Irina Nikolaeva, 2008 Women of Discovery Humanity Award

"Take action everyday and don't let negative thoughts hold you back." — Irina Nikolaeva

Lecturer in language documentation and description

Born: 1962-01-01

Hometown: Moscow, Russia

Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics

Achievements

Discoveries: Proof of the relationship between the Uralic and Yukaghir languages.

Expeditions: Various places in Siberia-from the Urals in the West to the Kolyma in the East and from the Polar Circle in the North to the Ussuri taiga in the South

Biography

Irina Nikolaeva has spent years documenting endangered languages, most notably the Kolyma Yukaghir dialect, spoken by about forty people in North-East Siberia. Her interests include syntax, morphology, typology and information structure, as well as Uralic, Altaic, and Paleosiberian linguistics.

Fun Facts

Favorite Item to have in the field: A tape recorder and mosquito repellant

Heroes: Vladimir Jochelson, a 19th century Russian linguist and anthropologist; and others who documented endangered languages without tape recorders.