TSPU Hosts Lecture on Documenting and Reviving the Languages of Siberia's Peoples

Researchers from the Tomsk Pedagogical University shared insights from over 150 expeditions, digital technologies, and the preservation of linguistic heritage.

On April 16, 2026, the Tomsk State Pedagogical University (TSPU) hosted a lecture on «Documentation, Study, and Revitalization of the Languages of the Peoples of Siberia».

The lecture was delivered by Sergey Kovylin, Candidate of Philological Sciences and Associate Professor at the Department of Languages of the Peoples of Siberia, Institute of Foreign Languages and International Cooperation, TSPU.

During the lecture, the audience learned about a unique field of research that was initiated in Tomsk back in the 1940s by Professor A.P. Dulzon. Since then, university researchers have conducted over 150 ethnolinguistic expeditions to remote areas of Siberia. They have gathered approximately 200 volumes of records, more than 330 000 vocabulary cards, 340 000 toponymy cards, as well as unique audio and video materials.

Sergey Kovylin noted that, despite the risk of small languages disappearing (one language vanishes somewhere in the world every two weeks), revitalization efforts continue. Researchers work closely with Indigenous communities, encourage young people to pursue research, and help preserve linguistic memory so it can be passed down to future generations.

The event concluded with a video from a TSPU expedition to the Vakh River, featuring a recording of a story about a Khanty shaman titled "Sart Mukhy Iki" (The Pike Hunter).

The event was organized by the Tomsk State Pedagogical University as part of the educational project «Golden Lecture», which aligns with the goals of state policy in education and international cooperation implemented by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.