Polivanov is credited as the scholar who initiated the comparative study of Japanese pitch accent across dialects.

After this he was blackballed from all scholarly institutions in Moscow and Leningrad and until his arrest "was essentially in exile in Central Asia, where he accomplished fruitful work on the local languages.

"[2] During the Great Purge, Polivanov was arrested on 16 August 1937 in Bishkek and was charged with spying for Japan.

On 1 October, in the Butyrka prison, he requested in writing that the NKVD halt severe interrogation methods against him, arguing that they made him issue false statements that confused the investigation against him.

On 25 January 1938, he was tried in a closed session of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR and pleaded not guilty.