Message from Editors



Originally our Journal Studies on the Inner Asian Languages (SIAL) had been published from Vol.I through Vol.VI (1984-1991) as an official publication of Kobe City University of Foreign Studies. SIAL introduced articles and essays on the languages, literature, history, culture, and peoples in Inner Asia.

In 1992, however, Kobe City University of Foreign Studies cut off financial support to SIAL as a result of its reorganization, which forced SIAL to confront with discontinuance. In spite of this situation, many people realized the significance of SIAL in the academic circle of Asiatic Studies in Japan and expected its continuation. Accordingly, volunteers published Volume VII (1992) at their own expenses. Since Volume VIII (1993), the newly established Society of Central Eurasian Studies (SCES) has become a publisher of SIAL. SCES is organized by contributors, editors and subscribers of all the volumes of SIAL, and it only targets this journals' periodical publication.

Of course, Inner Asian or Central Eurasian studies, which include all sorts of studies such as history, archaeology, ethnology and linguistic, should be based above all on literary sources (documents, manuscripts, inscriptions) written in various languages.
However, in traditional journals on Asian studies in Japan, they have been inclined to attach greater importance to the articles which build up some arguments based on partial citation of these sources than to those articles which introduce such materials in their entirety. Furthermore, they had given space too limited to allow consummate presentation or detailed research of the primary sources.
To improve this situation, in SIAL we never impose any space limitations upon contributors. Conversely, we never hesitate to carry any articles that make important discoveries, even if such articles are very short. We believe that, because of its unique editorial policy, SIAL has become increasingly significant.

Although the title of our journal is Studies on the Inner Asian Languages, the journal never limits its articles only to linguists or philologists. We also welcome any essays or articles concerning Inner Asian literary sources by historians, archaeologists, ethnologists, etc.

We hope that many scholars, students and intellectuals who are interested in Inner Asian or Central Eurasian studies approve our editorial policy and support our SIAL by subscription, sales promotion, contribution of well written essays, and any other conceivable means.

Thank you.

October 1997,

Editors in Chief

Peter ZIEME
(Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften)



Takao MORIYASU
(Osaka University)





Yutaka YOSHIDA
(Kobe City University of Foreign Studies)