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Altaic

Altaic

9.9
A person from a people who speak languages like Turkish or Mongolian
  • noun
  • /ælˈteɪɪk/
translation icon : altaico
  • In the narrow sense of the word, shamanism is a technique specific to the Altaic (Turks, Mongols, Tungus) and Siberian peoples.

Examples

  • An Altaic person may speak one of the Turkic, Mongolic, or Tungusic languages.

  • The researchers focused on the cultural practices of various Altaic groups in their study.

  • Many Altaic languages share similar grammatical structures and vocabulary.

Compounds

Altaic language
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of Asian languages including Turkic and Mongolian that some people think are related

Ural-Altaic
  • Archaic
9.9

An old idea that Finnish and Turkish belong to the same language group

Surface Forms

Altaic singular
Altaics plural

Morphology

Altaic = Altai (semi-transparent) = Altai + ic

The adjective form is directly Altai + '-ic', a regular place-name adjective formation.

Etymology

An Altaic (a person) takes its name from the Altai Mountains, and the mountain name may come from altan meaning 'gold' or 'golden'. That's why Altaic can mean a member of the peoples who live near those mountains.