-Uralic or Sino-Finnic is a long-range linguistic proposal that links the Sinitic languages (Chinese) and the Uralic languages. Sino-Uralic is proposed as an alternative to the Sino-Tibetan family^[1]^[2]^[3] and is at odds with mainstream comparative linguistics, which firmly includes the Sinitic languages in the Sino-Tibetan family.^[4] The proposal has been brought forward by the Chinese linguist Jingyi Gao, based on works by 19th century linguists such as Karl August Hermann.^[5]^[6]^[7] However, connections with the Uralic and other language families are generally seen as speculative.^[8]

Theory

Gao argued that Chinese has three major layers, he saw the root of Chinese as coming from a common Sino-Uralic source, the second layer coming from Indo-European during the Chalcolithic age or later and the third layer coming from Yeniseian during the Bronze Age. Jingyi Gao presented the theory as an alternative to the commonly accepted Sino-Tibetan language family. Gao argued that there are multiple problems with the Sino-Tibetan language family and that similarities between Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman are better explained as being the result of loaning and mutual influence instead of being one language family, although mainstream comparative linguistics has strongly established Sino-Tibetan as a real language family.^[1]^[6]^[9]

Gao argued that the monosyllabic structure of Chinese vocabulary was a later development due to external influences, arguing that the word structure of the Sinitic languages in the past was closer to the Uralic languages.^[1]^[10] Similarly, Karl August Hermann argued that the monosyllabic word structure in Sinitic is not an obstacle to a linguistic relationship.^[11]

History

The earliest known mention of a possible relationship between the Uralic and Sinitic languages was made by Sajnovics in 1770, who raised questions about a possible relation of Chinese and Hungarian, due to apparent lexical similarities.^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15] Then in 1895, a relation between Sinitic and Uralic was proposed by the Estonian linguist Karl August Hermann . Karl August Hermann made a comparison of Estonian, Finnish and Chinese, arguing that they were related, although he also included Altaic (which itself is today generally rejected) in the family.^[11]^[16]^[12] In the modern day its main advocate has been Jingyi Gao, first proposing it in 2005 and later making another book on the topic in 2008 along with making later articles.^[17]^[18] Estonian academics and linguists such as Ago Künnap, Jaan Kaplinski, Urmas Sutrop and Märt Läänemets along with a few Chinese professors such as Feng Zheng, Li Baojia and Jiang Jicheng have expressed interest over the theory and calling for more studies on the topic. Despite this, they have not endorsed Gao's theory of a Sino-Uralic language family.^[1]^[2]^[19]^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23] George van Driem argues that Sino-Uralic along with other theories such as Sino-Indo-European are constructed by using flawed methodologies with inadequate knowledge of historical Chinese and the Trans-Himalayan languages, representing false language families. According to van Driem, the theory is not supported by proper evidence.^[4]

