In this section, you can find up to date information about my educational background, publications, awards, and career trajectory.
Click on one of the subsections below to see what I've been up to. Or, download a PDF of my short- or long-form CV here: short / long.
publications
Kontovas, Nicholas. 2022 [accepted, in print] . "'You know she didn't have no country': Codeswitching and 'performing sass' in RuPaul's Drag Race". Journal of Language and Sexuality. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Shimunek, Andrew, C. Beckwith, J. Washington, N. Kontovas, & K. Niyaz. "The earliest attested Turkic language: The Chieh 羯 (*KƗR) language of the 4th century AD". Journal Asiatique. 303.1 (2015): 143-151.
Kontovas, Nicholas. 2019. Review of Central Eurasia in the Middle Ages: Studies in Honour of Peter B. Golden, by I. Zimony & O. Karatay, eds. 2016. Bibliotheca Orientalis LXXVI, 1/2.
Kontovas, Nicholas. 2014. Singing around Turkey: An exemplary collection of folk songs. Inner Asian & Uralic National Research Center, Bloomington, Indiana.
Coppola, Marie, E. Spaepen & N. Kontovas. 2006. "Number signs in adult home sign gesture systems." Theoretical Issues in Sign Language Research (TISLR) 9: 9 Congreso International de Aspectos Teóricos das Pesquisas nas Linguas de Sinais. December 6 - 9, 2006, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis, SC Brasil: 55-56.
courses taught
Introduction to Ottoman Turkish 1
Leiden University
autumn 2021
This course provides students with all the necessary skills to read original printed and clearly hand-written documents in Ottoman Turkish. In addition to familiarising themselves with the Arabic script as used for Ottoman, students gain essential knowledge of advanced and archaic aspects of Turkish grammar, lessons on Arabic and Persian derivational morphology as it appears in Ottoman, and basic knowledge of Ottoman linguistic and documentary culture.
Modern Uyghur: Grammar, History, & Reading
Leiden University
summer 2021
This course is intended as an overview of the grammar of the Modern Uyghur languages. In addition its contemporary grammar, the history of the language from both genetic and areal perspectives will also be covered. By the end of the course, students who successfully complete the pre-readings before each class will also gain the ability to read texts in Uyghur with the use of a dictionary and reference grammar.
Linguistic History of the Middle East
Leiden University
autumn 2020, autumn 2021
This course is intended to familiarize first-year students of Middle Eastern Studies with the languages and language use in the region from the earliest records to the present day. Students gain familiarity with the way that these languages operate, where they come from, in what scripts they are written, and how they are or were used in everyday life to construct the identities of speakers and their societies.
History of Central Asia & Afghanistan
Leiden University
autumn 2020, autumn 2021 (with Tobias Jones & Gabrielle van den Berg)
This course is intended for advanced Bachelors and Masters students interested in an overview of the history of the greater Central Asian region from the earliest human remains in the area to the present. Instructors approach the study of Central Asian history from multiple disciplines, emphasizing the use of primary sources and encouraging students to think critically about categories such as ethnicity, nationality, and religion.
Language & Culture of North America
Leiden University
spring 2019 (with Sara Polak & Looi van Kessel)
This course is intended as an introduction to the culture of the Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America for first year students in the Bachelors of Arts of International Studies program at Leiden University. Students are presented with major texts and cultural artifacts from these regions, while simultaneously being given the tools to engage in critical discourse analysis of these signs and their presence in North American societies. The course is taught from both Cultural Studies and Sociolinguistic perspectives.
