I suggest you familiarize yourself with interesting information about the mighty Altai family.

The peoples of the Altai family constitute the second largest group of the country's population. All five of its groups are represented in Russia: Turkic, Tungus-Manchu, as well as Mongolian, Korean and Japanese. The most numerous (over 8% of the population) is Turkic, uniting the Chuvash (whose language is classified as a special subgroup of Turkic languages), Tatars (including Siberian and Astrakhan Tatars, as well as Kryashens, included in the census as part of the Tatars, but distinguished by many researchers into a separate people), Nagaibaks, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Nogais, Kumyks, Karachais, Balkars, Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks, Karaites, Azerbaijanis, Turks and Meskhetian Turks, Turkmen, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Altaians, Telengits, Teleuts, Tubalars, Kumandins, Chelkans, Chulyms, Shors, Khakass, Tuvans (including Tuvans-Todzhins), Tofalars, Yakuts, Dolgans.

The most numerous Turkic people and the second largest people in the country are the Tatars, living in the Volga region (primarily in Tataria), the Urals, Western Siberia (Siberian Tatars) and in large cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg). A compact group is formed by the Astrakhan Tatars in the Lower Volga region. The Tatars previously included the Nagaibaks of the Chelyabinsk region. The Chuvash, the fourth largest people in Russia, are concentrated mainly in Chuvashia, where they form the majority of the population. The Bashkirs, who rank fifth in number, are concentrated primarily in their republic. Kazakhs are settled in the regions of Russia adjacent to Kazakhstan, especially in the Astrakhan, Orenburg and Omsk regions.

In the North Caucasus live Nogais (Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia and Stavropol Territory), Kumyks (Dagestan) and Karachays (Karachay-Cherkessia) and Balkars (Kabardino-Balkaria) speaking the same Karachay-Balkar language. Similar in language to the North Caucasian Turks are the Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks (Crimean Jews) and Karaites, who previously lived mainly in the Crimea, but now live in many other regions. Azerbaijanis in Russia form a compact group in the south of Dagestan; In recent years, many migrants from Azerbaijan have arrived in Moscow and other cities of the Russian Federation, and the number of Azerbaijanis has almost doubled. Meskhetian Turks live in Ch. arr. in the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories.

Dispersed settlement is typical for Turkmen (in the Stavropol Territory there is a compact group of them - the Trukhmen), Uzbeks, and Kyrgyz, who are not against it. The Turkic peoples of Altai and adjacent areas - Altaians, Telengits, Teleuts, Tubalars, Kumandins and Chelkans - were united into a single people; Chulyms living in the Tomsk region and Krasnoyarsk Territory were previously included in the Tatars or Khakass. Other Turkic peoples of Southern Siberia: Shors in the Kemerovo region, Khakass in Khakassia, Tuvans in Tuva (including the north-eastern group of Tuvinians-Todzha), Tofalars in the Irkutsk region, Soyots in Buryatia (who switched to the Buryat language, as a result of which in previous censuses included in the Buryats.The furthest to the north of the Turkic peoples live the Yakuts in Yakutia and the Dolgans in the Taimyr (Dalgan-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug.

The peoples of the Mongolian group in Russia include Kalmyks, living mainly in Kalmykni, Buryats in Buryatia, Aginsko-Buryat, Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug and Mongols, the most noticeable group of which is in the Irkutsk region.

Also in those regions (in Eastern Siberia, partly in the Far East) live small peoples of the Tungus-Manchu group: Evenki, Ulchi, Nanai, Orochi, Orok, Udege and, conditionally, Tazy. The most widely settled of them are the Evenks, who live in the main. in Yakutia, as well as in the Khabarovsk Territory, Evenki Autonomous District, Buryatia, Amur Region. and etc.

Most Evens live in Yakutia, but are also found in the Magadan region, Khabarovsk Territory, and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The Nanais, Negidals, Ulchis, and Udeges live in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, and the Ulta live on Sakhalin. The Tazy, who live mainly in the village of Mikhailovka in the Primorsky Territory and are related by origin to the Nanai Udege, now speak Russian as well as Chinese. Representatives of other groups of the Altai family also live in Dalny: Koreans on Sakhalin, Primorsky and Khabarovsk territories.

includes Turkic languages, Mongolian languages, Tungus-Manchu languages, in the maximum version also Korean and Japanese-Ryukyuan languages ​​(the relationship with the last two groups is hypothetical).