Before Gao, Morris Swadesh had already theorized about a relation between Sinitic and Uralic, proposing a more radical and massive Dené-Finnish grouping which encompasses Athabaskan, Uralic and the Sino-Tibetan languages. Swadesh's theory has been called "radical".^[8] Another similar large language family including Sinitic and Uralic, was suggested by Karl Bouda in 1950, his theory included: Sino-Tibetan, Uralic, Yeniseian, Austronesian and others being distantly related.^[24]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Künnap, Ago (September 2010). "Review of Gāo (2008) Chinese Language and Languages of Northern Europe: Discoveries and Researches of Common Origins of Chinese, Uralic and Indo-European Languages" (PDF). Linguistica Uralica. 46 (3): 218–222. ProQuest 852514464.
^ ^a ^b Jaan Kaplinski (2014). "Veel mõni mõtteke etümoloogiasõnaraamatust ja etümoloogiatest" [A few more thoughts about the etymology dictionary and etymologies]. Keel ja Kirjandus (in Estonian). 2014 (3). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
^ Jingyi Gao (2015-01-30). "Jingyi Gao: hiina ja soome-ugri keelte ühisest päritolust". ERR (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-12-02.
^ ^a ^b Kumar, Niraj; van Driem, George; Stobdan, Phunchok (2020-11-18). Himalayan Bridge. Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-000-21549-6.
^ "Soome-ugri keelepuul on juured muistses Kesk-Hiinas". elu.ohtuleht.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-11-26.
^ ^a ^b Jingyi Gao; Tender, Tõnu (2020). "Sino-Uralic Etymology for 'Moon, Month' Supported by Regular Sound Correspondences". Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies. 8 (1): 60–68. doi:10.24411/2310-2144-2020-00005.
^ Jingyi Gao (2020). "Sino-Uralic Etymology for 'Jupiter, Year' Supported by Rhyme Correspondence". Archaeoastronomy and Ancient Technologies. 8 (1): 1–11. doi:10.24411/2310-2144-2020-00002.
^ ^a ^b Harms, Robert Thomas (10 April 2024). "Uralic languages". Encyclopedia Britannica.
^ Künnap, Ago (2009). "Eesti keel koos teiste läänemeresoome keeltega ja germaani. keeled Hiinast vaadatuna" (PDF). Keeljakirjandus.eki.ee.
^ "Soome-ugri keelepuul on juured muistses Kesk-Hiinas". elu.ohtuleht.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-11-29.
^ ^a ^b Hermann, Karl August (2019). "Hiina keele sugulusest ugri keelte ja eriti soome-eesti keelega (1895)". Eesti ja Soome-Ugri Keeleteaduse Ajakiri. Journal of Estonian and Finno-Ugric Linguistics. 10 (2): 59–67. doi:10.12697/jeful.2019.10.2.04. S2CID 212794124.
^ ^a ^b Gao, Jingyi (2019-12-31). "Karl August Hermanni hiina-soome-eesti keelevõrdlus ning kehtivad ja kehtetud etümoloogiad parandustega". Eesti ja Soome-Ugri Keeleteaduse Ajakiri. Journal of Estonian and Finno-Ugric Linguistics. 10 (2): 45–58. doi:10.12697/jeful.2019.10.2.03. ISSN 2228-1339. S2CID 213240827.
^ Scholars in Action (2 vols): The Practice of Knowledge and the Figure of the Savant in the 18th Century. BRILL. 2013-04-15. ISBN 978-90-04-24391-0.
^ "Soome-ugri sõlmed 2012". Apollo (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-12-23.
^ Üve Maloverjan, ed. (2012). Soome-ugri sõlmed 2010–2011 [Finnish-Ugric nodes 2010-2011] (in Estonian). Fenno-Ugria. Sajnovics tõstatas ka küsimuse ungari keele sugulusest hiina keelega. [Sajnovics also raised the question of the relationship of the Hungarian language with the Chinese language.]
^ Hermann, Karl August (1895). "Ueber die Verwandschaft des Chinesischen mit den ugrischen Sprachen und insbesondere, mit dem Finnisch-Estnischen". Sitzungsberichte der Gelehrten Estnischen Gesellschaft zu Dorpat 1894 (in German). Dorpat : [Gelehrte Estnische Gesellschaft zu Dorpat]: 167–180. JSTOR community.32951318.
^ Gao, Jingyi (2008). 《汉语与北欧语言：汉语与乌拉尔语言及印欧语言同源探究》Hàn-yǔ yǔ Wū-lā-ěr yǔ-yán jì Yìn-Ōu yǔ-yán tóng-yuán tàn-jiū 'Chinese Language and Languages of Northern Europe: Discoveries and Researches of the Common Sources of Chinese, Uralic, and Indo-European Languages'. Beijing: 中国社会科学出版社 ‘China Social Sciences Press’. ISBN 978-7500470779.
^ Gao, Jingyi (2005). Comparison of Swadesh 100 Words in Finnic, Hungarian, Sinic and Tibetan: Introduction to Finno-Sinic Languages. Tallinn: Estonian Language Foundation. ISBN 9985791355.
^ "Üllatav avastus: oleme pärit Hiinast". Maaleht (in Estonian). Retrieved 2022-11-15.
^ "Eesti ja hiina keel pärinevad ühest allikast". Tartu+ (in Estonian). 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
^ 蒋, 冀骋; 曾, 晓渝; 杨, 军; 洪, 波; 周, 赛华; 张, 富海 (2021). "音韵学研究现状与展望". 《语言科学》. 20 (2021) (5): 474–490.
^ 冯, 蒸 (2008). "评高晶一所著汉宋乌拉尔语系语言语系绪论". 汉字文化. 2008 (1): 57–59.
^ 李, 葆嘉 (2010). "亲缘比较语言学：超级语系建构中的华夏汉语位置". 《研究之乐：庆祝王士元先生七十五寿辰学术论文集》, 潘悟云, 沈钟伟主编. 上海: 上海教育出版社: 164–193.
^ Driem, George van (2022-09-12). Languages of the Himalayas: Volume 2. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-51492-8.