Vogul is a historical name for the Mansi language (ISO 639-3: mns) [1] , a critically endangered Ob-Ugric Uralic language of Western Siberia, Russia. The name was used by Russian administrators and early linguists. Modern usage prefers "Mansi", the self-designation of the people. The Institute for Linguistic Studies (RAS) [1] , UiT [2] and ELAR [3] all use "Mansi" in current materials, but "Vogul" still appears in older comparative Uralic literature.

The Vogul Alphabet — Historical Name for Mansi, the Ob-Ugric Uralic Language of Western Siberia, Russia

Q: Are Vogul and Mansi the same language?

Yes. Vogul and Mansi are the same language [1] , with ISO 639-3 code mns. Both names refer to the Ob-Ugric Uralic language of Western Siberia. "Vogul" is simply the older name; all current academic work uses "Mansi". The Institute for Linguistic Studies (RAS) [1] , UiT [2] and ELAR [3] catalogue their materials under "Mansi / mns". If you find "Vogul" in older literature, it refers to the same Mansi language .

Q: What alphabet does Vogul (Mansi) use?

Vogul (Mansi) is written in a Cyrillic alphabet [1] based on the Russian letters, extended with Ӈ (velar nasal) and Ӯ (U with macron, marking a long vowel). Vowel length is meaningful in Mansi, so the macron letter is important for distinguishing words.

Q: Is Vogul (Mansi) related to Hungarian?

Yes. Mansi (Vogul) belongs to the Ob-Ugric branch of Uralic [1] , which together with Hungarian forms the Ugric group. Mansi is therefore, alongside Khanty, one of the closest linguistic relatives of Hungarian, even though it is spoken in Siberia. The relationship is deep and genetic rather than one of mutual intelligibility. UiT The Arctic University [2] and the Institute for Linguistic Studies (RAS) [1] study these Ugric connections .

Q: Where is Vogul (Mansi) spoken?

Vogul (Mansi) is spoken in Western Siberia [1] , chiefly in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Yugra) of Russia, along the tributaries of the Ob river on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains. Speakers are now few and scattered across several settlements.

Q: What is the special letter Ӯ in Vogul (Mansi)?

The letter Ӯ (U with macron) marks a long u-vowel [3] . Because vowel length distinguishes words in Mansi, the macron shows that the vowel is long, contrasting with the plain letter У for the short vowel. This length marking is a key feature of Mansi orthography.

Q: How many people speak Vogul (Mansi)?

Mansi (Vogul) has fewer than 1,000 fluent speakers [3] , making it critically endangered. Most Mansi people now speak Russian as their main language, and Mansi is used mostly by older speakers. The Institute for Linguistic Studies (RAS) [1] , UiT [2] and ELAR [3] all work to document Mansi for research and possible revitalisation .

Q: What is the ISO code for Vogul?

The ISO 639-3 code for Vogul is mns [1] — the same as Mansi, since both names refer to the identical language. The code covers the Mansi language including its dialects.

Q: How is Vogul (Mansi) being documented?

Mansi (Vogul) is documented by several institutions: the Institute for Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences [1] (phonology and orthography research), UiT The Arctic University of Norway [2] (Ob-Ugric typology), and the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) [3] (field recordings). As one of the most endangered Uralic languages, Mansi is a priority for documentation. Together these institutions preserve the Mansi Cyrillic writing system for research and for the Mansi community itself .

Vogul Alphabet at a Glance

Vogul is a historical name for Mansi (ISO 639-3: mns), a critically endangered Ob-Ugric Uralic language ^[1] of Western Siberia, Russia, spoken chiefly in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The name "Vogul" was used in older Russian and scholarly literature; modern usage prefers the self-designation "Mansi"
The Vogul/Mansi alphabet is based on Cyrillic, extended with special characters including Ӈ (velar nasal) and Ӯ (U with macron, a long u-vowel). Vowel length is phonemically important in Mansi and is marked in the writing system ^[3]
The Institute for Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences ^[1] uses "Mansi" in its current research, documenting the language's phonology, dialects and Cyrillic orthography. "Vogul" survives mainly in historical references
UiT The Arctic University of Norway ^[2] studies the languages of northern Eurasia, including Mansi (Vogul), contributing to the typological understanding of the Ob-Ugric branch of Uralic
The Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) ^[3] at SOAS University of London holds Mansi documentation under the "Mansi / mns" identifier, even where older materials use the "Vogul" label
Mansi (Vogul) belongs to the Ob-Ugric branch of Uralic ^[1], which together with Hungarian forms the Ugric group — making Mansi, alongside Khanty, one of the closest relatives of Hungarian, despite being spoken in Siberia

