Leiden researcher Hans Nugteren is working on a comparative phonology of the Mongolic languages, concentrating on the peripheral Mongolic languages spoken in the Qinghai-Gansu region, i.e. Eastern Yugur, Monguor, Bao'an, and Dongxiang. His aim is to establish the relationship between these lesser known languages and their connection to the other Mongolic languages. The phonological systems of the individual peripheral languages are described and analysed, collated from the most recent publications. The core of the thesis is a systematic etymological dictionary of the Mongolic languages, the first such lexicon to include all the peripheral languages. The regular phonetic developments which took place in these languages are described and ordered chronologically, thereby yielding a new explanation for many of the phenomena in the peripheral languages that were previously considered peculiar and problematical.
Etymology is currently one of the main research priorities.
Foreign influences in Turkish and other Turkic languages have been subject to increasing scrutiny in recent years. Research in the realm of Irano-Turcica has embraced the etymological research and description of Iranian loans in Turkic languages. The synchronic and diachronic extent of Iranisms within the Turkic languages and other tongues of the region is being documented. Lexicology Lexicology is another focus of Altaic Studies in Leiden. A comprehensive Kalmyk-German Dictionary is currently being compiled.