Contribution of German travelers to the study of indigenous minority languages of Siberia and the Far East

The article examines the role of German travelers in studying the culture and language of indigenous minorities during exploring Siberia and the Far East in the 18-19th centuries. It is emphasized that the descriptions of languages and everyday life of ethnic groups by German travelers significantly contributed to Ethnolinguistics, Linguocultural studies, Anthropological Linguistics and Phonology, as well as to the development and preservation of the cultures and languages of Russia’s indigenous peoples. The author states that geographical, ethnographic and linguistic discoveries in the framework of expeditions led by German scientists laid the foundation for the development of modern Turkic studies, particularly, concerning the classification of Far Eastern peoples and their dialects. German approach initiated anthropocentric research paradigm followed by linguists in Russia and worldwide, which flourishes nowadays.