[AH]

[YEH]

[YO]

[EE]

[OH]

[OO]

[IH]

[EH]

[YOO]

[YAH]

[AH]

as in "father"

[YEH]

as in "yet"

[YO]

as in "yore"

[EE]

as in "see"

[OH]

as in "more"

[OO]

as in "moon"

[IH]

back unrounded vowel, like a dark "i"

[EH]

as in "bed"

[YOO]

as in "you"

[YAH]

as in "yard"

[B]

[V]

[G]

[D]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[NG]

[P]

[R]

[S]

[T]

[KH]

[SH]

[B]

as in "bat"

[V]

as in "van"

[G]

as in "go"

[D]

as in "dog"

[Y]

as in "yes"

[K]

as in "key"

[L]

as in "lamp"

[M]

as in "man"

[N]

as in "not"

[NG]

velar nasal, as in "sing"

[P]

as in "pen"

[R]

rolled r

[S]

as in "sun"

[T]

as in "top"

[KH]

as in Scottish "loch"

[SH]

as in "ship"

[NG]

[OO (long)]

Vogul (Mansi) Digits

Vogul/Mansi uses Arabic numerals (0–9). Northern Mansi number words: нул (0), акв (1), китыг (2), хурум (3), нила (4), ат (5), хот (6), сат (7), нёл (8), онтэлов (9).

Mansi numerals such as хурум (3) can be compared with Khanty хурэм (3), evidence of shared Ob-Ugric ancestry documented by the Institute for Linguistic Studies (RAS) ^[1] and UiT The Arctic University ^[2] in their Ob-Ugric comparative studies.

[нул]

[акв]

[китыг]

[хурум]

[нила]

[ат]

[хот]

[сат]

[нёл]

[онтэлов]

[нул]

Mansi: нул

[акв]

Mansi: акв

[китыг]

Mansi: китыг

[хурум]

Mansi: хурум

[нила]

Mansi: нила

[ат]

Mansi: ат

[хот]

Mansi: хот

[сат]

Mansi: сат

[нёл]

Mansi: нёл

[онтэлов]

Mansi: онтэлов

[AH]

[B]

[V]

[G]

[D]

[YEH]

[YO]

[EE]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[NG]

[OH]

[P]

[R]

[S]

[T]

[OO]

[OO (long)]

[KH]

[SH]

[IH]

[EH]

[YOO]

[YAH]

Expand All Collapse All

What is "Vogul"?

Are Vogul and Mansi the same language?

What alphabet does Vogul (Mansi) use?

Is Vogul (Mansi) related to Hungarian?

Where is Vogul (Mansi) spoken?

What is the special letter Ӯ in Vogul (Mansi)?

How many people speak Vogul (Mansi)?

What is the ISO code for Vogul?

How is Vogul (Mansi) being documented?

References:

[1] Institute for Linguistic Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (ILS RAS), St Petersburg. "Ob-Ugric Languages Research — Mansi" — the institute researches the Ob-Ugric branch of Uralic (Mansi and Khanty), documenting Mansi phonology, morphology and its extended Cyrillic alphabet with special characters. Retrieved from Institute for Linguistic Studies, RAS
[2] UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Department of Language and Culture. "Northern Eurasian Language Documentation — Mansi" — UiT conducts research on the Ob-Ugric languages of Western Siberia, including Mansi, contributing to understanding the vitality and endangerment of indigenous Uralic languages of Russia. Retrieved from UiT The Arctic University of Norway
[3] Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR), SOAS University of London. "Mansi Language Documentation" — ELAR holds documentation of Mansi (Vogul, ISO 639-3: mns), a critically endangered Ob-Ugric Uralic language of Western Siberia, Russia, including field recordings of its Cyrillic writing system. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR)