PIAC Newsletter

The Permanent International Altaistic Conference Newsletter

The Permanent International Altaistic Conference Newsletter, as its full title ran, was a newsletter published usually once a year, for the first time in July 1966, until October 2002. The newsletters were edited by Denis Sinor, supported by several copy editors over the years. The imprint of Newsletter No. 2 reads as follows:

The Newsletter of the Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC) is published at irregular intervals, two to three times a year. It is distributed, free of charge, to members of the PIAC and others interested, but it is not for sale. It accepts advertisements for books dealing with Turkic, Mongol or Tunguz linguistics, ethnography or history, or indeed, with any part of Asia relevant to the interests of PIAC.
Enquiries, review-copies, etc. should be addressed to

PIAC Newsletter
Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies
Indiana University
Goodbody Hall
Bloomington
Indiana 47401
U. S. A.

Already a year later, the publication frequency was indicated as “once or twice a year.” With Newsletter No. 11, the word “irregular” appeared. With Newsletter No. 15, which had appeared after a hiatus of two years, the wording “once or twice a year” gave way to “irregular intervals”. Nonetheless, basically a yearly rhythm could be maintained for nearly 30 years, only between No.s 12 and 13 there was a gap of four years, and  between No. 14 and 15 as well as No.s 25, 26 and 27, more than two years passed. At the turn of the millenium, In 1993 (Newsletter No. 21), Denis Sinor could no longer conceal his disappointment over the situation: “the number of PIAC members who bother to send in material is much smaller than that of those asking why we do not appear in print more often.” Facing the emerging popularity and ubiquity of the internet at the dawn of the new millenium, he pondered, among other choices, to quit the newsletter work altogether. Newsletter No. 27 should become the last edition.

Most newsletters featured between a few and—occasionally—more than thirty pages. Their contents contained reports of Annual Meetings, resolutions of Business Meetings , letters by PIAC members, book and award announcements, and also obituaries. Reports and announcements of academic conferences with a relation to Altaic Studies were also published, as well as some confessions. The contributions and articles appeared in German, English, French and Russian, assuming that there was no need to translate everything into English as these languages were all considered linguae francae of the Altaicist scientific community.

A meaningful selection of these texts is republished within the framework of this website (directly linked to the following tables of contents); nonetheless all newsletters are made available as PDF documents here: simply follow the links below, beginning with No. 1.

  • No. 1, June 1966 (17 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [0]–1
    • In Memoriam Professor Vladimir Minorsky 2
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 1965 Award 4
    • Denis Sinor: XXVII International Congress of Orientalists
    • Annemarie von Gabain: [Letter] From Germany 5
    • Karl Jahn: [Letter] From Holland 6
    • News from the Uralic and Altaic Department of Indiana University 7
    • A. Haneda: Études altaiques au Japon en 1964–1965 8–13
    • Deirdre: Shadow and Substance 13
    • E. Schütz: DieTätigkeit der ungarischen Altaisten, 1965 14–15
    • The Mongolia Society 16
    • New Volumes in Indiana University Publications Uralic and Altaic Series (IUPUAS)  16
      (The last line of this page is missing and should read:
      critical study of the ninth chapter of the Secret History.)

Copy Editor: Deirdre Nizich-Nizinska

  • No. 3, September 1968 (14 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • The Tenth Meeting of the PIAC 2–4
    • The Eleventh Meeting of the PIAC 4–5
    • F. Hintze: [Letter to the Secretary-General] 6
    • Cambridge History of Inner Asia 6
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 1967 Award 7
    • Louis Ligeti: Letter on behalf of the 1968 PIAC Medal Award 8
    • A Raghu Vira Memorial Volume 8
    • Hans-Peter Vietze: Über die Mongolistik in der DDR 9–10
    • Joseph Matuz: Turkologische Arbeiten in Vorbereitung an der Universität Freiburg im Breisgau 11–12
    • Erika Taube: [Letter] 13
    • Suraiya Faroqhi: Ein Aufstand in Tripolis, Afrika, gegen die Osmanische Herrschaft. 13
    • PIAC Proceedings 14
    • Newsletter Imprint 14

