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Introduction to Mongolian

Mongolian (Монгол хэл) is spoken throughout Mongolia, the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region in China, and even the Buryatia and Kalmykia regions in Russia. However Mongolian is the official language of Mongolia. The Mongolian language is part of the Altaic language family which includes Turkish, Manchurian, Korean, and Japanese languages. 

Mongolian an agglutinative language due to its suffix-based grammar system. Other agglutinative languages include Finnish, Quechua, Japanese, Georgian and Turkic languages such as Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Uyghur. In an agglutinative language, every suffix placed at the end of a word creates a recognizable grammatical meaning. Every suffix, essentially, has a distinct grammar pattern and usage that is attached to various word roots and stems used in order to create complex sentences.

The Mongolian is commonly written using the Cyrillic alphabet due to Soviet occupation from 1921- 1992. Before the transition to the Cyrillic alphabet, traditional Mongolian script (originating from the Ughyur alphabet) was used. Recently traditional Mongolian script has been starting to gain more popularity in usage in Mongolia today. However, the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region in China still uses traditional Mongolian script alongside Chinese.

There are several different types of Mongolian dialects that have changed, adapted, and grew into their regional finesse. The Buriat Mongols of Siberia, speak Buriat Mongolian whereas the Mongols from the Inner Mongolian autonomous region in China speak southern Mongolian dialects such as the Ordos dialect. The Khalkha dialect is the official and most commonly spoken language in Mongolia. This site will focus on specifically introducing and teaching you the Khalkha dialect. 

Due to Mongolia’s geographical placement, history of conquest, Soviet colonization, and the spread of cultural influences stemming from the Silk Road and other trade routes, the Mongolian language is filled with many different loan words. 

Here are some examples of some foreign loan words in Mongolian: 

Chinese loan words: 

• Байцаа (Cabbage) 白菜 bái cài
• Лийр (Pear) 梨子/梨 (儿) lí zi/ er

Russian/Latin loan words: 

• Размер (Size) – Размер
• Печень (cookie) Печен
• Колбаса (Sausage)
• Градус (degree)
• Машин (car)

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Benefits of Learning Mongolian: 

The benefits of learning Mongolian include gaining a cultural and linguistic breadth of a unique and historically significant language. Mongolia is also a developing country landlocked between two of the world’s superpowers: Russia and China. Due to this, learning Mongolian can help expand one’s horizons and opportunities working in Central, Northern, and Inner Asia.

Here is a list of ways learning the Mongolian language can benefit you in the long run:

Learning Mongolian is helpful for:

1. Russian- Chinese trade relations (trade and geopolitics)
2. Mining careers with companies like Rio Tinto. 
3. Academia (anthropological and archaeological  research)
4. Development studies (UN and NGO careers)
5. Expat life and work in Mongolia/ Mongolian speaking regions (English teacher…etc).
6. Gaining breadth of a new country and culture.
7. Those who love history, especially the history of great empires. 
8. Linguiphiles who are interested in learning a fun and unique agglutinative language.
9. Those who are traveling to Mongolia.

Are there any other benefits for learning the Mongolian language? If there are, please feel free to comment below and share your thoughts!

Cheers,

Kathleen