On the West:
* Indo-European family: The majority of languages spoken west of the Urals belong to the Indo-European family. This includes the Slavic languages (Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, etc.), Germanic languages (German, English, Dutch, etc.), Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, etc.), and many others.
* Influence of Latin and Greek: Due to the historical influence of the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity, many languages west of the Urals have been influenced by Latin and Greek. This is especially true in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and religious terms.
On the East:
* Turkic family: The most dominant language family east of the Urals is the Turkic family. This includes languages like Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Uzbek, and many others.
* Altaic family: While not as widespread as Turkic, other languages within the Altaic family, like Mongolian, are also spoken east of the Urals.
* Influence of Chinese: Due to historical trade routes and cultural interactions, there is some influence of Chinese in languages spoken in Central Asia and parts of Siberia.
Commonalities:
* Influence of nomadic cultures: Both west and east of the Urals, the languages have been influenced by nomadic cultures. This can be seen in terms of words relating to horses, warfare, and the steppe environment.
* Contact zones: There are areas of contact between the Indo-European and Turkic languages along the western edge of the Urals. This has led to language mixing and borrowing.
Important Note: The Ural Mountains do not represent a clear-cut linguistic boundary. There are pockets of Turkic languages west of the Urals, and pockets of Indo-European languages east of the Urals. Additionally, within each language family, there is further diversity.
It's important to remember that the language map of the world is complex and dynamic, and the Ural Mountains are just one geographical feature that influences it.