member of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family, spoken in Karelia republic of northwestern Russia and by emigrants in neighbouring Finland. There are two dialects of Karelian—Karelian proper and Olonets. Ludic, a minor group of dialects spoken to the southeast of Karelia, is considered to be a blend of Karelian and Veps, a related Finno-Ugric language spoken to the south of Karelia. A four-line fragment written in Karelian dates from the 13th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries Karelian translations of poetry and Russian–Karelian lexicographic lists appeared. P.S. Pallesa's Comparative Dictionary of All Languages and Dialects (1786) contains up to 300 Karelian words. See also Finno-Ugric languages.