View source for Oirat language

{{Short description|Central Mongolic language}}
{{Redirect|XAL||Xal (disambiguation){{!}}Xal}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Oirat
| altname          = Oirat Mongolian 
| nativename       = {{MongolUnicode|ᡆᡕᡅᠷᠠᡑ<br />ᡘᡄᠯᡄᠨ|lang=xal|style=text-align:left;word-wrap:normal}}<br />{{transliteration|xal|Oirad kelen<br>Өөрд келн}}<br />{{MongolUnicode|ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ<br />ᠬᠡᠯᠡᠨ ᠦ<br />ᠣᠶᠢᠷᠠᠳ<br />ᠠᠶᠠᠯᠭᠤ|lang=xal|style=text-align:left;word-wrap:normal}}<br />{{transliteration|xal|Mongγol kelen-ü Oyirad ayalγu<br>Моңһл келнә Өөрд айлһ}}
| states           = [[Mongolia]], [[Russia]], [[China]], [[Kyrgyzstan]]<ref name="Svantesson et al. 2005: 148"/>
| region           = [[Khovd Province|Khovd]], [[Uvs Province|Uvs]],<ref>Svantesson et al. 2005: 141</ref> [[Bayan-Ölgii Province|Bayan-Ölgii]],<ref>Coloo 1988: 1</ref> [[Kalmykia]], [[Xinjiang]], [[Gansu]], [[Qinghai]]
| ethnicity        = 655,372 [[Oirats]]
| speakers         = 368,000, 58% of ethnic population
| date             = 2007–2010
| ref              = e18
| familycolor      = Altaic
| fam1             = [[Mongolic languages|Mongolic]]
| fam2             = Central Mongolic
| fam3             = [[Buryat language|Buryat]]–[[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]
| fam4             = [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]]
| script           = [[Clear Script|Clear script]] (China: unofficial), [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] (Russia: official)
| stand1           = [[Kalmyk Oirat|Kalmyk]]
| nation           = [[Kalmykia]], [[Russia]] (in the form of Kalmyk); [[Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture]] in [[Qinghai]], [[China]]; [[Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture]] and [[Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture]] in [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]], China
| iso2             = xal
| lc1              = xal
| ld1              = [[Kalmyk Oirat]]
| lc2              = xwo
| ld2              = Written Oirat
| linglist         = xwo
| lingname         = Written Oirat
| lingua           = part of 44-BAA-b
| glotto           = kalm1243
| glottorefname    = Oirad-Kalmyk-Darkhat
| map              = Oirat-map-ru.png
| mapcaption       = A map (in [[Russian language|Russian]]) showing the distribution of Oirat outside Kalmykia. Varieties in dispute have not been included.<ref>cp. the distribution given by Svantesson et al. 2005: 141</ref>
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|[øːˈrət keˈlən]}}
| iso2comment      = Kalmyk
}}

'''Oirat''' ([[Clear Script|Clear script]]: {{MongolUnicode|lang=xal|ᡆᡕᡅᠷᠠᡑ<br>ᡍᡄᠯᡄᠨ|style=max-height:3.5em;word-wrap:normal}}, {{transliteration|xal|Oirad kelen}}; [[Kalmyk Oirat|Kalmyk]]: {{lang|xal|Өөрд}}, {{transliteration|xal|Öörd}} {{IPA-all|øːˈrət|}}; [[Mongolian language|Khalkha Mongolian]]: {{lang|mn|Ойрад}}, {{transliteration|mn|Oirad}} {{IPA-mn|ˈœe̯rət|}}) is a [[Mongolic languages|Mongolic language]] spoken by the descendants of [[Oirat Mongols]], now forming parts of [[Mongols in China]], [[Kalmyk people|Kalmyk]]s in Russia and Mongolians. Largely [[mutually intelligible]] to other core Central Mongolic languages, scholars differ as to whether they regard Oirat as a distinct [[language]]<ref>Birtalan 2003. Note that she is not altogether clear about that matter as she writes: "For the present purpose, Spoken Oirat, from which Kalmuck is excluded, may therefore be treated as a more or less uniform language." (212). See also Sanžeev 1953</ref> or a major [[dialect]] of the [[Mongolian language]].<ref>Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005</ref> Oirat-speaking areas are scattered across the far west of [[Mongolia]],<ref name="Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 396-398" /> the northwest of [[China]]<ref name="Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 396-398">Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 396-398</ref> and [[Russia]]'s [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]] coast, where its major variety is [[Kalmyk Oirat|Kalmyk]].<ref>Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005, Bläsing 2003: 229</ref> In China, it is spoken mainly in [[Xinjiang]], but also among the ''[[Upper Mongols|Deed Mongol]]'' of [[Qinghai]] and [[Subei Mongol Autonomous County|Subei County]] in [[Gansu]].<ref name="Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 396-398" />