Modern Uyghur
Leiden University
autumn 2019
The purpose of this course is to introduce Masters students and advanced undergraduates to the structure of the Modern Uyghur language. The goal of the course is fourfold: (1) to provide a firm theoretical knowledge of Uyghur grammar and its relationship to those of other languages, as well as some information regarding its historical development; (2) to attain basic conversational fluency in Uyghur; (3) to become familiar with some aspects of Uyghur culture, history, and politics; and (4) to enable students wishing to continue their studies to read texts in Uyghur with the assistance of a dictionary. (Taught in Uyghur, English, and Dutch)
Introduction to Turkish for Uzbek Speakers
Samarkand State University
spring 2019
This two-month course is aimed at introducing the basic aspects of pronunciation and grammar of Modern Turkish to students who are fluent speakers of Uzbek. Special attention is payd to equivalent grammatical constructions, as well as the ways in which they differ between the Turkish and Uzbek. (Taught in Uzbek & Turkish)
Empire & Identity in the Turco-persian World
Leiden University
autumn 2018 (with Tobias Jones & Sara Mirahmadi)
This course is aimed at deepening students' understanding of the shifting nature of identity throughout the vast empires that inhabited Turkic- and Persian-speaking worlds from the period just before the advent of Islam to the end of the Early Modern Era. Special emphasis is placed on questioning assumptions about the trans-historic permanence of certain labels, beliefs, and practices by contextualizing identity categories in light of primary source materials gathered from a multitude of disciplines.
Chaghatay Reading Group
Leiden University
spring 2018, autumn 2018
An introduction to the Chaghatay language. This course is aimed at those with good reading knowledge of Persian, but does not require any knowledge of a Turkic language. Therefore, an overview of spelling and grammar accompanied by short, artificial readings is followed by samples of authentic texts, such as the {Bāburnāma, and examplary manuscripts from various periods, such as the anonymous Turkic translation of the Tārīx-i Kāšġar from 18th century Eastern Turkistan.
Languages of Turkey
Boğaziçi University
autumn 2017
An introduction to the linguistic diversity of the Turkish Republic. This course begins with a brief overview of the languages that have existed in the region of what is now Turkey in the past before discussing in greater detail the histories, structures, genetic and contact-based affiliations, and literatures of the languages widely used in Turkey today. This course is aimed at students of linguistics, literature, history, and sociology. (Taught in Turkish.)
Introduction to Modern Uyghur Language & Literature
Boğaziçi University
spring 2017
This course is intended as an introduction to the language of the Uyghur ethnic group, primarily settled in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Its aim is to enable those with a native or advanced knowledge of Turkish to understand Modern Standard Uyghur in the Uyghur Arabic alphabet, as well as the context in which Modern Uyghur language and literature have developed. (Taught in Turkish & Uyghur.)
Introduction to Old Uyghur: Buddhist Old Turkic
Boğaziçi University
spring 2016
An introduction to the primary literary Turkic language of the Turfan basin during the 9th-14th centuries, with a focus on Buddhist literature. This course includes an in-depth discussion of the grammar and structure of the language, exercises intended to familiarize the student with the Old Uyghur script, and short passages from clear but exemplary manuscripts. Attention is given to the cultural and historical context in which these texts were written, as well as the history of Buddhism in Turkic lands. (Taught in Turkish.)
Workshop On Ottoman Language & Culture
Indiana University Bloomington
summer 2012-2014
A weekly three-hour, non-credit workshop for interested students in the Summer Language Workshop. Sessions were designed to teach students with some background in Turkic languages basic Ottoman reading skills commensurate with the ability to read authentic printed materials, and some manuscripts depending on students' abilities. At least one hour of every session was devoted to guided round-table discussion on various aspects of Ottoman history, and society.
Ottoman Turkish I
Boğaziçi University
autumn 2015, spring 2016, autumn 2016 (two sections), spring 2017
An introduction to the Ottoman Turkish. This course imparts knowledge of the Ottoman writing system, some grammatical features, historical development, transcription systems, and some basic research tools necessary to begin reading and writing in Ottoman. Students gain proficiency in the writing of Turkic elements and gain familiarity with the structure, use, orthography, and pronunciation of some Persian and Arabic elements in preparation for Ottoman Turkish II. (Taught in Turkish.)
Intensive Introductory Turkish
Indiana University Bloomington
summer 2012-2017
An accelerated, daily, four-hour summer course at the Indiana University Summer Language Workshop designed to teach and reinforce the fundamental elements of Turkish grammar, vocabulary, and idiom. Students should complete this course with a firm grasp of all basic verb tenses, all noun and pronoun cases, and a number of methods of simple clausal subordination. The course also imparts a broad knowledge of the culture, history, and politics of the Turkish-speaking world. (Taught in Turkish & English.)