According to glottochronology, the collapse of the Altai proto-language dates back to approximately the 5th millennium BC. e. (17 matches in the 100-word Swadesh list). Traditionally, a division into Japanese-Korean and Turkic-Mongolian-Tungus-Manchu (Western Altai or mainland) subfamilies was assumed. However, a more detailed lexicostatistical analysis and comparative distribution of ca. 2000 lexical isoglosses (summarized in the Altai Etymological Dictionary) speak in favor of the fact that the Altai family is divided rather into 3 subfamilies:

• Western (Turkic-Mongolian), which disintegrated in the middle. 4th millennium BC e. for Turkic and Mongolian branches (25 matches in a 100-word list);
• central, including the Tungus-Manchu branch;
• eastern (Japanese-Korean), which broke up in the middle. 3 thousand BC e. into Korean and Japanese-Ryukyuan branches (33 matches in a 100-word list). Historical data shows [ source not specified 397 days], that until the 3rd millennium BC. e. The Japanese-Koreans and the Tungus-Manchus formed a unity split by the creation of the Glazkov culture and the Gojoseon kingdom. The Japanese-Korean split occurred only in the 4th century BC. e., when some of them moved to Japan and, having assimilated the local Ainu, created the proto-Japanese Yayoi culture

However, further disintegration of the formed branches occurs much later, which is one of the reasons that some scientists do not recognize the genetic status of the Altai family.

• Turkic branch - 72% between individual components (approximate time of collapse - beginning of AD);
• Mongolian branch - 90% (X century);
• Tungus-Manchu branch - 65% (IV century BC);
• Japanese-Ryukyus branch - 74% (2nd century BC);
• Korean branch - 91% (XI century).

Western linguists often combine the Korean and Japanese-Ryukyuan branches into one Buyeo branch, which also includes a number of dead languages: Old Japanese, ancient languages ​​of the Korean Peninsula (Koguryo, Silla, Baekje, Buyeo, etc.).

[edit] Ancestral home

The name “Altai” indicates the supposed ancestral home of the family (Altai), which, however, according to the latest data, was located further south, in the territory of what is now Northern China (Manchuria - Hongshan Culture). Until the beginning of AD. Altai was inhabited by Indo-European tribes (Pazyryk culture). The “Altaians” began to explore Siberia during the Glazkov culture (2nd millennium BC). They invaded Japan in the Yayoi era (1st millennium BC).

[edit] External relationship

In modern macrocomparative studies, the Altai family is included in the Nostratic macrofamily. The assumption about the special affinity of the Altai languages ​​with the Uralic languages ​​(the hypothesis of the Ural-Altaic family of languages ​​has existed since the 18th century) can be removed within the framework of the Nostratic theory; The specific convergences of the Ural and Altai languages ​​in the field of vocabulary, word formation and typology are explained by similar habitats and numerous contacts at different chronological levels.

51. Indo-European languages

The most widespread language family in the world. It is represented on all inhabited continents of the Earth, the number of speakers exceeds 2.5 billion. According to the views of some modern linguists, it is part of the macrofamily of Nostratic languages.

The languages ​​of the Indo-European family descend from a single Proto-Indo-European language, whose speakers probably lived about 5-6 thousand years ago. There are several hypotheses about the place of origin of the Proto-Indo-European language, in particular, such regions as Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and steppe territories at the junction of Europe and Asia are called. With a high probability, the archaeological culture of the ancient Indo-Europeans (or one of their branches) can be considered the so-called “Yamnaya culture”, the bearers of which in the 3rd millennium BC. e. lived in the east of modern Ukraine and the south of Russia.

In turn, the Proto-Indo-European language, according to the hypothesis of H. Pedersen, developed by V. M. Illich-Svitych and S. A. Starostin, is part of the Nostratic macrofamily of languages, among which it is especially close to the Kartvelian languages, which, like it, have ablaut.

The Indo-European family includes Albanian, Armenian, Greek and the Romance, Germanic, Celtic, Baltic, Slavic, Iranian, Indian, Anatolian (Hittite-Luvian), Tocharian and Italic language groups. At the same time, the Anatolian, Tocharian and Italic groups (if the Romance ones are not considered Italic) are represented only by dead languages.

