ᠮᠣᠩᠭᠣᠯ
Middle Mongol
Mongolic · historical / hidden variety
Middle Mongol was the language of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and his successors (13th–15th c.) — the language of the Yuan dynasty in China, the Ilkhanate in Persia, the Chagatai Khanate, and the Golden Horde. Attested in the Secret History of the Mongols (the foundational text of Mongolian literature, c. 1240), Phags-pa script inscriptions (the Yuan-era square script designed by Tibetan lama Phags-pa Lama, 1269), the Mukaddimat al-Adab Arabic-Mongolian glossary, and various translations of Buddhist and Christian texts. It is the ancestor of all modern Mongolic languages (Khalkha Mongolian, Buryat, Kalmyk, Mongolian dialects in China).
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Middle Mongol
Water
ᠤᠰᠤᠨ
/usun/
Fire
ᠭᠠᠯ
/ɣal/
Sun
ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ
/naran/
Moon
ᠰᠠᠷᠠ
/sara/
Mother
ᠡᠭᠡ
/eke/
Father
ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ
/etʃiɡe/
Eat
ᠢᠳᠡ
/ide/
Drink
ᠤᠭᠤ
/uɣu/
Love
ᠳᠤᠷᠠ
/dura/
Heart
ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠭᠡ
/dʒiryke/
Tree
ᠮᠣᠳᠤᠨ
/modun/
House
ᠭᠡᠷ
/ɡer/
Dog
ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ
/noqai/
Cat
ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ
/miɣui/
Hand
ᠭᠠᠷ
/ɣar/
Eye
ᠨᠢᠳᠦᠨ
/nidyn/
Hello
ᠠᠮᠤᠷ
/amur/
Thank you
ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠪᠠ
/bajarlaba/
One
ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ
/niɡen/
Good
ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ
/sain/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Mongolic languages
| Meaning | Middle Mongol | Classical Mongolian | Mongghul | Buryat | Kalmyk | Mongolian | Inner Mongolian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ | ᠤᠰᠤᠨ /usun/ | usu /usu/ | уһан /uhan/ | усн /usn/ | ус /us/ | ᠤᠰᠤ /usu/ |
| Fire | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɣal/ | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡal/ | ghal /ʁal/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ | гал /ɡal/ | ᠭᠠᠯ /ɡɑl/ |
| Sun | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ | ᠨᠠᠷᠠᠨ /naran/ | nara /nara/ | наран /naran/ | нарн /narn/ | нар /nar/ | ᠨᠠᠷᠠ /nɑrɑ/ |
| Moon | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sara/ | sara /sara/ | һара /hara/ | сар /sar/ | сар /sar/ | ᠰᠠᠷᠠ /sɑrɑ/ |
| Mother | ᠡᠭᠡ /eke/ | ᠡᠬᠡ /eke/ | ana /ana/ | эхэ /exe/ | ээҗ /eːdʒ/ | ээж /eːdʒ/ | ᠡᠬᠡ /eχe/ |
| Father | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /etʃiɡe/ | ᠡᠴᠢᠭᠡ /et͡ʃiɡe/ | ada /ada/ | эсэгэ /eseɡe/ | аав /aːv/ | аав /aːw/ | ᠠᠪᠤ /ɑβu/ |
| Eat | ᠢᠳᠡ /ide/ | ᠢᠳᠡ- /ide-/ | idi- /idi/ | эдеэлхэ /edeːlxe/ | иде /ide/ | идэх /idex/ | ᠢᠳᠡᠬᠦ /ideχʉ/ |
| Drink | ᠤᠭᠤ /uɣu/ | ᠤᠭᠤ- /uɣu-/ | uu- /uː/ | ууха /uːxa/ | уу /uː/ | уух /uːx/ | ᠤᠤᠬᠤ /uːχu/ |
| Love | ᠳᠤᠷᠠ /dura/ | ᠬᠠᠶᠢᠷᠠ /xajira/ | durala- /durala/ | дуран /duran/ | дурлх /durlx/ | хайр /xajr/ | ᠬᠠᠢᠷᠠ /χɑir/ |
| Heart | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠭᠡ /dʒiryke/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /d͡ʒirüke/ | jürige /dʒyriɡe/ | зүрхэн /zyrxen/ | зүркн /zyrˈkən/ | зүрх /dzyrx/ | ᠵᠢᠷᠦᠬᠡ /dʒirʉχe/ |
| Tree | ᠮᠣᠳᠤᠨ /modun/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /modu/ | modu /modu/ | модон /modon/ | модн /moˈdn̩/ | мод /mod/ | ᠮᠣᠳᠤ /mɔdu/ |
| House | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ | ger /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | гер /ɡer/ | гэр /ɡer/ | ᠭᠡᠷ /ɡer/ |
| Dog | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noqai/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /noxai/ | noghui /noʁui/ | нохой /noxoj/ | ноха /noxa/ | нохой /nɔxɔj/ | ᠨᠣᠬᠠᠢ /nɔχɑi/ |
| Cat | ᠮᠢᠭᠤᠢ /miɣui/ | ᠮᠠᠭᠣ /maɣu/ | mau /mau/ | миисгэй /miːsɡej/ | миис /miːs/ | муур /muːr/ | ᠮᠤᠤᠷ /muːr/ |
| Hand | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɣar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡar/ | ghar /ʁar/ | гар /ɡar/ | һар /ɣar/ | гар /ɡar/ | ᠭᠠᠷ /ɡɑr/ |
| Eye | ᠨᠢᠳᠦᠨ /nidyn/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidü/ | nidu /nidu/ | нюдэн /ɲuden/ | нүдн /nyˈdn̩/ | нүд /nyd/ | ᠨᠢᠳᠦ /nidʉ/ |
| Hello | ᠠᠮᠤᠷ /amur/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ ᠤᠤ /sajin uu/ | amur sain /amur sain/ | сайн байна /sajn bajna/ | менд /mend/ | сайн уу /sajn uː/ | ᠰᠠᠢᠨ ᠪᠠᠢᠨᠠ /sɑin bɑinɑ/ |
| Thank you | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠪᠠ /bajarlaba/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bajarlala/ | bayarla- /bajarla/ | баярлаа /bajarlaː/ | ханҗанав /xandʒanav/ | баярлалаа /bajarlalaː/ | ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠯᠠᠯᠠ /bɑjɑrlɑlɑ/ |
| One | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡᠨ /niɡen/ | nige /niɡe/ | нэгэн /neɡen/ | негн /neɡn/ | нэг /neɡ/ | ᠨᠢᠭᠡ /niɡe/ |
| Good | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sain/ | ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠨ /sajin/ | sain /sain/ | һайн /hajn/ | сән /sæn/ | сайн /sajn/ | ᠰᠠᠢᠨ /sɑin/ |
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