Introductory Turkish I
Boğaziçi University
spring 2015, autumn 2015 (two sections), spring 2016
This course begins with basic phrases and knowledge about the Turkish language, then moves onto non-compound verb tenses, case endings, and possessive markers. Lessons also provide examples from everyday language which students could then relate to their daily lives in Istanbul. (Taught in Turkish & English.)
Intermediate Turkish II
Boğaziçi University
spring 2015 (two sections)
A continuation of Intermediate Turkish I. This course covers a number of common methods of clausal subordination, reviews structures related to evidentiality and compound tenses, and introduces real and unreal conditionals. Lessons are also geared towards increasing students' communicative capacity as they became more integrated in academic life in Turkey. (Taught in Turkish.)
Advanced Turkish Grammar I
Boğaziçi University
autumn 2016
Students develop their higher-register spoken and written Turkish through short readings on language-related topics, frequent oral presentations, short essay writing, and and detailed discussions of advanced aspects of Turkish grammar and usage. The primary goal of this course is to give students a level of comfort with native Turkish idioms and complex clausal subordination strategies with which they may already be familiar. Supplementary grammar instruction and practice is also provided based on individual need for advanced level grammar to which students have yet to be exposed. (Taught in Turkish.)
Advanced Turkish Grammar II
Boğaziçi University
spring 2017
A continuation of Advanced Turkish Grammar I. Students are exposed to a wide variety of carefully selected reading materials and grammar explanations in order to learn how to implement aspects of structure and idiom in a more naturalistic fashion. Emphasis is placed on understanding Turkish roots and derivational morphology, so as to better understand new vocabulary and successfully form new words on the basis of existing vocabulary. Students are also taught how to better understand grammatical aspects of regional dialects, colloquial idiom, formal rhaetorical style, and highly poetic or literary idiom. (Taught in Turkish.)
talks
invited talks
2021
Orta Türkçede Dil, Ayırıcı Kimlik ve Belirgin Nitelik
Yunus Emre ve Dünden Bugüne Türkçe, Atatürk University (online)
2021
Etkileşim, eğilim ve Doğu Türkçesinin kiplik-görünüş sistemi
Özbekçenin Ses Yapısı ve Geçmişten Bugüne İmlâsı, İstanbul University (online)
2021
Bir etkileşim sonucu olarak Çağatayca kip ve görünüş sistemi
Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Yüksek Lisans Seminerleri, Başkent University (online)
2020
A Crash Course in Uzbek
Middle Eastern Culture Market, Leiden Ethnography Museum
2019
Power and Language Change in Mediaeval Central Asia:
The shifting tides of local linguistic prestige and their impact on the development of Central Asian Turkic
Sheherazade Leiden Student Association, Leiden University, Netherlands
2018
Turkish Queer Slang: Language Contact and the Construction of Non-Ethnic Identity
Sociolinguistics Lecture Series, Leiden University Center for Linguistics, The Netherlands
2017
Türkiye'de Queer alanların dilsel yapısı ve tarihî gelişimi
SALT Galata, Slavs and Tatars Exhibit İstanbul, Turkey
2017
Lubunca: Osmanlı İstanbulu'ndan günümüz Türkiyesi'ne Kuir Argosu
Siyah Pembe Üçgen İzmir LGBTİ Center, 9th annual Baki Koşar Cultural Festival, İzmir, Turkey
2016
Lubunca ve Osmanlı'dan Günümüze Kuir Argosu
Association for Projects on Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Identity, İstanbul, Turkey
2016
Lubunca: Türk LGBTİ'lilerin argosu
Lambdaİstanbul LGBTİ Rights and Cultural Center, İstanbul, Turkey
2016
Osmanlı'dan Gelen Queer Argo: Lubunca
Lion Queer student group, Galatasaray University, İstanbul, Turkey
2014
Rethinking Language Evolution
Scientific Şehir Lecture Series, İstanbul Şehir University, İstanbul, Turkey
conference presentations
2019
Middle Turkic -GAn: in search of Persian-like participial perfects
The Ninth European Conference of Iranian Studies, University of Pavia, Italy
2019
The historical evolution of Perfect(-like) constructions in Turkic
Annual Conference of the Association for Linguistic Typology, University of Pavia, Italy
2013
Queer slang and the trafficking of non-Muslim women in Late Ottoman and Early Republican Istanbul
Human Trafficking Graduate Research Symposium, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
2013
Queer slang and demographic change in Early Republican Istanbul
Central Eurasian Studies Conference, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
2013
How much contact can change a language? The case of Kyrgyz, Khalkha, and Uyghur
(with Jonathan North Washington & Andrew Shimunek)
Central Eurasian Studies Society, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
2012