Official history says that the Turkic language arose in the first millennium when the first tribes belonging to this group appeared. But, as modern research shows, the language itself arose much earlier. There is even an opinion that the Turkic language came from a certain proto-language, which was spoken by all the inhabitants of Eurasia, as in the legend of the Tower of Babel. The main phenomenon of Turkic vocabulary is that it has practically not changed over the five thousand years of its existence. The ancient writings of the Sumerians will still be as understandable to the Kazakhs as modern books.

Spreading

The Turkic language group is very numerous. If you look territorially, peoples who speak similar languages ​​live like this: in the west the border begins with Turkey, in the east with the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, in the north with the East Siberian Sea and in the south with Khorasan.

Currently, the approximate number of people who speak Turkic is 164 million, this number is almost equal to the entire population of Russia. At the moment, there are different opinions on how the group of Turkic languages ​​is classified. We will consider further which languages ​​stand out in this group. Main ones: Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, Uzbek, Karakalpak, Uyghur, Tatar, Bashkir, Chuvash, Balkar, Karachay, Kumyk, Nogai, Tuvan, Khakass, Yakut, etc.

Ancient Turkic-speaking peoples

We know that the Turkic group of languages ​​has spread very widely across Eurasia. In ancient times, peoples who spoke this way were simply called Turks. Their main activities were cattle breeding and agriculture. But one should not perceive all modern peoples of the Turkic linguistic group as descendants of an ancient ethnic group. After thousands of years, their blood mixed with the blood of other ethnic groups of Eurasia, and now there are simply no indigenous Turks.

The ancient peoples of this group include:

• Turkuts - tribes that settled in the Altai Mountains in the 5th century AD;
• Pechenegs - arose at the end of the 9th century and inhabited the region between Kievan Rus, Hungary, Alania and Mordovia;
• Polovtsians - with their appearance they ousted the Pechenegs, they were very freedom-loving and aggressive;
• Huns - arose in the 2nd-4th centuries and managed to create a huge state from the Volga to the Rhine, from them came the Avars and Hungarians;
• Bulgars - from these ancient tribes came such peoples as the Chuvash, Tatars, Bulgarians, Karachais, Balkars.
• Khazars - huge tribes that managed to create their own state and oust the Huns;
• Oghuz Turks - the ancestors of the Turkmens, Azerbaijanis, lived in Seljukia;
• Karluks - lived in the 8th-15th centuries.

Classification

The Turkic group of languages ​​has a very complex classification. Or rather, each historian offers his own version, which will differ from the other with minor changes. We offer you the most common option:

1. Bulgarian group. The only currently existing representative is the Chuvash language.
2. The Yakut group is the easternmost of the peoples of the Turkic linguistic group. Residents speak Yakut and Dolgan dialects.
3. South Siberian - this group represents the languages ​​of peoples living mainly within the borders of the Russian Federation in the south of Siberia.
4. Southeastern, or Karluk. Examples are Uzbek and Uyghur languages.
5. The northwestern, or Kipchak group is represented by a large number of nationalities, many of which live on their own independent territory, for example Tatars, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz.
6. Southwestern, or Oghuz. The languages ​​included in the group are Turkmen, Salar, Turkish.

Yakuts

On their territory, the local population simply calls themselves Sakha. Hence the name of the region - the Republic of Sakha. Some representatives also settled in other neighboring areas. The Yakuts are the easternmost of the peoples of the Turkic linguistic group. Culture and traditions were borrowed in ancient times from tribes living in the central steppe part of Asia.

Khakassians

A region has been designated for this people - the Republic of Khakassia. The largest contingent of Khakass is located here - about 52 thousand people. Several thousand more moved to live in Tula and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Shors

This nation reached its greatest numbers in the 17th-18th centuries. Now this is a small ethnic group that can only be found in the south of the Kemerovo region. Today the number is very small, about 10 thousand people.

Tuvans

Tuvinians are usually divided into three groups, differing from each other in some dialect features. They inhabit the Republic. This is a small eastern of the peoples of the Turkic linguistic group, living on the border with China.

