altaic languages

English - English

Definition of altaic languages in English English dictionary

Group of more than 50 languages, comprising the Turkic, Mongolian, and Manchu-Tungus subfamilies. Altaic languages are spoken across Eurasia by more than 140 million people (the overwhelming majority of whom speak Turkic languages). Most scholars consider Altaic itself to be a family, of proven genetic relationship, though a minority attribute similarities in the languages to borrowings and areal convergence. The Uralic and Altaic language families were once believed to form a superfamily, but reliable sound correspondences have not been demonstrated, and the numerous similarities between the two are now attributed to areal influences

Hyphenation

Al·ta·ic languages

Turkish pronunciation

älteyîk länggwıcız

Pronunciation

/alˈtāək ˈlaɴɢgwəʤəz/ /ælˈteɪɪk ˈlæŋɡwəʤəz/