Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
Prof. Dr. Marcel Erdal, Emeritus
Professor Emeritus of Turkology
Institute of Empirical Linguistics
Official Profile: Academia.edu – Marcel Erdal
Expertise: Old Turkic; Turkic Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Comparative Turkic Studies; Old Uyghur; Turkic Epigraphy; Historical Grammar; Altaic Studies; Language Contact; Central Asian Philology.
Member of Editorial Board of European Hebrew Journal
CURRICULUM VITAE
Academic Profile
Prof. Dr. Marcel Erdal is Professor Emeritus of Turkology at Goethe University Frankfurt and is internationally recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on Old Turkic language and historical Turkic linguistics.
Throughout his academic career he has devoted his research to the linguistic history of the Turkic languages, with particular emphasis on Old Turkic grammar, historical morphology, syntax, word formation, and epigraphy. His scholarship has substantially shaped modern Turkology and remains fundamental for the study of early Turkic inscriptions and manuscripts.
Prof. Erdal has published extensively on the Orkhon inscriptions, Old Uyghur texts, Volga Bulgar inscriptions, Khazar language, historical phonology, morphology, and the development of Turkic languages across Central Eurasia. His work combines philological precision with comparative and historical linguistic analysis.
QUALIFICATIONS
B.A., Robert College, Istanbul.
Graduate studies in Turkology and Linguistics.
Doctorate in Turkology.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Professor of Turkology, Goethe University Frankfurt.
Head, Department of Turkology, Goethe University Frankfurt.
Professor Emeritus, Goethe University Frankfurt.
Visiting Professor and Lecturer at numerous international universities and research institutes.
Member of editorial boards of leading journals in Turkology and Central Asian Studies.
RESEARCH
Prof. Erdal’s research focuses on the historical development of the Turkic languages from the earliest written sources to the medieval period. His work investigates morphology, syntax, phonology, lexicon, historical semantics, and the evolution of Turkic writing systems.
A major area of his scholarship concerns the Orkhon inscriptions, Old Uyghur manuscripts, Volga Bulgar inscriptions, and other early Turkic documentary sources. He has also contributed extensively to the study of language contact between Turkic, Iranian, Mongolic, Chinese, and other Eurasian language traditions.
His publications are regarded as standard reference works in historical Turkic linguistics and are widely cited throughout the fields of linguistics, philology, Central Asian studies, and historical language research.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Old Turkic
Historical Turkic Linguistics
Comparative Turkic Studies
Old Uyghur
Historical Grammar
Historical Morphology
Syntax
Word Formation
Turkic Epigraphy
Runiform Inscriptions
Historical Phonology
Volga Bulgar
Khazar Language
Central Asian Philology
Historical Lexicology
Language Contact
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP
Head, Department of Turkology, Goethe University Frankfurt.
Professor Emeritus, Goethe University Frankfurt.
Member of editorial and advisory boards of international journals in Turkology and historical linguistics.
International lecturer and keynote speaker in Turkic studies.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected Publications
Old Turkic Word Formation: A Functional Approach to the Lexicon. Harrassowitz Verlag, 1991.
Die Sprache der wolgabolgarischen Inschriften. Harrassowitz Verlag, 1993.
A Grammar of Old Turkic. Brill, 2004.
Exploring the Eastern Frontiers of Turkic. (co-editor).
The Turkic Nagy-Szentmiklós Inscription in Greek Letters.
Numerous articles on Old Turkic grammar, Turkic historical linguistics, Old Uyghur manuscripts, Volga Bulgar inscriptions, Khazar studies, Turkic syntax, and historical philology published in leading international journals and edited volumes.