Tofalar

This nation has practically disappeared. According to the 2010 census, 762 people were found in several villages of the Irkutsk region.

Siberian Tatars

The Eastern dialect of Tatar is the language that is considered to be the national language of the Siberian Tatars. This is also a Turkic group of languages. The peoples of this group are densely settled throughout Russia. They can be found in rural areas of the Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk and other regions.

Dolgans

A small group living in the northern regions of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. They even have their own municipal district - Taimyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky. Today, there are only 7.5 thousand representatives of the Dolgans left.

Altaians

The Turkic group of languages ​​includes the Altai lexicon. Now in this area you can freely get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the ancient people.

Independent Turkic-speaking states

Today there are six separate independent states whose nationality is the indigenous Turkic population. First of all, these are Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Of course, Türkiye and Turkmenistan. And do not forget about Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, which belong to the Turkic language group in exactly the same way.

The Uighurs have their own autonomous region. It is located in China and is called Xinjiang. Other nationalities related to the Turks also live in this territory.

Kyrgyz

The Turkic group of languages ​​primarily includes Kyrgyz. Indeed, the Kyrgyz or Kyrgyz are the most ancient representatives of the Turks who lived in Eurasia. The first mentions of the Kyrgyz are found in the 1st millennium BC. e. Throughout almost its entire history, the nation did not have its own sovereign territory, but at the same time managed to preserve its identity and culture. The Kyrgyz even have the concept of “ashar”, which means joint work, close cooperation and unity.

The Kirghiz have long lived in sparsely populated steppe areas. This could not but affect some character traits. These people are extremely hospitable. When a new person arrived in the settlement before, he told news that no one had heard before. For this, the guest was rewarded with the best treats. It is still customary to honor guests sacredly.

Kazakhs

The Turkic language group could not exist without the most numerous Turkic people, living not only in the state of the same name, but throughout the world.

The folk morals of the Kazakhs are very harsh. From childhood, children are raised under strict rules and taught to be responsible and hardworking. For this nation, the concept of “dzhigit” is the pride of the people, a person who defends the honor of his fellow tribesman or his own at all costs.

In the appearance of the Kazakhs, a clear division into “white” and “black” can still be traced. In the modern world, this has long lost its meaning, but remnants of old concepts are still preserved. The peculiarity of the appearance of any Kazakh is that he can simultaneously look like both a European and a Chinese.

Turks

The Turkic group of languages ​​includes Turkish. Historically, Turkey has always cooperated closely with Russia. And these relations were not always peaceful. Byzantium, and later the Ottoman Empire, began to exist simultaneously with Kievan Rus. Even then there were the first conflicts for the right to rule the Black Sea. Over time, this enmity intensified, which largely influenced the relationship between the Russians and the Turks.

Turks are very peculiar. First of all, this can be seen from some of their features. They are hardy, patient and completely unpretentious in everyday life. The behavior of the representatives of the nation is very cautious. Even if they are angry, they will never express their dissatisfaction. But then they can harbor anger and take revenge. In serious matters the Turks are very cunning. They can smile in your face, but plot behind your back for their own benefit.

The Turks took their religion very seriously. Severe Muslim laws prescribed every step in the life of a Turk. For example, they could kill an unbeliever and not be punished for it. Another feature associated with this feature is a hostile attitude towards non-Muslims.

Conclusion

Turkic-speaking peoples are the largest ethnic group on Earth. The descendants of the ancient Turks settled across all continents, but most of them live in the indigenous territory - in the Altai Mountains and in the south of Siberia. Many peoples managed to preserve their identity within the borders of independent states.

(based on the book: "Peoples of Russia: Atlas of Cultures and Religions")

Peoples living in Russia. Rice. E. M. Korneeva. 1812

Russia is distinguished not only by its vast open spaces, rich history and culture, but also by the ethnic and religious diversity of its population. Representatives of more than 150 nationalities of all world faiths make up the people of Russia.
Today, the features of traditional culture (folk costume, types of housing, economic structure, etc.) are often known to ethnographers and historians better than to the average representative of almost any nation. In the 20th century, with social and economic development, with the process of urbanization and the growth of social mobility, the country's population actively became involved in supra-ethnic and secular culture, therefore ethnographic descriptions of life and folklore are largely historical in nature.
The classification outlined below is based on the “ethno-linguistic” principle - peoples are grouped into language families and the branches into which these families are divided.
The classification is conditional, since the division occurs according to language, which can be lost or preserved only in a passive form.

