The etymology for “tundra” says “from Russian tundra, from Lappish (Finno-Ugric) tundar” but this is technically incorrect, as there is no language called “Lappish.” The word “Lapp” seen all across Fennoscandia is actually an exonym used to describe the Saami people who live here. It is considered an ethnic slur, and there are no Saami languages using this term as a self-descriptor. The word “tundar” actually came to Russian via Kildin Saami, where it should be written using the Cyrillic alphabet (тӯндрэ). Wiktionary has a better description of this word’s etymology and appearances in other languages.
Actually there are several languages called Lappish, which may also be considered dialects of a single language.
So what? “Greek” is an exonym. “German” is an exonym. “Chinese” is an exonym. Do you want Etymonline to scrub those terms from its entries too?
Please do not derail this conversation. It is clear to me that you have an ill-informed opinion on matters of decolonization and structures of power + how these are reified by slurs, or how colonial dynamics are upheld by linguistics. These terms are out of date and the science must evolve. The Sámi have made it clear for decades that they do not use or appreciate the term “Lappish” and I, through firsthand experience as a person of Sámi-American heritage, am telling you, there is no language called “Lappish.” This is inarguable and I will not continue debating your bad faith arguments. This topic is clearly of little importance to you, so find somewhere else to throw your anger.
On the contrary, I think it’s very important to resist the fanatical and iconoclastic “decolonization” movement that has now taken hold of academia. Part of this is resisting efforts to control the way we speak.
Saami languages, for many, many years now, have been so heavily controlled by various colonial governments that several of them are critically endangered, and more than one is now dead. This is the control you speak of, yet clearly you do not understand. What I am suggesting etymologists recognize as a community of intelligent people is not an effort toward control, but an action in the spirit of restoration. I cannot control how you speak, nor do I care how you individually speak, which is apparently unhelpful, histrionic, and, ultimately, pitiful; but I am, by the grace of something greater than you, free to offer an explanation as to why the way we are collectively speaking is seen by many we are speaking about as antiquated, and is widely unaccepted by members of the linguistic community with any shred of credibility.
My own mother tongue suffered the same sad fate as the languages spoken in the land I even in Suomi ever heard referred to as ‘Lapland’ - colonized to death by the subtly (and not always so subtly) instilled notion that speaking it was gross and vulgar, and it should be avoided even in your own home. As such I feel a strong sympathy for the Saami languages.
But life taught me to avoid fighting against windmills where putting a bit of sand in their gears every now and then can be way more effective and less risky.
Life taught me also to steer clear of people who allow strong emotional positions to supersede their objectivity, thus starting what should have been a dispassionate academic discussion with the intent of turning it into a brawl. And to give a wide berth to those who Know the Truth and are determined to inflict it upon their fellow men (and women) whether they want it or not.