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 4, July 1969 (7 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • Robert Göbl: Vienna: A New Institute for the Study of Pre-Islamic History of Inner Asia 2–4
    • Bibliographical Notes 4
    • Annemarie von Gabain: [Letter] 5
    • Sir Gerard Clauson: [Letter] from London 5–6
    • Two New Bibliographies 6
    • New Volumes in the “Uralic and Altaic Series” 7
    • Newsletter Imprint 7

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 6, April 1971 (14 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]-2
    • Edward Tryjarski: In Memoriam Ananiasz Zajączkowski 3
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies Award for 1970 4
    • Walther Heissig: [Letter] From Bonn, 12 July, 1970 5
    • Ulla Johansen: [Letter] From Heidelberg, 25 July, 1970 5–6
    • Georg Hazai: [Letter] From Berlin, 28 October, 1970 6–9
    • Even Hovdhaugen: [Letter] From Oslo, 21 November, 1970 9–10
    • Karl Jahn: [Letter] From Utrecht, 29 January, 1971 10
    • The Second International Congress of Mongolists Ulan Bator September 3–11, 1970 11
    • Handbook of Turkish Culture 12–13
    • Miscellany (Prof. Walter Fuchs retired, Third East Asian Altaistic Conference, Twenty-Eighth International Congress of Orientalists) 14
    • Newsletter Imprint 14

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 7, April 1972 (24 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]-2
    • Denis Sinor: The Fourth East Asian Altaistic Conference 2
    • The Fourteenth Meeting of the PIAC 3–4
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies Award for 1971 4–5
    • Honorary Fellows of the Kőrösi Csoma Society Elected 5
    • G. Hazai: Eine neue Veröffentlichungsreihe für die Berliner Turfantexte 6–8
    • The Nationality Question in Contemporary Soviet Central Asia 8
    • The Institute of China Border Area Studies 8
    • M. Mollova: Šin des Tatars balkaniques 8
    • A. N. Kononov: Altaic Linguistics in the USSR — A Brief Survey 9–16
    • Alphabetical Listing of Russian Titles Occurring in the Foregoing Article 17–21
    • Denis Sinor: Important Old Books in New Garb 22–24
    • Jewish Varieties of the Altaic Languages 24
    • Newsletter Imprint 24

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 8, June 1973 (9 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • The Fifteenth Meeting of The PIAC 2–3
    • The 1972 Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 4
    • Toru Saguchi: Japanese Altaistic Lexicon 5–6
    • Conference on the Sources of Central Asian History 6
    • Paolo Daffinà: An Italian Project on the Chinese Sources of the History and the Historical Geography of Inner Asia 7
    • Even Hovdhaugen: A Uralic-Altaic Institute Founded at the University of Oslo 8
    • Newsletter Imprint 8
    • Something for Nothing (publications donated by Sechin Jagchid and John R. Krueger) 9
    • [Miscellany] (Vámbéry: Travels in Central Asia; Mongolia Society Occasional Papers; Tietze: Advanced Turkish Reader) 9

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 9, April 1974 (9 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]-2
    • The 1973 Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 2
    • The Sixteenth Meeting of the PIAC 3–4
    • No. 24 of Acta Asiatica, Bulletin of the Institute of Eastern Culture 4
    • C. R. Bawden: Dictionary of Written Mongol 5
    • Bulletin of the Institute of Chinese Border Area Studies 5
    • J. Matuz: Turkologisches und Osmanistisches in der Reihe “Islamkundliche Untersuchungen” 6–9
    • Past PIAC Proceedings 9
    • Newsletter Imprint 9

