Kalmyk (Oirat) Language in the Works of D.G. Messerschmidt and Ph.J. von Strahlenberg

In the history of the exploration of Siberia and the languages of its peoples, the names of Daniel Gottlieb Messerschmidt (1685-1735) and Philipp Johann (Tabbert) von Strahlenberg (1676-1747) are adjacent to each other.The article examines the contribution of D.G. Messerschmidt and Ph.J. Strahlenberg to the study of the Kalmyk languagethis is what both travelers called this language: during their stay in Russia, the Oirat tribes who came into contact with Russians in the border territories in Siberia were called "Kalmyks", and, accordingly, their language was called Kalmyk.As one of the first researchers of the Kalmyk language, only Ph.J. Strahlenberg gained fame in the scientific world -thanks to a book published by him in 1730, which contained an extensive Kalmyk dictionary.The materials collected by D.G. Messerschmidt remained unknown for a long time either in Europe or in Russia: after the return of D.G. Messerschmidt from the expedition, his collections and notes were arrested, and the scientist was forbidden to work with them.The Kalmyk material preserved in D.G. Messerschmidt's papers (in his travel diary and a small manuscript "Tatar Dictionary") differs from the one published by Ph.J. Strahlenberg.The authors of the article conclude that the scientists worked independently, and each of them had their own notes, which did not exclude the possibility of exchange and discussion.However, unlike the materials of Ph.J. Strahlenberg, D.G. Messerschmidt's notes have not been preserved or remain unidentified to date.The absolute absence of Kalmyk vocabulary in the main work of the German scientist "Sibiria Perlustrata" is surprising.The only possible explanation at the moment seems to be that at the time of writing this manuscript in 1727, D.G. Messerschmidt could no longer access the records of Kalmyk words, since they had been confiscated (or lost).