The book deals with Mongolian loanwords in the Kipchak Turkic languages Tatar and Bashkir of the Volga area. After the sudden rise of the Chingisid Empire, Middle Mongolian exerted a vehement influence on the languages spoken in the subdued territories. This was the case even in the north-western most part of the empire. Tatar and Bashkir borrowed numerous Middle Mongolian words that reflect the culture of the Mongols of that age. In the following centuries, this vocabulary underwent significant changes in phonetics, morphology, semantics, and stylistic values. Middle Mongolian is reflected differently even in the languages of the socalled Altaic family. The author examines changes on both the Mongolian and the Kipchak side. The material provides valuable data that document important processes of the language history of the region. The book tries to capture characteristic elements of a language contact that has resulted in a variety of substantial loans belonging to many different semantic layers.

This Biographical Companion will be an indispensable reference tool for the serious student and scholar of Islamic Studies. It enables the user to quickly gain knowledge on the life, work, and professional background of almost every major and minor author, and thus to place each author in his/her proper perspective.