Mongghul
Monguor language
Mongolic
Mongghul (Huzhu Monguor, ISO 639-3 mjg) is a Mongolic language spoken by roughly 50,000 people, mainly in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County in Qinghai and in smaller communities in neighboring Gansu, China. It is associated with the officially recognized Tu ethnic group, but should be distinguished from Mangghuer of Minhe, which many linguists treat as a separate, mutually unintelligible language. Mongghul is agglutinative and generally SOV, and prolonged contact with Amdo Tibetan and Northwestern Mandarin has strongly reshaped its vocabulary and grammar. An unofficial Latin alphabet based on Chinese Pinyin was developed in the 1980s, but Chinese remains dominant in education and literacy. Speaker numbers and transmission are declining, and the language is endangered.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Monguor language
Water
us
/ʊs/
Fire
gal
/ɡɑl/
Sun
naran
/ˈnɑrɑn/
Moon
sar
/sɑr/
Star
hudun
/xudun/
Mother
eej
/ˈeːʒ/
Father
aav
/ˈaːv/
I
bu
/pu/
You
chi
/tɕi/
Name
nere
/nerə/
Eye
nüd
/ˈnʏd/
Hand
gar
/ɡɑr/
Heart
zürkh
/ˈzʏrkx/
Love
khairakh
/xaɪˈrɑx/
Tree
mod
/mɔd/
House
ger
/ɡer/
Dog
noxoi
/ˈnɔxɔɪ/
Cat
mulagsai
/mulɑɡˈsaɪ/
Eat
ide
/ˈide/
Drink
uu
/uː/
One
nige
/ˈniɡe/
Two
ghoor
/ɣoːr/
Hello
sain bain uu
/saɪn baɪn uː/
Thank you
bayarlaa
/bɑjɑrˈlaː/
Good
sain
/ˈsaɪn/
Words compared
Compared with related Mongolic languages
| Meaning | Monguor language | Mongolian | Eastern Yugur | Inner Mongolian | Kalmyk | Mongghul | Classical Mongolian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | us /ʊs/ | ус /us/ | ус /us/ | ᠤᠰᠤ /usu/ | усн /usn/ | usu /usu/ | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ |
| Fire | gal /ɡɑl/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡɑl/ | гал /ɡal/ | ghal /ʁal/ | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ |
| Sun | naran /ˈnɑrɑn/ | нар /nar/ | нар /nar/ | ᠨᠠᠷᠠ /nɑrɑ/ | нарн /narn/ | nara /nara/ | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ |
| Moon | sar /sɑr/ | сар /sar/ | сар /sar/ | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sɑrɑ/ | сар /sar/ | sara /sara/ | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ |
| Star | hudun /xudun/ | од /ɔt/ | ходэн /χoden/ | ᠣᠳᠤᠨ /ɔtŋ̍/ | одн /odn/ | hodi /xoˈdi/ | ᠣᠳᠣᠨ /odun/ |
| Mother | eej /ˈeːʒ/ | ээж /eːdʒ/ | ээж /eːʒ/ | ᠡᠬᠡ /eχe/ | ээҗ /eːdʒ/ | ana /ana/ | ᠡᠬᠡ /eke/ |
| Father | aav /ˈaːv/ | аав /aːw/ | аава /ɑːva/ | ᠠᠪᠤ /ɑβu/ | аав /aːv/ | ada /ada/ | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ |
| I | bu /pu/ | би /bi/ | би /bi/ | ᠪᠢ /bi/ | би /bi/ | bu /bu/ | ᠪᠢ /bi/ |
| You | chi /tɕi/ | чи /tʃʰi/ | чи /tʃi/ | ᠴᠢ /tʃʰi/ | чи /tʃi/ | chi /tɕi/ | ᠴᠢ /tʃi/ |
| Name | nere /nerə/ | нэр /ner/ | нэрэ /nere/ | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nər/ | нерн /nern/ | nere /nərə/ | ᠨᠡᠷᠡ /nere/ |
| Eye | nüd /ˈnʏd/ | нүд /nyd/ | нүдэ /nʏde/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidʉ/ | нүдн /nyˈdn̩/ | nidu /nidu/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidü/ |
| Hand | gar /ɡɑr/ | гар /ɡar/ | гар /ɡar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡɑr/ | һар /ɣar/ | ghar /ʁar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡar/ |
| Heart | zürkh /ˈzʏrkx/ | зүрх /dzyrx/ | зүрх /zʏrχ/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirʉχe/ | зүркн /zyrˈkən/ | jürige /dʒyriɡe/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirüke/ |
| Love | khairakh /xaɪˈrɑx/ | хайр /xajr/ | хайрлаха /χajrlaχa/ | ᠬᠠᠢᠷᠠ /χɑir/ | дурлх /durlx/ | durala- /durala/ | ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ /xajira/ |
| Tree | mod /mɔd/ | мод /mod/ | мод /mod/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /mɔdu/ | модн /moˈdn̩/ | modu /modu/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /modu/ |
| House | ger /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | гер /ɡer/ | ger /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ |
| Dog | noxoi /ˈnɔxɔɪ/ | нохой /nɔxɔj/ | нохай /noχaj/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /nɔχɑi/ | ноха /noxa/ | noghui /noʁui/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noxai/ |
| Cat | mulagsai /mulɑɡˈsaɪ/ | муур /muːr/ | мэшэ /meʃe/ | ᠮᠤᠤᠷ /muːr/ | миис /miːs/ | mau /mau/ | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ |
| Eat | ide /ˈide/ | идэх /idex/ | идэхэ /ɪdeχe/ | ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ /ideχʉ/ | иде /ide/ | idi- /idi/ | ᠢᠳᠡ- /ide-/ |
| Drink | uu /uː/ | уух /uːx/ | ухаха /uχaχa/ | ᠤᠤᠬᠤ /uːχu/ | уу /uː/ | uu- /uː/ | ᠤᠭᠤ- /uɣu-/ |
| One | nige /ˈniɡe/ | нэг /neɡ/ | нэг /neɡ/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡ /niɡe/ | негн /neɡn/ | nige /niɡe/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ |
| Two | ghoor /ɣoːr/ | хоёр /xɔˈjɔr/ | гоор /ɣoːr/ | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /xɔˈjɔr/ | хойр /xojr/ | ghoor /ʁoːr/ | ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ /qojar/ |
| Hello | sain bain uu /saɪn baɪn uː/ | сайн уу /sajn uː/ | сайнар уу /sajnar uː/ | ᠰᠠᠢᠨ ᠪᠠᠢᠨᠠ /sɑin bɑinɑ/ | менд /mend/ | amur sain /amur sain/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ ᠤᠤ /sajin uu/ |
| Thank you | bayarlaa /bɑjɑrˈlaː/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bɑjɑrlɑlɑ/ | ханҗанав /xandʒanav/ | bayarla- /bajarla/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bajarlala/ |
| Good | sain /ˈsaɪn/ | сайн /sajn/ | сайн /sajn/ | ᠰᠠᠢᠨ /sɑin/ | сән /sæn/ | sain /sain/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sajin/ |
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