| Peripheral Mongolian | |
|---|---|
| Native to | China |
| Region | Inner Mongolia |
| Ethnicity | Mongols in China |
Native speakers | 2.1 million (2022)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mvf |
| Glottolog | peri1253 |
In theInner Mongolia Autonomous Region ofChina, theMongolian language is the official provincial language (alongsideChinese).[2]Mongols are the second largest ethnic group (afterHan Chinese), comprising about 17 percent of the population. There are at least 4.1 million ethnic Mongols in Inner Mongolia, including subgroups like theChahars,Ordos,Baarin,Khorchin,Kharchin, andBuryats. While there is astandardized dialect of the Mongolian language in Inner Mongolia (in contrast to the standard language in the state ofMongolia, where theKhalkha make up most of the population), different Mongolian dialects continue to be spoken by different subgroups of the Mongols. Some proposed the Peripheral Mongolian dialect group to cover the Mongolian dialects in Inner Mongolia.
The Mongolian language is the most widely spoken and best-known member of theMongolic language family. Most speakers of the Mongolian language reside in the independent state ofMongolia and theInner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. In Inner Mongolia, the Mongolian language is dialectally more diverse than the state of Mongolia, although there is astandard dialect of the Mongolian language in the region based on theChakhar Mongolian, which is phonologically close to theKhalkha Mongolian (thede facto national language of the Mongolian state). The Mongolian language in Inner Mongolia is generally written in the traditionalMongolian script, whereas theMongolian Cyrillic alphabet is commonly used in the state of Mongolia. There are also ethnic Mongol residents in other parts of China (such asXinjiang,Qinghai, andNortheast China), and the exact number of Mongolian speakers in China is unknown since there is no data available on the language proficiency of citizens in China.
While there are different dialects of the Mongolian language as spoken by different subgroups of the Mongols (such asChahars,Khorchin, andKharchin) in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, there is a standardized Mongolian dialect in the region, including a standard written language and standard pronunciation, as opposed to the standard language of the state of Mongolia. The traditionalMongolian script is used for the standard Mongolian dialect in Inner Mongolia.
Given its intended status that was formallyimplemented and delimited at a conference inÜrümqi in 1979,[3] the standard dialect has been the object of several grammars.[4] This includes aneclectic grammar that specifically deals withnormativespoken language[5] and which is based on the Chakhar dialect as spoken in thePlain Blue Banner on which the normative Inner MongolianpronunciationStandard sounds (Mongolian:ᠪᠠᠷᠢᠮᠵᠢᠶᠠ
ᠠᠪᠢᠶᠠbarimǰiy-a abiy-a) isbased. But legally, the grammar of all Mongolian dialects in Inner Mongolia jointly provides the standardgrammar. This is still a delimitation, as Buryat and Oirat speakers in China are obliged to use the standard Mongolian dialect in Inner Mongolia as their standard variety as well.[6] To work as a school teacher, news anchor etc., a special command of the standard Mongolian dialect in Inner Mongolian is required andtested. The test manual focuses mainly on pronunciation, but to some degree also onvocabulary, whilesyntax is stated to be tested, but left to the evaluators. To teach Mongolian, a score of more than 90% is needed, while teachers of other subjects are only required to obtain 80%, the minimum score for successful completion.[7]
According to theConstitution of China, the right to use the languages of minority ethnic groups, including Mongolian is protected.[8] In Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region to which ethnic Mongols are home, various subjects inelementary andmiddle schools could be taught in the Mongolian language. It preserves the traditionalMongolian script as its official alphabet, whereas theCyrillic script is commonly used in the state of Mongolia.
However, the use of Mongolian language in Inner Mongolia has witnessed periods of decline and revival over the last few hundred years. The language experienced a decline during the lateQing period, a revival between 1947 and 1965, a second decline during theCultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976, a second revival between 1977 and 1992, and a third decline between 1995 and 2012.[9] During the Cultural Revolution, Mongolian was labeled as part of theFour Olds, texts in Mongolian were burned, and bilingual education was suppressed.[10]
In recent years, the language is in decline again withMongols in China due to aChinese government campaign ofsinicization,[11][12][13] which results in the Mongolian language being restricted and practically banned to a considerable extent in Inner Mongolia, notably in the educational system. From September 2020, three core subjects, namely language and literature, politics, and history, began to be taught only inMandarin, the official language of China, which caused demonstrations among local students, their parents and people from the Mongolian country.[14] As of September 2023, Mandarin has been deemed the only language of instruction for all subjects.[15][16]
Although an unknown number of Mongols in China, such as the Tumets, may have completely or partially lost the ability to speak their language, they are still registered as ethnic Mongols and continue to identify themselves as ethnic Mongols.[17][18] The children of inter-ethnic Mongol-Chinese marriages also claim to be and are registered as ethnic Mongols so they can benefit from the preferential policies for minorities in education, healthcare, family planning, school admissions, the hiring and promotion, the financing and taxation of businesses, and regional infrastructural support given to ethnic minorities in China.[19][20]
A dialect group known asPeripheral Mongolian,[21] also known asInner Mongolian (ᠥᠪᠦᠷ
ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ
ᠠᠶᠠᠯᠭᠣÖbör mongɣol ayalɣu) orSouthern Mongolian, is proposed within thetaxonomy of theMongolian language.[citation needed] It is assumed by mostInner Mongolia linguists and would be on the same level as the other three major dialect groupsKhalkha,Buryat,Oirat.[22] The proposed dialect group would consist of the dialectsChakhar,Ordos,Baarin,Khorchin,Kharchin and (possibly)Alasha that originated from Oirat.[23] The varieties spoken inXilin Gol which form a major dialect of their own right and are close to Khalkha[24] are classified as belonging to Chakhar in this approach.[25] Because the proposed dialect group would consist of all non-Buryat Mongolian varieties spoken in Inner Mongolia, this classification has been argued against by severallinguists who hold that there is adialect continuum between Khalkha and the Mongolian varieties in Inner Mongolia that rather favours grouping Chakhar, Ordos and Khalkha on the one hand and Khorchin and Kharchin on the other hand,[26] or at least that "Mongolian proper" is an immediate member of Mongolian/Mongolic.[27] On the other hand, the argument that the Mongolian language in Inner Mongolia is distinct is based on considerations such as the following:
The decline of Mongolian is part of a years-long push by the central government to assimilate ethnic minorities across China.
Inner Mongolia topics | |
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| General | |
| Geography | |
| Education | |
| Culture | |
| Cuisine | |
| Visitor attractions | |