In all three countries, Oirat has become variously endangered or even obsolescent as a direct result of government actions or as a consequence of social and economic policies. Its most widespread tribal dialect, which is spoken in all of these nations, is [[Torgut Oirat|Torgut]].<ref name="Svantesson et al. 2005: 148">Svantesson et al. 2005: 148</ref><ref name="Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 396-398" /> The term ''Oirat'' or more precisely, '''Written Oirat''' is sometimes also used to refer to the language of historical documents written in the [[Clear Script|Clear script]].<ref>Birtalan 2003: 210-211</ref>

== Dialects ==
In Mongolia, there are seven historical Oirat dialects, each corresponding to a different tribe:<ref>Coloo 1988: 1-6</ref>
#[[Dörbet (Choros clan)|'''Dörbet''']] is spoken in half of the districts (''[[Districts of Mongolia|sums]]'') of [[Uvs Province]] and in [[Dörgön, Khovd|Dörgön]] ''sum'', [[Khovd Province]]
#'''Bayat''' in the ''sums'' of [[Malchin, Uvs|Malchin]], [[Khyargas, Uvs|Khyargas]], [[Tes, Uvs|Tes]] and [[Züüngovi, Uvs|Züüngovi]], Uvs
#[[Torgut Oirat|'''Torgut''']] in [[Bulgan, Khovd|Bulgan]] ''sum'', Khovd
#'''[[Altai Uriankhai]]''' in the ''sums'' of [[Duut, Khovd|Duut]] and [[Mönkhkhairkhan, Khovd|Mönkhkhairkhan]], Khovd and in the ''sums'' of [[Altai, Bayan-Ölgii|Altai]], [[Buyant, Bayan-Ölgii|Buyant]] and [[Bulgan, Bayan-Ölgii|Bulgan]], [[Bayan-Ölgii Province]]
#'''[[Ööld]]''' in [[Erdenebüren, Khovd|Erdenebüren]], Khovd
#'''[[Zakhchin]]''' in the ''sums'' of [[Mankhan, Khovd|Mankhan]], [[Altai, Khovd|Altai]], [[Üyench, Khovd|Üyench]], [[Zereg, Khovd|Zereg]] and [[Möst, Khovd|Möst]], Khovd
#Khoton in [[Tarialan, Uvs|Tarialan]], Uvs.

There are some varieties of Oirat that are difficult to classify. The [[Alasha dialect]] in [[Alxa League]], [[Inner Mongolia]], originally belonged to Oirat<ref>Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 265-266</ref> and has been classified as such by some because of its [[phonology]].<ref name="Svantesson et al. 2005: 148"/> However, it has been classified by others as Mongolian proper because of its [[Morphology (linguistics)|morphology]].<ref>Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 190-191</ref> The [[Darkhad dialect]] in Mongolia's [[Khövsgöl Province]] has variously been classified as Oirat, Mongolian proper, or (less often) [[Buryat language|Buryat]].<ref>See literature given in Sanžaa and Tujaa 2001: 33-34</ref>

== Endangerment ==
Oirat is [[endangered language|endangered]] in all areas where it is spoken. In Russia, the killing of a large fraction of the Kalmyk population and the destruction of their society as consequences of the [[Kalmyk deportations of 1943]], along with the subsequent imposition among them of [[Russian language|Russian]] as the sole [[official language]] have rendered the language obsolescent: it is almost exclusively the elderly who have a [[Fluency#Language fluency|fluent command]] of Kalmyk.<ref>Bitkeeva 2007; for details see Bitkeeva 2006</ref> In China, while Oirat is still quite widely used in its traditional ranges and there are many [[Monolingualism|monolingual]] speakers,<ref>Bitkeeva 2007</ref> a combination of government policies and social realities has created an environment deleterious to the use of this language: the Chinese authorities' adoption of [[Southern Mongolian]] as the [[Standard language|normative]] Mongolian language,<ref>Sečenbaγatur et al. 2005: 179</ref> new educational policies which have led to the virtual elimination of Mongolian schools in Xinjiang (there were just two left as of 2009), policies aiming to curtail [[nomadism]], and the limited occupational prospects in Chinese society for graduates of Mongolian schools.<ref>Indjieva 2009: 59-65</ref> As for Mongolia, the predominance of [[Khalkha Mongolian]] is bringing about the Khalkhaization of all other varieties of Mongolian.<ref>Coloo 1988: III-IV</ref>

==Writing system==
[[File:Clear-script-19th-ctry.png|thumb|right|300px|An Oirat manuscript in "clear script" (todo bichig)<ref>Chuluunbaatar 2008: 41</ref>]]

Oirat has been written in two script systems: the Mongolian scripts and Cyrillic.