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 10, October 1975 (10+28 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • List of Participants. Eighteenth Meeting of the PIAC, Indiana University, June 29 — July 5, 1975 2–3
    • Resolution 3
    • 1976 PIAC Meeting 3
    • PIAC Medal for 1975 3–4
    • PIAC Medal for 1974 4
    • John R. Krueger: “The Kalmyk-Mongolian Vocabulary in Stralenberg’s Geography of 1730” 4
    • A. Róna-Tas: Altaic Studies in Szeged 5–6
    • Proceedings of the Fourth East Asian Altaistic Conference 6
    • Bibliography of N. A. Baskakov 6, 26–50
    • Bible Translations in Altaic Languages 7
    • Newsletter: No scholarly articles 7
    • Talât Tekin: On Volga-Bulgarian bačna 8
    • Past PIAC Proceedings 9–10
    • Fifth International Congress of Turkish Art 10
    • Tibet. A Handbook by Helmut Hoffmann et al. 10
    • Newsletter Imprint 10

Copy Editor: Karin L. Ford

  • No. 11, February 1977 (33 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies Award for 1976 2
    • Aulis J. Joki: Martti Räsänen, 25. 6. 1893–7. 9. 1976 3–6
    • Third International Congress of Mongolists 6
    • Georg Hazai, Andreas Tietze: “Turkologischer Anzeiger” — eine Jahresbibliographie der osmanistischen Studien 7–8
    • Proceedings of the Seventeenth PIAC 8
    • Z. B. Mukhamedova: Recent Works on Turkmen in the Turkmen SSR 9–13
    • Bibliography of Denis Sinor 14–31
    • Bulletin of the Institute of Chinese Border Area Studies 32
    • Books for Sale (by Vámbéry, Gilmour, Rawlinson) 32
    • Newsletter Imprint 32