Indo-European language family

Little Russians (Ukrainians). Hood. K. F. Gun. 1862

In Russia there are 8 branches of the Indo-European language family: Slavic, Baltic, Germanic, Romance, Greek, Armenian, Iranian, Indo-Aryan.
The Slavic branch includes Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles, Czechs and Slovaks, as well as Bulgarians and Serbs.
Lithuanians and Latvians belong to the Baltic (Letto-Lithuanian) branch of the Indo-European language family in Russia.

Walach and Moldovan. Hood. K. F. Gun. 1862

The Germanic language branch includes Germans, Americans, English and Ashkenazi Jews.
The Romance language branch is represented in Russia by Moldovans, Romanians, Spaniards, Cubans, Italians, and French.
The Greek language branch includes the Greeks.

Kurd. Armenian. Ill. from the book "Peoples of Russia" by G. F. Pauli. 1862

The Armenian branch unites Armenians with the Hemshils, who are close to them in origin.
The Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family in Russia includes Ossetians, Tajiks, Pashtuns, Persians, Central Asian Gypsies, Central Asian Jews, Mountain Jews, Tats, Talysh, Kurds, Eznds.
The Indo-Aryan language branch includes gypsies (excluding Central Asians) and Indians living in Russia who speak Hindi.

Ural-Yukaghir language family

Zyryanka (Komi). Votyachka (Udmurtka). Votyak (Udmurt). Zyryanin (Komi). Ill. from the book "Peoples of Russia" by G. F. Pauli. 1862

The Ural-Yukaghir language family is represented in Russia by all three groups: Finno-Ugric, Samoyed and Yukaghir.
The largest Finno-Ugric branch unites Karelians, Finns, Izhorians, Vods, Estonians, Vepsians, Sami, Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts, Besermyans, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, Khanty, Mansi, and Hungarians.
The Samoyed branch includes the Nenets, Emts, Nganasans and Selkups.
Two peoples can be classified as part of the Yukagir language branch: the Yukagirs and the Chuvans.

Altaic language family

Bashkirs. Ill. from the book "Peoples of Russia" by G. F. Pauli. 1862

This family is divided into five branches: Turkic, Mongolian, Tungus-Manchu, Korean, and Japanese.
The Turkic branch in Russia includes: Chuvash, Tatars, Kryashens, Nagaibaks, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Nogais, Kumyks, Karachais, Balkars, Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks, Karaites, Azerbaijanis, Turks, Meskhetian Turks, Gagauz, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Uighurs, Kirghiz, Altaians, Telengits, Teleuts, Tubalars, Chelkans, Kumandins, Chulyms, Shors, Khakassians, Tuvans, Tofalars, Soyots, Yakuts, Dolgans.

Armed Yakut. Lithography. 1803

The Mongolian branch of the Altai language family is represented in Russia by the Buryats, Kalmyks and Mongols.
The Tungus-Manchu branch of the Altai language family in the Russian Federation includes the Evenks, Evens, Negidals, Nanais, Ulchi, Uilta, Orochi, Udege and Tazis.
Japanese and Koreans form separate branches of the Altai language family.

North Caucasian language family

Chechen. Lezgin. Ill. from the book "Peoples of Russia" by G. F. Pauli. 1862

The North Caucasian language family is divided into two branches: Abkhaz-Adyghe and Nakh-Dagestan.
The Abkhaz-Adyghe branch unites Abkhazians, Abazas, Kabardians, Circassians, Adygeis and Shapsugs.
The second branch of the North Caucasian language family - Nakh-Dagestan - unites Chechens, Ingush, Avars, 13 Ando-Tsez peoples, as well as Archins, Laks, Dargins, Kubachi, Kaytags, Tabasarans, Lezgins, Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs, Udins.

Paleoasian peoples

Aleuts. Ill. from the book "Peoples of Russia" by G. F. Pauli. 1862

Scientists conventionally call 10 peoples of Russia Paleo-Asian. These are probably the descendants of the most ancient, pre-Tungusic population of Eastern Eurasia. Of these, only 5 peoples of the Chukotka-Kamchatka language family speak related languages.