The Effect of Language Contact on the Phoneme Inventory of Central Eurasian Languages
(with Jonathan North Washington & Andrew Shimunek)
Central Eurasian Studies Conference, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
2010
Romani lexemes in İstanbul gay slang: Register & social space in contact-induced language change
Lavender Languages Conference, American University, Washington DC, USA
guest lectures
2021
The Qarakhanids: What we know
in the course "Central Asian Empires"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2021
An Uzbek Soul in a Tajik Body
in the course "Language Contact"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2021
Turks & Mongols
in the course "Culture & Conquest: Impact of the Mongols"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2019
Being a Turk: An overview of the nature of Turki[c/sh]ness (= Türklük) over time
in the course "Culture & Conquest: Impact of the Mongols"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2019
Turkic in the Middle East: A Historical Overview
in the course "Taalpanorama: Midden-Oost"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2019
Ethnicity & Ethnicities in Central Asia and Afghanistan
in the course "History of Central Asia and Afghanistan"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2018
Contributions of Turcology to the Study of Language Evolution
in the course "Pre-Modern Central Asia Reading Group"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2018
Being a Turk: An overview of the nature of Turki[c/sh]ness (= Türklük) over time
in the course "Culture & Conquest: Impact of the Mongols"
Leiden University, Netherlands
2017
Religion and Politics in Turkey from the Ottoman Empire to Today (pre-recorded video lecture)
in the course "Introduction to Comparative Politics"
Indiana University East, Richmond, USA
2017
Religion and Daily Life in Turkey (pre-recorded video lecture)
in the course "Introduction to Comparative Politics"
Indiana University East, Richmond, USA
2017
Introduction to Islam: History, Beliefs, and Practices (pre-recorded video lecture)
in the course "Introduction to Comparative Politics"
Indiana University East, Richmond, USA
2016
Kısaca Çağatayca Grameri
in the course "Special Topics: Chaghatay Literature"
Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey
2105
Contact Linguistics and Turkish Slang
in the course "Sociolinguistics"
Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
2014
Language and Heritage in Central Eurasia from the Middle Ages to the Present
in the course "Politics, Religion & Social Change"
Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey
2012
Lubunca: The historical development of Queer slang in Istanbul
in the course "Sociolinguistics"
Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
2011
Romani Language & Linguistics: An Overview and Learning from the Romani Language
in the course "Roma History & Culture"
Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
2009
Standards of evidence in historical linguistics
in the course "Rus, Bulgars, & Khazars"
Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
seminars
2019
Introduction to Interactive Methods in the Language Classroom
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Publishing in European and North American Academic Journals
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Plagiarism and Citation
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Online Resources for Academic Research
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Tips and Tricks for Effective Language Learning
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Common Phrases Used in English Academic Writing
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Curricula and Course Programs in the EU and the US
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2019
Academic Culture and the Graduate Student Experience in Comparitive International Perspective
Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2017
Spices, herbs, and resins: The link between food and medicine in Medieval Eurasia
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop Bloomington, IN, USA
2017
Steeped in Memory: The long voyages of coffee and tea through the Middle East
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop Bloomington, IN, USA
2017
What Comes Next: Language Maintenance Roundtable
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop Bloomington, IN, USA
2017
Tools not Rules: Basic grammar concepts to boost your language learning ability
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop Bloomington, IN, USA
2016
Tools not Rules: Basic grammar concepts to boost your language learning ability
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop Bloomington, IN, USA
2015
Tools not Rules: Basic grammar concepts to boost your language learning ability
Indiana University Summer Language Workshop Bloomington, IN, USA
