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Mongolic
Geographic distribution:	Central Asia
Genetic classification:	Altaic[1] (controversial)  Mongolic
Subdivisions:	—

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 5.7 million people in Mongolia, Russia, and Inner Mongolia. Nikudari, an archaic and unclassified Mongolian language, remains preserved by a few hundred speakers in Herat, Afghanistan.

[edit] Classification

Mongolic

• Central Mongolic
  • Khalkha (Halh) Mongolian (official language of Mongolia)
  • Ordos (native form: Urdus)
  • Chahar
• 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, Nizhne-Udinsk, Barguzin, Tunka, 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)

[edit] External links

• Ethnologue report on Mongolic languages
• Ethnic groups of Mongolia
• Ethnic map of Mongolia
• Mongolic languages at the Open Directory Project

[edit] References

• Janhunen, J. 2003. The Mongolic Languages. London.

v • d • e Altaic languages
Turkic languages • Mongolic languages • Tungusic languages • Japonic languages* • Korean language*
Notes: *Japonic and Korean are not generally recognized as belonging to the Altaic language family. See also Buyeo languages.