ABSTRACT
The term 'Uralic' refers to the largest language family of northern Eurasia. This family consists of at least thirty languages, spoken in communities scattered over a vast area with western limits in Norway and Hungary and with eastern limits on the Taimyr peninsula and along the Yenisei and Ob' rivers of western Siberia. Their large number, and the considerable typological diversity of the phonology, morphology and even syntax of the Uralic languages make it impossible for this chapter to provide anything more than a brief survey of some of the more salient synchronic and historical features. The newer and older names for the languages and the names for their reconstructed ancestors are introduced below; the following sections treat phonology and morphology, from both a descriptive and a historicalcomparative perspective; pp. 30-1 look briefly at some of the more common kinds of syncretism and suppletion in Uralic languages; syntax is broached on pp. 31-3; and the final section in this chapter gives a glimpse into Uralic vocabulary by presenting eight selected synonyms.
