Fieldwork

Kalmyk Oirat

Since 2022, I have been working with speakers of Kalmyk Oirat (Mongolic). Kalmyk is spoken by an aging minority in the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia, where it is also a co-official language, and in diasporic communities in the US and Europe.

In collaboration with fellow researchers Ghilyana Dordzhieva and Darina Gedeeva, I have also created resources contributing to the preservation and revitalisation of Kalmyk within the Kalmyk-American diaspora. Our project was supported and featured by Wikitongues. Please follow our work on our Living Dictionary, Facebook, and Instagram pages!

Khalkha Mongolian

Since 2020, I have been working with speakers of Khalkha Mongolian, the standardised variety of Mongolian spoken in Mongolia.

Freshly made guurml boortsg in Bulgan-sum, Khovd province, Mongolia
Freshly made guurml boortsg in Bulgan-sum, Khovd province, Mongolia

A Mongolian yurt, or ger

Freshly made gürmel boortsog in Bulgan-sum, Khovd province

Burning of zul 'candle' during the Kalmyk New Year, also known as Zul

Megrelian

Since 2024, I have been working with a speaker of the Zugdidi-Samurzaqano variety of Megrelian (Kartvelian). Megrelian is primarily spoken in Western Georgia and in diasporic communities in Eastern Europe.