Finno-Ugric studies or Finnougristics as a scientific field has developed into an exact science during the past 250 years. Pioneers in this field were J\u00e1nos Sajnovics and S\u00e1muel Gyarmathy. Great collectors of language material were Antal Reguly and Mattias Aleksanteri Castr\u00e9n. Finno-Ugric studies reached scientific exactness thanks to the work of Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann, Emil Nestor Set\u00e4l\u00e4, J\u00f3szef Budenz and J\u00f3szef Szinnyei. A goal of the classical Finnougristics that they created was the historical-comparative study of Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic languages (together known as the Uralic languages), with the goal of reconstructing the proto-language.<\/p>
During the past half a century, the concept of classical Finnougristics has broadened: thanks to the tradition started by Kustaa Vilkuna, Gyula Ortutay and Paul Ariste in 1960s of international congresses of Finno-Ugric studies, the concept of Finnougristics has expanded to mean studying all fields of the spiritual and material cultures of the Uralic peoples. Indeed, nowadays the term ‘Finno-Ugric studies’ means the scientific field, which studies the languages, cultures and history of the Uralic peoples.<\/p>
It might be important for Estonians and language enthusiasts to know that studying small languages can also provide universal knowledge about languages around the world. The recognition of the relationship between Uralic languages has also given rise to ethnology and folklore studies concerning Uralic peoples, as well as the tradition of the kindred people movement as cultural interaction, which is important for Fenno-Ugria.<\/p>
Finnougristics was one of the earliest fields to apply the comparative-historical method to determine the relationship between languages. Studies of Uralic language contacts have provided valuable information about language change, and this field of research has also contributed to studies of language vitality and preservation, as well as language revitalisation. <\/p>
The International Congresses for Finno-Ugric Studies, held every five years, are the most important forums for cooperation among Finno-Ugric scholars.\u00a0The 1970 congress in Tallinn was particularly significant for Estonians, as it was the first major international event in the humanities during the Soviet era. Estonians also organised the congress in Tartu in 2000. The most recent congress took place in Tartu<\/a> (Estonia) in 2025. The next one will be held in Budapest (Hungary) in 2030.<\/p> In Estonia, several research and academic institutions are involved in Finno-Ugric studies. These include the Institute of Estonian Language<\/a>, Estonian National Museum<\/a>, Estonian Literary Museum<\/a>, University of Tartu<\/a> and Estonian Academy of Arts<\/a>.<\/p> In addition to Estonia, Finland (Helsinki, Turku, Oulu, and other universities), Hungary (Budapest, Debrecen, P\u00e9cs universities), and Russia, Finno-Ugric studies are also conducted in several other countries, such as Germany (Munich, Hamburg, and G\u00f6ttingen universities), Austria (University of Vienna), Latvia (University of Riga), Sweden (University of Uppsala), Poland, Norway, Japan, France, and Italy.<\/p> Read more about linguist T\u00f5nu Seilenthal’s selection of scholars who have made pioneering contributions to the development of Finno-Ugric studies.<\/p>Famous Finnougrists<\/h3>
\n