Reindeer Chukchi. Ill. from the book "Peoples of Russia" by G. F. Pauli. 1862

Some linguists also distinguish the Yenisei and Eskimo-Aleut language families, but this division is not generally accepted.
The Chukchi-Kamchatka family includes the Chukchi, Koryaks, Kereks, who form the Chukchi-Koryak language branch, and the Itelmens and Kamchadals, who form the Itelmen language branch. Among the Koryaks, there is a group of Alyutors, who are sometimes considered an independent people.
The peoples of this group also include the Eskimos, Aleuts, Kets and Nivkhs.

Kartvelian language family

Georgians and Georgian Jews form the Kartvelian language family. Georgians also include a number of groups that some researchers consider to be separate peoples: Mingrelians, Laz, Svans, Adjarians, Ingiloys.

Afroasiatic language family

The Afroasiatic (Semitic-Hamitic) language family includes Arabs, Central Asian Arabs and Assyrians.

Sino-Tibetan language family

The Sino-Tibetan language family is represented in Russia by the Chinese and Dungans.

Austroasiatic language family

There are also representatives of the Austroasiatic family in Russia; these are the Vietnamese living in our country.

Consider the origin of languages: at one time the number of languages ​​was small. These were the so-called “proto-languages”. Over time, proto-languages ​​began to spread across the Earth, each of them becoming the ancestor of its own language family. A language family is the largest unit of classification of a language (peoples and ethnic groups) based on their linguistic relationship.

Further, the ancestors of language families split into linguistic groups of languages. Languages ​​that are descended from the same language family (that is, descended from a single “protolanguage”) are called a “language group.” Languages ​​of the same language group retain many common roots, have similar grammatical structure, phonetic and lexical similarities. There are now more than 7,000 languages ​​from more than 100 language families of languages.

Linguists have identified more than one hundred major language families of languages. It is assumed that language families are not related to each other, although there is a hypothesis about the common origin of all languages ​​from a single language. The main language families are listed below.

Family of languages	Number languages	Total carriers language	% from the population Earth
Indo-European	> 400 languages	2 500 000 000	45,72
Sino-Tibetan	~300 languages	1 200 000 000	21,95
Altai	60	380 000 000	6,95
Austronesian	> 1000 languages	300 000 000	5,48
Austroasiatic	150	261 000 000	4,77
Afroasiatic		253 000 000	4,63
Dravidian	85	200 000 000	3,66
Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyus)	4	141 000 000	2,58
Korean		78 000 000	1,42
Tai-kadai		63 000 000	1,15
Ural		24 000 000	0,44
Others		28 100 000	0,5

As can be seen from the list, ~45% of the world's population speaks languages ​​of the Indo-European family of languages.

Language groups of languages.

Further, the ancestors of language families split into linguistic groups of languages. Languages ​​that are descended from the same language family (that is, descended from a single “protolanguage”) are called a “language group.” Languages ​​of the same language group have many similarities in word roots, grammatical structure and phonetics. There is also a smaller division of groups into subgroups.

The Indo-European family of languages ​​is the most widespread language family in the world. The number of speakers of languages ​​of the Indo-European family exceeds 2.5 billion people who live on all inhabited continents of the Earth. The languages ​​of the Indo-European family arose as a result of the consistent collapse of the Indo-European proto-language, which began about 6 thousand years ago. Thus, all languages ​​of the Indo-European family descend from a single Proto-Indo-European language.

The Indo-European family includes 16 groups, including 3 dead groups. Each group of languages ​​can be divided into subgroups and languages. The table below does not indicate smaller divisions into subgroups, and there are also no dead languages ​​and groups.

