Editing Altaic languages (section)

====The Sprachbund hypothesis====
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{{see|Sprachbund}}
Instead of a common genetic origin, Clauson, Doerfer, and Shcherbak proposed (in 1956–1966) that Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic languages form a ''[[Sprachbund]]'': a set of languages with similarities due to [[Language convergence|convergence]] through intensive borrowing and long contact, rather than common origin.<ref name=clauson56>Gerard Clauson (1956). "[http://altaica.ru/LIBRARY/CLAUSON/Clauson_against.pdf The case against the Altaic theory]". ''Central Asiatic Journal'' volume 2, pages 181–187</ref><ref name=doerfer63>Gerhard Doerfer (1963): "Bemerkungen zur Verwandtschaft der sog. altaische Sprachen" ('Remarks on the relationship of the so-called Altaic languages') In Gerhard Doerfer ed.: ''Türkische und mongolische Elemente im Neupersischen, Bd. I: Mongolische Elemente im Neupersischen'', pages 51–105. Franz Steiner, Wiesbaden</ref><ref name=shche63>Alexander Shcherbak (1963).<!--Bibliographic data needed-->{{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}</ref>

[[Asya Pereltsvaig]] further observed in 2011 that, in general, [[genetic relationship (linguistics)|genetically related]] languages and families tend to diverge over time: the earlier forms are more similar than modern forms. However, she claims that an analysis of the earliest written records of Mongolic and Turkic languages shows the opposite, suggesting that they do not share a common traceable ancestor, but rather have become more similar through language contact and areal effects.<ref name=perel2012/><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Janhunen |first=Juha A. |date=2023-01-17 |title=The Unity and Diversity of Altaic |url=https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-linguistics-030521-042356 |journal=Annual Review of Linguistics |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=135–154 |doi=10.1146/annurev-linguistics-030521-042356 |hdl=10138/355895 |s2cid=256126714 |issn=2333-9683|hdl-access=free }}</ref>