As linguas coreánicas son unha pequena familia de linguas composta polo coreano e o jeju. Este último é a miúdo descrito como un dialecto do coreano, mais é distinto abondo para ser considerada unha lingua separada. Alexander Vovin suxire que o dialecto yukjin do nordeste tería que ser distinguido do mesmo xeito. O coreano foi ricamente documentado dende a introdución do alfabeto hangul no século XV. As manifestacións escritas do coreano máis antigas empregaron os caracteres chineses e son moito máis difícil de interpretar.
Todas as variedades modernas descenden do coreano antigo do estado de Silla. O pouco que se sabe doutras linguas faladas na península antes da unificación de Silla (finais do século VII) provén en gran parte dos topónimos. Crese que algunhas destas linguas eran coreanas, pero tamén hai probas que suxiren que as linguas xapónicas tamén se falaban no centro e no sur da península. Houbo moitos intentos de vincular o coreano con outras familias lingüísticas, a maioría das veces coas linguas tungús ou co xaponés, mais non se demostrou de forma concluínte ningunha relación xenética.
As diversas formas do coreano descríbense convencionalmente como "dialectos" dunha única lingua coreana, mais a falta de intelixibilidade xustifica consideralas como unha pequena familia de dúas ou tres linguas.[4]
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