Irina Nikolaeva (1962 - ) Notable Achievements Proof of the relationship between the Uralic and Ukaghir languages. Occupation/Field of Study: Ph.d. Linguistics; Lecturer in language documentation and description. Period of Activity: 2001- current; Biography Irina Nikolaeva has spent years documenting endangered languages, most notably the Kolyma Yukaghir dialect, spoken by about forty people in North-East Siberia. Her interests include syntax, morphology, typology and information structure, as well as Uralic, Altaic, and Paleosiberian linguistics.