Historically, the [[Clear script]], which originated from the [[Mongolian script]], was used. It uses modified letters shapes e.g. to differentiate between different rounded vowels, and it uses a small stroke on the right to indicate vowel length. It was retained longest in China where it can still be found in an occasional journal article. However, in China, [[Buryat language|Buryat]] and Oirat are considered non-standard compared to [[Southern Mongolian]] and are therefore supposed to use the [[Mongolian script]] and Southern Mongolian grammar for writing. In practice the people use neither and resort to learning [[Mandarin Chinese]] and using [[Chinese characters|hànzì]] to communicate with others in China.

In Kalmykia, a [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic-based]] script system has been implemented. It does not represent [[Epenthesis|epenthetic vowels]], and thus doesn't show syllabification.

In Mongolia, Central Mongolian minority varieties have no status, so Oirats are supposed to use [[Mongolian Cyrillic alphabet|Mongolian Cyrillic]] which de facto only represents [[Khalkha Mongolian]].

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|25em}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* Birtalan, Ágnes (2003): Oirat. In: Janhunen (ed.) 2003: 210–228.
* Bitkeeva, Aisa (2006): ''Kalmyckij yazyk v sovremennom mire''. Moskva: NAUKA.
* Bitkeeva, Aisa (2007): Ethnic Language Identity and the Present Day Oirad-Kalmyks. ''Altai Hakpo, 17'': 139–154.
* Bläsing, Uwe (2003): Kalmuck. In: Janhunen (ed.) 2003: 229–247.
* Chuluunbaatar, Otgonbayar (2008): ''Einführung in die mongolischen Schriften''. Hamburg: Buske.
* Coloo, Ž. (1988): ''BNMAU dah’ mongol helnii nutgiin ajalguuny tol’ bichig: oird ayalguu''. Ulaanbaatar: ŠUA.
* Indjieva, Elena (2009): [http://www.ling.hawaii.edu/graduate/Elena%20Indjieva_Final%20Dissertation.pdf Oirat Tobi: Intonational structure of the Oirat language]. University of Hawaii. Dissertation.
* [[Juha Janhunen|Janhunen, Juha]] (ed.) (2003): ''The Mongolic languages''. London: Routledge.
* Katoh T., Mano S., Munkhbat B., Tounai K., Oyungerel G., Chae G. T., Han H., Jia G. J., Tokunaga K., Munkhtuvshin N., Tamiya G., Inoko H.: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16125340 Genetic features of Khoton Mongolians revealed by SNP analysis of the X chromosome.] Molecular Life Science, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Bohseidai, Isehara, Kanagawa, 259–1193, Japan. [Gene. 12 Sep. 2005].
* Sanžeev, G. D. (1953): ''Sravnitel’naja grammatika mongol’skih jazykov''. Moskva: Akademija nauk SSSR.
* Sečenbaγatur, Qasgerel, Tuyaγ-a, B. ǰirannige, U Ying ǰe (2005): ''Mongγul kelen-ü nutuγ-un ayalγun-u sinǰilel-ün uduridqal''. Kökeqota: Öbür mongγul-un arad-un keblel-ün qoriy-a.
* Svantesson, Jan-Olof, Anna Tsendina, Anastasia Karlsson, Vivan Franzén (2005): ''The Phonology of Mongolian''. New York: Oxford University Press.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{interWiki |code = xal }}
* [http://elar.soas.ac.uk/deposit/0297 ELAR archive of Documenting Henan Oirat, China]

{{Clear}}
{{Mongolic languages}}
{{Languages of Mongolia}}
{{Languages of China}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oirat Language}}
[[Category:Agglutinative languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Mongolia]]
[[Category:Languages of China]]
[[Category:Languages of Russia]]
[[Category:Languages of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:Central Mongolic languages]]
[[Category:Mongolic languages]]