Indo-European family of languages
Language groups	Incoming languages
Armenian	Armenian language (Eastern Armenian, Western Armenian)
Baltic	Latvian, Lithuanian
German	Frisian languages ​​(West Frisian, East Frisian, North Frisian languages), English language, Scots (English-Scots), Dutch, Low German, German, Hebrew language (Yiddish), Icelandic language, Faroese language, Danish language, Norwegian language (Landsmål, Bokmål, Nynorsk), Swedish language (Swedish dialect in Finland, Skåne dialect), Gutnian
Greek	Modern Greek, Tsakonian, Italo-Romanian
Dardskaya	Glangali, Kalasha, Kashmiri, Kho, Kohistani, Pashai, Phalura, Torvali, Sheena, Shumashti
Illyrian	Albanian
Indo-Aryan	Sinhala, Maldivian, Hindi, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Oriya language, Bihari languages, Punjabi, Lahnda, Gujuri, Dogri
Iranian	Ossetian language, Yaghnobi language, Saka languages, Pashto language Pamir languages, Balochi language, Talysh language, Bakhtiyar language, Kurdish language, Caspian dialects, Central Iranian dialects, Zazaki (Zaza language, Dimli), Gorani (Gurani), Persian language (Farsi) ), Hazara language, Tajik language, Tati language
Celtic	Irish (Irish Gaelic), Gaelic (Scottish Gaelic), Manx, Welsh, Breton, Cornish
Nuristan	Kati (kamkata-viri), Ashkun (ashkunu), Vaigali (kalasha-ala), Tregami (gambiri), Prasun (wasi-vari)
Romanskaya	Aromunian, Istro-Romanian, Megleno-Romanian, Romanian, Moldavian, French, Norman, Catalan, Provençal, Piedmontese, Ligurian (modern), Lombard, Emilian-Romagnol, Venetian, Istro-Roman, Italian, Corsican, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Sardinian, Aragonese, Spanish, Asturleonese, Galician, Portuguese, Miranda, Ladino, Romansh, Friulian, Ladin
Slavic	Bulgarian language, Macedonian language, Church Slavonic language, Slovenian language, Serbo-Croatian language (Shtokavian), Serbian language (Ekavian and Iekavian), Montenegrin language (Iekavian), Bosnian language, Croatian language (Iekavian), Kajkavian dialect, Molizo-Croatian, Gradishchan-Croatian, Kashubian, Polish, Silesian, Lusatian subgroup (Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian, Slovak, Czech, Russian language, Ukrainian language, Polesie microlanguage, Rusyn language, Yugoslav-Rusyn language, Belarusian language

The classification of languages ​​explains the reason for the difficulty of learning foreign languages. It is easier for a speaker of a Slavic language, which belongs to the Slavic group of the Indo-European family of languages, to learn a language of the Slavic group than a language of another group of the Indo-European family, such as the Romance languages ​​(French) or the Germanic group of languages ​​(English). It is even more difficult to learn a language from another language family, for example Chinese, which is not part of the Indo-European family, but belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages.

When choosing a foreign language to study, they are guided by the practical, and more often the economic, side of the matter. To get a well-paid job, people choose first of all such popular languages ​​as English or German.

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Additional materials on language families.

Below are the main language families and the languages ​​included in them. The Indo-European language family is discussed above.

Sino-Tibetan (Sino-Tibetan) language family.

Sino-Tibetan is one of the largest language families in the world. Includes more than 350 languages ​​spoken by more than 1200 million people. Sino-Tibetan languages ​​are divided into 2 groups, Chinese and Tibeto-Burman.
● The Chinese group is formed by Chinese and its numerous dialects, the number of native speakers is more than 1050 million people. Distributed in China and beyond. And Min languages with more than 70 million native speakers.
● The Tibeto-Burman group includes about 350 languages, with a number of speakers of about 60 million people. Distributed in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Nepal, Bhutan, southwestern China and northeastern India. Main languages: Burmese (up to 30 million speakers), Tibetan (more than 5 million), Karen languages ​​(more than 3 million), Manipuri (more than 1 million) and others.

