Ubriatova, Elizaveta Ivanovna (1907–1990)

Abstract

Elizaveta Ivanovna Ubrjatova (Ubriatova) was born in Irkutsk in 1907 and died in Novosibirsk in 1990. She was a Russian turcologist whose linguistic work should be seen in the broad context of Siberian Turkic languages. Ubrjatova's most substantial contributions to scholarship were her books and papers devoted to the dialectology, syntax, history, phonetics, and so on of the Yakut (Sakha) language as well as problems involved in the co-existence of Turkic with noncognate languages in the vast territories of Siberia. Ubrjatova was educated at the University of Irkutsk, and a year after her graduation from the university she was offered the position of a teacher at a primary school in Taimyr (the Taimyr national region), beyond the polar circle. In a short period of time, Ubrjatova became acquainted with the Dolgan language and the life of its bearers. Then she took up postgraduate courses at the Institute of Peoples of the North in Leningrad. She received the M.A. in 1940 and the Ph.D. in 1950. In comparative linguistics she was a strong defender of three periods in the interaction of the Yakut language with a series of other languages. The character of verb-forms occurring in Siberian Turkic languages made Ubrjatova infer that there were three sources from which Turkic languages of Siberia had originated. The traces of Old Turkic languages – Orkhon-Turkic, Old Uyghur, and Kirghiz – occur in modern Turkic languages in a varied degree and may be assigned to different periods of time. Ubrjatova received many honors, including the title of Honored Scientist of the Sakha Republic, Order of the Red Banner, two Badges of Honor and four medals. She has many disciples and followers where Turkic languages are studied and spoken.