Classical Mongolian Alphabet

Mongolian (монгол)

Mongolian is an Altaic language spoken by approximately 5 million people in Mongolia, China, Afghanistan and Russia. There are a number of closely related varieties of Mongolian: Khalkha or Halha, the national language of Mongolia, and Oirat, Chahar and Ordos, which are spoken mainly in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China.

Other languages considered part of the Mongolian language family, but separate from Mongolian, include Buryat and Kalmyk, spoken in Russia and Moghul or Mogul, spoken in Afghanistan.

In 1208 Chinggis Khan defeated the Naiman, and captured their Uyghur scribe Tatar-Tonga, who apparently adapted the Old Uyghur alphabet to write Mongolian. The alphabet created by Tatar-Tonga is now known as the Uighur/Uyghur Script, the Classical Mongol Script, the Old Script, or Mongol Bichig in Mongolian.

Between the 13th and 15th Centuries, Mongolian was also written with Chinese characters, the Arabic alphabet and a script derived from Tibetan called Phags-pa.

As a result of pressure from the Soviet Union, Mongolia adopted the Latin alphabet in 1931 and the Cyrillic alphabet in 1937. In 1941 the Mongolian government passed a law to abolish the Classical Mongol script, but since 1994 they have been trying to bring it back. It is now taught to some extent in schools, though is mainly used for decorative purposes by artists, designers, calligraphers and poets. The average person in Mongolia knows little or nothing about the Classical Mongol script, though there is high literacy in Cyrillic. In Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China the Classical Mongol script is still used.

Classical Mongol script

Notable features

Type of writing system: phonemic alphabet with separate letters for consonants and vowels.
Direction of writing: left to right in vertical columns running from top to bottom.
The letters have a number of different shapes, the choice of which depends on the position of a letter in a word and which letter follows it.

Vowels

Classical Mongol Script - vowels

Consonants

Classical Mongol Script - consonants

Consonant/vowel combinations

Classical Mongol Script - consonant/vowel combinations

Numerals

The first set of numbers (tegen, nigen, etc.) are Classical Mongolian, the others are modern Mongolian.
Mongolian numerals and numbers

Punctuation

Traditional Mongolian Punctuation

Cyrillic alphabet for Mongolian (Khalkha)

Cyrillic alphabet for Mongolian

Sample texts in Mongolian

Traditional alphabet

Sample text in Mongolian in the Traditional alphabet

Longer sample text (Tower of Babel)

Cyrillic alphabet

Sample text in Mongolian in the Cyrillic alphabet

Transliteration

Khün bür törzh mendlekhee erkh čölöötei, adilkhan ner törtei, izhil erkhtei baidag. Oyuun ukhaan nandin čanar zayaasan khün gegč öör khoorondoo akhan düügiin üzel sanaagaar khar'tsakh učirtai.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Useful phrases in Mongolian

Mongolian language courses, etc.

Links

Free Traditional Mongolian fonts
http://www.geocities.com/geseree/cms_gallery.html
http://almas.dip.jp/mongol/download/download.html

An introduction to Mongolia and the Mongolian language
http://www.mongoluls.net

An introduction to the Traditional/Classical Mongolian script
http://silverhorde.viahistoria.com/main.html

Program for typing in the Traditional Mongolian script
http://members.aol.com/ayuu/download.html

Lingua Mongolia - Classical Mongolian grammar and tutorials
http://www.linguamongolia.co.uk

Online Mongolian dictionaries
http://www.linguamongolia.co.uk/searchdict.html
http://www.uni-bonn.de/~uzsylm/mongol/mongol_sakha.html
http://www.dic.edu.mn
http://asuult.net/dic/
http://www.mongolbaavar.com/dict.html

Mongolian-English Dictionary - commercial dictionary software for Uighur-script Mongolian
http://www.linguamongolia.co.uk/soft1.html

Mongolian lessons via the web, and information about Mongolia (in French, English and Spanish)
http://voyagemongolie.com/Index_fichiers/Learn_mongolian_language.htm

Mongolian chatroom
http://www.boljoo.com

Mongolian Calligraphy
http://www.inkway.mn/english/mongolcalligraphy.htm

Online Mongolian Bible in the Classical Mongolian Script
http://www.mongolbible.com

MongoliaOnline - Your guide to Mongolia - in English and Mongolian (Cyrillic)
http://www.mol.mn

Related languages

Buryat, Kalmyk, Mongolian

Other languages written with the Cyrillic alphabet

Other alphabets

Armenian, Avestan, Bassa (Vah), Beitha Kukju, Coptic, Cyrillic, Elbsan, Etruscan, Fraser, Georgian (Asomtavruli & Nuskha-khucuri), Georgian (Mkhedruli), Glagolitic, Gothic, Greek, Hungarian Runes, Irish, Kayah Li, Korean, Latin, Lycian, Lydian, Manchu, Mongolian, N'Ko, Ogham, Old Church Slavonic, Oirat Clear Script, Old Italic, Old Permic, Orkhon, Pollard Miao, Runic, Santali, Somali, Sutton SignWriting, Tai Dam, Thaana, Uyghur