The Altai (hypothetical) language family includes the Turkic, Mongolian and Tungus-Manchu language groups. sometimes include the Korean and Japanese-Ryukyuan language groups.
● Turkic language group - widespread in Asia and Eastern Europe. The number of speakers is more than 167.4 million people. They are divided into the following subgroups:
・ Bulgar subgroup: Chuvash (dead - Bulgar, Khazar).
・ Oguz subgroup: Turkmen, Gagauz, Turkish, Azerbaijani (dead - Oguz, Pecheneg).
・ Kypchak subgroup: Tatar, Bashkir, Karaite, Kumyk, Nogai, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Altai, Karakalpak, Karachay-Balkar, Crimean Tatar. (dead - Polovtsian, Pecheneg, Golden Horde).
・ Karluk subgroup: Uzbek, Uyghur.
・ Eastern Hunnic subgroup: Yakut, Tuvan, Khakass, Shor, Karagas. (dead - Orkhon, ancient Uyghur.)
● The Mongolian language group includes several closely related languages ​​of Mongolia, China, Russia and Afghanistan. Includes modern Mongolian (5.7 million people), Khalkha-Mongolian (Khalkha), Buryat, Khamnigan, Kalmyk, Oirat, Shira-Yugur, Mongorian, Baoan-Dongxiang cluster, Mogul language - Afghanistan, Dagur (Dakhur) languages.
● Tungus-Manchu language group is related languages ​​in Siberia (including the Far East), Mongolia and northern China. The number of carriers is 40 - 120 thousand people. Includes two subgroups:
・ Tungus subgroup: Evenki, Evenki (Lamut), Negidal, Nanai, Udean, Ulch, Oroch, Udege.
・ Manchu subgroup: Manchu.

Languages ​​of the Austronesian language family are distributed in Taiwan, Indonesia, Java-Sumatra, Brunei, Philippines, Malaysia, East Timor, Oceania, Kalimantan and Madagascar. This is one of the largest families (the number of languages ​​is over 1000, the number of speakers is over 300 million people). Divided into the following groups:
● Western Austronesian languages
● languages ​​of eastern Indonesia
● Oceanian languages

Afroasiatic (or Semitic-Hamitic) language family.

● Semitic group
・Northern subgroup: Aisorian.
・ Southern group: Arabic; Amharic, etc.
・ dead: Aramaic, Akkadian, Phoenician, Canaanite, Hebrew (Hebrew).
・ Hebrew (the official language of Israel has been revived).
● Cushitic group: Galla, Somalia, Beja.
● Berber group: Tuareg, Kabyle, etc.
● Chadian group: Hausa, Gwandarai, etc.
● Egyptian group (dead): Ancient Egyptian, Coptic.

Includes the languages ​​of the pre-Indo-European population of the Hindustan Peninsula:
● Dravidian group: Tamil, Malalayam, Kannara.
● Andhra Group: Telugu.
● Central Indian group: Gondi.
● Brahui language (Pakistan).

The Japanese-Ryukyu (Japanese) family of languages ​​are common in the Japanese archipelago and the Ryukyu Islands. Japanese is an isolated language that is sometimes classified in the hypothetical Altaic family. The family includes:
・Japanese language and dialects.

The Korean language family is represented by one single language - Korean. Korean is an isolated language that is sometimes classified in the hypothetical Altaic family. The family includes:
・Japanese language and dialects.
・Ryukyuan languages ​​(Amami-Okinawa, Sakishima and Yonagun language).

Tai-Kadai (Thai-Kadai, Dong-Tai, Paratai) family of languages, distributed on the Indochina Peninsula and in adjacent areas of Southern China.
●Li languages ​​(Hlai (Li) and Jiamao) Thai languages
・northern subgroup: northern dialects of the Zhuang language, Bui, Sek.
・central subgroup: Tai (Tho), Nung, southern dialects of the Zhuang language.
・Southwestern subgroup: Thai (Siamese), Laotian, Shan, Khamti, Ahom language, languages ​​of black and white Tai, Yuan, Ly, Kheung.
●Dun-Shui languages: dun, shui, mak, then.
●Be
●Kadai languages: Lakua, Lati, Gelao languages ​​(northern and southern).
●Li languages ​​(Hlai (Li) and Jiamao)

The Uralic language family includes two groups - Finno-Ugric and Samoyed.
●Finno-Ugric group:
・Baltic-Finnish subgroup: Finnish, Izhorian, Karelian, Vepsian languages, Estonian, Votic, Livonian languages.
・Volga subgroup: Mordovian language, Mari language.
・Perm subgroup: Udmurt, Komi-Zyryan, Komi-Permyak and Komi-Yazva languages.
・Ugric subgroup: Khanty and Mansi, as well as Hungarian languages.
・Sami subgroup: languages ​​spoken by the Sami.
●The Samoyedic languages ​​are traditionally divided into 2 subgroups:
・northern subgroup: Nenets, Nganasan, Enets languages.
・southern subgroup: Selkup language.