Rik Boeschoten, born in Hilversum, the Netherlands, in 1950. Ph.D. from Tilburg University. Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Tilburg University.
Fellow (1 September 1995 – 30 June 1996)
My stay at the NIAS was intricately linked to the theme group on “Bilingualism”. An important and useful part of my activities was made up by the workshops organised by its members and informal discussions with my colleagues, both fellows and outsiders.
My main aim was to establish and develop international co-operation in the field of contact language research on the basis of Turkic languages. The large area in which these languages are spoken (basically the entire Eurasian continent), and the many different contact settings we encounter there, offer an excellent basis for comparative research. Specifically, I organised a workshop devoted to the problem of ‘Turkic Languages in Contact’ during the first week of February. The papers read on the occasion will be edited by Professor Lars Johanson from the University of Mainz and myself in a collective volume.
Besides, I finished a number of articles on various subjects, ranging from the ‘Turkish language reform’ to a concise grammar of Uzbek.