Copy Editor: Karin Ford

Copy Editor: Karin Ford

  • No. 13, May 1982 (20 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: Thoughts on a Silver Jubilee [1]
    • The PIAC in a Nutshell 2–4
    • Short Notices on Recent PIAC Meetings 5
    • Change in the PIAC Constitution 5
    • Notes on PIAC Proceedings 6
    • UNESCO’s History of the Civilizations of Central Asia 7–8
    • Personal News (Helga Venzlaff, Lars Johanson, Walther Heissig, Denis Sinor) 8
    • Bulletin of the Institute of Chinese Border Area Studies 9
    • Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series Vol.s 135–140 9
    • Teaching Aids for the Study of Inner Asia Vol.s 8, 9 9
    • Symposium on Hunting-Gathering and Food-Production Type Economies of the Neolithic Cultures of Central Asia 10
    • The Fifth East Asian Altaistic Conference 10
    • Hans-Peter Vietze: Abschlußbericht zum “Deutsch-Mongolischen Wörterbuch” 11–13
    • Newsletter Imprint 13
    • P. de Jong: Chrestomathy of Barguzin Evenki 14–20
  • No. 14, August 1983 (11 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • The PIAC’s Silver Anniversary 2
    • The PIAC’s Twenty-Sixth Meeting 2
    • Conference in Washington, D. C. on the Study of Central Asia 3
    • Semicentennial of the Oriental Institute of Warsaw University 4–6
    • Proceedings of the 24th Meeting of the PIAC 6
    • Studia Uralo-Altaica 7
    • Manchu Studies Newsletter 8
    • Some Recently Launched Periodic Publications on Central Asia 9–11
    • Publications from Taiwan 11
    • Newsletter Imprint 11
  • No. 15, May 1985 (35 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • Twenty–Seventh Meeting of the PIAC 2
    • Proceedings of PIAC Meetings 2–3
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 1983, 1984 3
    • Member News [John R. Krueger, H. Paksoy] 3–4
    • XXXII International Congress for Asian and North African Studies (ICANAS) 4
    • Proceedings of the Thirty-First International Congress of Human Sciences in Asia and North Africa 5
    • Siberian Studies 5
    • Kazakh Material 5
    • Other Publications of Interest 6
    • Newsletter Imprint 6
    • Ádám Molnár: Ten Years of Altaistics at the University of Szeged [includes extensive bibliography] 7–22
    • Hartmut Walravens: Some Current Research Projects in Manchu Studies 23–28
    • P. de Jong: Suffix Order in Manchu-Tungus Languages 29–35
  • No. 17, June 1987 (17 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] 1
    • Denis Sinor: In Memoriam Louis Ligeti (1902–1987) 2–3
    • Denis Sinor: Prolegomena to the 29th Meeting of the PIAC 4–8
    • Geng Shimin: Turkic Languages in China and Their Study 9–13
    • Second European Seminar on Central Asian Studies (London) 14
    • The Modernization of Inner Asia: Premodern Heritage (Washington, DC) 14
    • Proceedings of the First European Seminar on Central Asian Studies 14
    • Papers on Inner Asia 15
    • Indiana University Uralic & Altaic Series 16
    • Newsletter Imprint 16
  • No. 18, June 1989 (11 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • 29th Meeting of the PIAC 2
    • 30th Meeting of the PIAC 2
    • 31st Meeting of the PIAC 2
    • [Proceedings] 3–5
    • Sechen Jagchid: Essays in Mongol Studies 5
    • English Edition of G. D. Sanzheev’s Staropis’mennij mongol’skij jazyk prepared by John R. Krueger: The Old-Script Mongolian Language and its Development in Khalkha 5
    • Festschrift Gunnar Jarring 6
    • Bulletin of the International Association for Mongol Studies (IAMS) 6
    • Proceedings of the International Conference on the Cultura and Historical Processes in Medieval Central Asia 7
    • Personalia (Henryk Jankowski, Roger Finch) 7
    • Harvard Students for Inner Asia 7
    • International Association for Ainu Studies 8
    • British Universities Siberian Studies Seminar 8
    • Association for the Advancement of Central Asian Research 9
    • 33rd International Congress of Asian and North African Studies 9
    • Some Recent Publications in Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series 10
    • Newsletter Imprint 10
  • No. 20, June 1991 (18 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • PIAC Action in Favor of Altaists in the Former DDR 2
    • Denis Sinor and Barbara M. Kellner: Letter to Federal Minister Riesenhuber 2–3
    • Letter by Ministerium für Bildung und Wissenschaft, GDR 4
    • Letter by Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie 5
    • The 1990 PIAC Medal 6
    • Proceedings of the Thirtieth Meeting of the PIAC 6
    • Proceedings of the Thirty-Second Meeting of the PIAC 6
    • Appeal by the Secretariat of the International Association for Mongol Studies 7–9
    • Dr. Gombojab Hangin Memorial Scholarship offered by the Mongolia Society 10
    • Deutsch-Mongolische Kulturgesellschaft 11
    • Sibirica 12
    • International Association of Manichaean Studies 12
    • A Turkish Version of the PIAC Anthem 13
    • Books Received by the PIAC Secretariat 13
    • Ahmet Temir: PIAC Marşi [PIAC Anthem] 14–15
    • Recent Publications by the Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies, Indiana University Uralic and Altaic Series 16
    • 1991 Summer Institute for Central Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison 17
    • Newsletter Imprint 17
  • No. 21, May 1993 (16 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] [1]
    • Denis Sinor: In Memoriam Annemarie von Gabain 2–3
    • PIAC Chronicle: 34th Meeting 4
    • PIAC Chronicle: 35th Meeting 4
    • PIAC Chronicle: Election of the Secretary General 4
    • Past PIAC Proceedings 5–8
    • Concerning Correspondence with the PIAC 8
    • Dimitri Vasiliev: Databases on the Sources of the History of Medieval Eurasia 9–10
    • Periodicals, New and Old (Journal of Turkology, Shaman, Journal of Mongolian Studies) 11
    • Applications now being accepted for the Dr. Gombojab Hangin Memorial Scholarship For the 1994–95 Academic Year 12
    • International Conference-Seminar “Orkhon-Enissean Script Monuments” 13
    • Symposium: “A. Mostaert and his Ordos Study” 14
    • Computer Fonts for Turcologists and Mongolists 14
    • A Selection of Indiana University Publications in Altaic Studies 14–15
    • Newsletter Imprint 15
  • No. 22, May 1994 (16 pages)
    Contents:

