Mongolic languages

Learn more about Mongolic languages

The Mongolic languages are a group of thirteen languages spoken in Central Asia. Some linguists propose the grouping of Mongolic with Turkic (of which Turkish is a member) and Tungusic as Altaic languages, but this hypothesis is not universally agreed upon.

The best-known member of this language family, Mongolian (in Cyrillic orthography as used in Mongolia, Монгол Хэл, and in the vertical Uygur-derived script as used in Inner Mongolia, China, mongγol kele), is the primary language of most of the residents of Mongolia, and is spoken by around 2.5 million people in Mongolia, Russia, and Inner Mongolia.

[edit] Classification

Mongolic

Central Mongolic
- Khalkha (Halh) Mongolian (official language of Mongolia)
- Ordos (native form: Urdus)
Western Mongolic (Oirat-Kalmyk-Darkhat)
- Oirat (Kalmyk) (Dialects: Torgut, Dorbet, Olot [Ööld, Elyut, Eleuth], Khoshut [Khoshuud])
- Darkhat
Northern Mongolic
- Buryat (Dialects: Bargu, Khori, Aga, Ekhirit, Unga, Ninzne-Udinsk, Barguzin, Tunda, Oka, Alar, Bohaan, Bulagat)
- Khamnigan Mongol
Northeastern Mongolic
- Dagur (Daur)
Southeastern Mongolic (i.e., the Qinghai-Gansu Sprachbund Mongolic languages)
- Monguor (Also known as Tu, Dialects: Mongghul, Mangghuer, heavily influenced by Tibetan or Chinese)
- Kangjia
- Bonan
- Dongxiang (Santa)
South-Central Mongolic
- Eastern Yugur (Shira Yugur)
Southwestern Mongolic
- Moghol (Mogholi, Mogol)