The Tungusic languages (also known as Manchu-Tungus and Tungus) form a language family spoken in Eastern Siberia and Manchuria by Tungusic peoples. Many Tungusic languages are endangered. There are approximately 75,000 native speakers of the dozen living languages of the Tungusic language family. The term "Tungusic" is from an exonym for the Evenk people (Ewenki) used by the Yakuts ("tongus").
Classification
Linguists working on Tungusic have proposed a number of different classifications based on different criteria, including morphological, lexical, and phonological characteristics. Some scholars have criticized the tree-based model of Tungusic classification and argue that the long history of contact among the Tungusic languages makes them better treated as a dialect continuum.
The main classification is into a northern branch and a southern branch (Georg 2004) although the two branches have no clear division, and the classification of intermediate groups is debatable.
Four mid-level subgroups are recognized by Hölzl (2018), namely Ewenic, Udegheic, Nanaic, and Jurchenic.
Alexander Vovin notes that Manchu and Jurchen are aberrant languages within South Tungusic but nevertheless still belong in it, and that this aberrancy is perhaps due to influences from the Para-Mongolic Khitan language, from Old Korean, and perhaps also from Chukotko-Kamchatkan and unknown languages of uncertain linguistic affiliation.
Southern Tungusic (Jurchenic-Nanaic) Jurchenic (Southwestern Tungusic) ("Manchu group") Jurchen (extinct, developed into Manchu in the 17th century) Manchu: speakers originated from the Sungari Ula River area (they founded the Jin and Qing or Manchu dynasties of China) Xibe: spoken in Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang. (Developed separately since 1764 from a Qing military garrison) Chinese Kyakala (恰喀拉) Bala (巴拉) Alchuka (阿勒楚喀) Nanaic (Southeastern Tungusic) ("Nanai group" / "Amur group") Nanai (Gold, Goldi, Hezhen) (Akani, Birar, Samagir) Upper Amur Right-bank Amur Sungari Bikin (Ussuri) Central Amur Sakachi-Alyan Naykhin (basis of standard Nanai but not identical) Dzhuen Lower Amur Bolon Ekon Gorin Orok (Uilta) Northern (East Sakhalin) Southern (South Sakhalin, Poronaysky) Ulch / Olcha
Transitional Southern-Northern Tungus (Udegheic) Udegheic (Oroch–Udege; strongly influenced by Southern Tungusic) Oroch †? Tumninsky dialect †? Khadinsky dialect †? Hungarisky dialect †? Udege / Udihe
Northern Tungusic (Ewenic) Ewenic Even (Lamut) (in eastern Siberia) Arman Indigirka Kamchatka Kolyma-Omolon Okhotsk Ola Tompon Upper Kolyma Sakkyryr Lamunkhin Evenki Evenki (obsolete: Tungus), spoken by Evenks in central Siberia and Manchuria Solon (Solon Ewenki) Hihue/Hoy (basis of the standard, but not identical) Haila’er Aoluguya (Olguya) Chenba’erhu (Old Bargu) Morigele (Mergel) Siberian Ewenki / Ewenki of Siberia Northern (spirant) Ilimpeya (subdialects: Ilimpeya, Agata and Bol'shoi, Porog, Tura, Tutonchany, Dudinka/Khantai) Yerbogachen (subdialects: Yerbogachen, Nakanno) Southern (sibilant) Hushing Sym (subdialects: Tokma/Upper Nepa, Upper Lena/Kachug, Angara) Northern Baikal (subdialects: Northern Baikal, Upper Lena) Hissing Stony Tunguska (subdialects: Vanavara, Kuyumba, Poligus, Surinda, Taimura/Chirinda, Uchami, Chemdal'sk) Nepa (subdialects: Nepa, Kirensk) Vitim-Nercha/Baunt-Talocha (subdialects: Baunt, Talocha, Tungukochan, Nercha) Eastern (sibilant-spirant) Vitim-Olyokma (subdialects: Barguzin, Vitim/Kalar, Olyokma, Tungir, Tokko) Upper Aldan (subdialects: Aldan, Upper Amur, Amga, Dzheltulak, Timpton, Tommot, Khingan, Chul'man, Chul'man-Gilyui) Uchur-Zeya (subdialects: Uchur, Zeya) Selemdzha-Bureya-Urmi (subdialects: Selemdzha, Bureya, Urmi) Ayan-Mai (subdialects: Ayan, Aim, Mai, Nel'kan, Totti) Tugur-Chumikan (subdialects: Tugur, Chumikan) Sakhalin (no subdialects) Negidal Lower Negidal † Upper Negidal Oroqen Gankui (basis of standard Oroqen but not identical) Selpechen Kumarchen Selpechen Orochen Kili (previously thought to be a dialect of Nanai)
History
Proto-Tungusic
Some linguists estimate the divergence of the Tungusic languages from a common ancestor spoken somewhere in Eastern Manchuria around 500 BC to 500 AD. (Janhunen 2012, Pevnov 2012) Other theories favor a homeland closer to Lake Baikal. (Menges 1968, Khelimskii 1985) While the general form of the protolanguage is clear from the similarities in the daughter languages, there is no consensus on detailed reconstructions. As of 2012, scholars are still trying to establish a shared vocabulary to do such a reconstruction. The Lake Khanka region was found to present the most likely homeland, based on linguistic and ancient genetic data.