    • Walther Heissig, 80th Birthday [0]
    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] 1
    • 36th PIAC Meeting 2
    • Proceedings of the 34th Meeting 2
    • Proceedings of the 35th Meeting 2
    • Vladimirtsov Symposium 2
    • International Conference: The Spiritual, Material and Written Monuments of the Ancient and Medieval Orient, Moscow, February 7–11, 1995 3
    • International Association of Manichaean Studies 4
    • Excavations in Southern Siberia 4
    • International Conference of Mongolists 5
    • Chris Johnston: A Mongolian and Tuvan Discography 6–13
    • A Request to the Lady Members of the PIAC 14
    • Indiana University Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies: Recent “Papers on Inner Asia” 14
    • Newsletter Imprint 14
  • No. 23, June 1995 (18 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] 1
    • N. A. Baskakov, 90th Birthday 2
    • PIAC Anthem 3–4
    • Hidehiro Okada: In Memoriam Shiro Hattori (1908–1995) 5–6
    • Hidehiro Okada: In Memoriam Shichiro Murayama (1908–1995) 6–7
    • 37th PIAC Meeting 7
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 7
    • John Schoeberlein-Engel: Guide to Scholars of the History and Culture of Central Asia 8
    • TULIP Turkish Linguistic Post 9
    • Newsletter Central and Inner Asia Seminar University of Toronto 10
    • University of Toronto: The Central and Inner Asian Seminar 11–12
    • Altainet: E-Mail for Altaic Studies 12
    • Thousand Years of Gesser Epic 13
    • Central Asia Quarterly LABYRINTH 13
    • Tjeerd de Graaf: The Use of Acoustic Databases and the Study of Language Minorities in Siberia 14
    • Indiana University Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies: Recent Publications (Uralic and Altaic Series, Oriental Series, Papers on Inner Asia) 15
    • Mongolia Society: Lessing’s Dictionary Order Form 16
    • Publications sent to the PIAC 17
    • Newsletter Imprint 17
  • No. 25, May 1997 (16 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: Forty Years of PIAC [1]
    • John R. Krueger: In Memoriam Francis Woodman Cleaves (July 13th) 1911–1995 (Dec. 31st) 2–3
    • Denis Sinor: In Memoriam Károly Czeglédy 4
    • 38th PIAC Meeting 5
    • 39th PIAC Meeting 5
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 5
    • Comparative Tibetan and Mongolian Hippology and Hippiatry Project 6
    • The International Dunhuang Project 7
    • International Society for Shamanic Research (ISSR) 8
    • Unesco’s History of the Civilizations of Central Asia 8
    • Circle of Inner Asian Art 8
    • Center for the Study of Eurasian Nomads 9
    • Kazakh/American Research Project 9
    • TULIP Newsletter 10
    • Harrassowitz: Turkic Languages, edited by Lars Johanson 11
    • Harrassowitz Publications 12
    • Curzon: The Uralic and Altaic Series Volumes 1–150 13
    • Indiana University Research Institute for Inner Asian Studies: Recent Publications (Uralic and Altaic Series, Oriental Series, Papers on Inner Asia) 14
    • Publications sent to the PIAC 15
    • Newsletter Imprint 15
  • No. 26, August 1999 (29 pages)
    Contents:

    • Denis Sinor: [Introduction] 1
    • 40th PIAC Meeting 2
    • 41st PIAC Meeting 2
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies 2
    • Election of the Secretary General 3
    • Voting Rights 3
    • Meetings of the PIAC 4
    • Indiana University Prize for Altaic Studies Awarded by an international committee of the PIAC. Recipients to date: 5
    • Published PIAC Proceedings 6–9
    • B. Brentjes: In Memoriam Eleonora Afanas’eva Novgorodova [Selected Bibliography] 10–15
    • The Ancient India & Iran Trust 16
    • The Louis Ligeti Oriental Collection’ home page has appeared on the internet 17
    • The Mongolia Society Essay Competition 18
    • CIAA Circle of Inner Asian Art 19
    • Éditions edisud: Offre speciale! 20–21
    • Nui Ru-ji: Recent Publications on Turkology in China 22
    • Maria Efremova: The “Maadai-Kara” Epic – Its Background And Its New Features 23–27
    • Newsletter Imprint [28]