ol ars , ▁who ▁argue ▁that ▁the ▁traditional ▁view ▁of ▁a ▁common ▁Fin no - S ami ▁prot ol anguage ▁is ▁not ▁as ▁strongly ▁supported ▁as ▁had ▁been ▁earlier ▁assumed , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁similar ities ▁may ▁stem ▁from ▁an ▁are al ▁influence ▁on ▁Sam ic ▁from ▁Finn ic . ▁ ▁In ▁terms ▁of ▁internal ▁relationships , ▁the ▁Sam i ▁languages ▁are ▁divided ▁into ▁two ▁groups : ▁western ▁and ▁eastern . ▁The ▁groups ▁may ▁be ▁further ▁divided ▁into ▁various ▁sub groups ▁and ▁ultimately ▁individual ▁languages . ▁( S amm alla ht i ▁ 1 9 9 8 : ▁ 6 - 3 8 .) ▁Part s ▁of ▁the ▁Sam i ▁language ▁area ▁form ▁a ▁dialect ▁continu um ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁neighbour ing ▁languages ▁may ▁be ▁mut ually ▁intellig ible ▁to ▁a ▁fair ▁degree , ▁but ▁two ▁more ▁widely ▁separated ▁groups ▁will ▁not ▁understand ▁each ▁other ' s ▁speech . ▁There ▁are , ▁however , ▁some ▁sharp ▁language ▁boundaries , ▁in ▁particular ▁between ▁Northern ▁Sam i , ▁In ari ▁Sam i ▁and ▁Sk olt ▁Sam i , ▁the ▁speak ers ▁of ▁which ▁are ▁not ▁able ▁to ▁understand ▁each ▁other ▁without ▁learning ▁or ▁long ▁practice . ▁The ▁evolution ▁of ▁sharp ▁language ▁boundaries ▁seems ▁to ▁suggest ▁a ▁relative ▁isol ation ▁of ▁the ▁language ▁speak ers ▁from ▁each ▁other ▁and ▁not ▁very ▁int ensive ▁contacts ▁between ▁the ▁respective ▁speak ers ▁in ▁the ▁past . ▁There ▁is ▁some ▁significance ▁in ▁this , ▁as ▁the ▁ge ographical ▁bar riers ▁between ▁the ▁respective ▁speak ers ▁are ▁no ▁different ▁from ▁those