Documentation and Analysis of the Endangered Teleut Language

Endangered Languages Documentation Programme

The project is aimed at field documentation, creation of an electronic lexicon and interlinearized/translated text corpus, and preliminary analysis of the endangered Bachatsky Teleut language, spoken in south-western Siberia in Russia. The number of proficient native speakers in Kemerovo region is reported to be approx. 100. Mostly they are people over 50 years old. The additional goal is to perform a more precise survey of the real number of proficient and semi-speakers left, and the degree of language endangerment (native tongue functional sphere and socio-linguistic makeup of the language community).

The cooperative project in pilot field documentation, creation of an electronic lexicon and interlinearized/translated text corpus, and preliminary analysis of the endangered Turkic language of south-western Siberia, Teleut language, allowed to gain insight into local processes of formation of southern Turkic language area. The project built on extended research experience relevant documentation methodology and an initial experience with the respective language – Teleut Turkic. Additional goal is to perform a more precise survey of the real number of proficient and semi-speakers left, and the degree of language endangerment (native tongue functional sphere and socio-linguistic makeup of the language community). The language of the project has limited existing legacy data with restricted access, represents a member of the ancient Siberian Turkic linguistic phylum and displaying illustration of areal contact contiguity, is ethnographically consistent with the local traditional culture of hunter-pastoralists.