The Turkic languages of South-Siberia and Western Mongolia form a dialect-continuum. It includes: Tuvan, Tofa, Tsengel-Tuvan, Tuha (Dukha), Hovd Tuvan, and other languages (Shor, Xakas, Altai) not included in the scope of this project.

All these languages have some degree of mutual comprehensibility, but due to socio-political factors, location, and ethnic identity, are considered by their respective communities to be distinct tongues.