The Altaic family controversy

Feb 16, 2011 by

So now that we’ve been introduced to the three language groupings that are hypothesized to constitute the core of the proposed Altaic language family — Turkic, Mongolic and Tungusic languages — we can consider the...

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Altaic family: introducing Mongolian and Tungusic languages

Feb 16, 2011 by

In several recent postings, I’ve given some attention to Turkic languages. As I’ve mentioned before, some scholars believe that Turkic languages are part of a larger language family called “Altaic”. Fig.1: The...

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How far does Turkic-speaking area stretch?

Feb 12, 2011 by

As I’ve already pointed out in several previous postings, good books on languages and linguistics, that is, books that are simultaneously accessible and accurate, are rare. But the problem extends beyond books specifically on...

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Typological features and tracing language history

Jul 26, 2010 by

Generally speaking, historical linguistics tries to elucidate patterns of language change and to determine language relatedness. Most of this work, starting with the work of earliest philologists such as James Parsons and William...

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