Table of Contents
Is Mongolian script still used?
The oldest, called simply the Mongolian script, has been the predominant script during most of Mongolian history, and is still in active use today in the Inner Mongolia region of China and de facto use in Mongolia.
Did the Mongols adopt the Uyghur script?
The Mongols adopted the Uyghur script around the 12th century and selected well-educated Uyghurs as civil servants, scribes and administrators to most of Central Asia.
Did the Mongols create a new language?
They conceived, for example, the idea of a new written language that could be used to transcribe a number of the languages within the Mongol domains. Khubilai Khan commissioned the Tibetan ‘Phags-pa Lama to develop the new script, which came to be known as “the Square Script” or the ‘Phags-pa script.
Does Mongolian use Russian letters?
Mongolian Cyrillic is the most recent of the many writing systems that have been used for Mongolian. It is a Cyrillic alphabet and is thus similar to, for example, the Bulgarian alphabet. It uses the same characters as the Russian alphabet except for the two additional characters Өө ⟨ö⟩ and Үү ⟨ü⟩.
Why does Mongolian writing look like Arabic?
The original Mongolian alphabet, hudum mongol bicig, is written vertically from left to right. It was adapted from the Manchu script, which takes origin from Uyghur (essentially Uyghur turned sideways) which is a variation of Arabic.
Why do Mongolians write in Cyrillic?
Cultural centres must study and promote the Mongolian written heritage, an official statement said. Mongolia which is between Russia and China, adopted the Cyrillic alphabet in the 1940s as Moscow sought to control it as a buffer against Beijing. For many years Mongolia was seen as the “16th Soviet republic”.
How do Mongols greet each other?
Zolgokh (Mongolian: Золгох) is a traditional Mongolian formal greeting. The two people then touch each other’s cheeks, usually accompanied with the phrase Amar mend üü (Mongolian: Амар мэнд үү), meaning “Are you well and peaceful?”.
What is the official writing system of Mongolia?
This version of the script is known as the Galik script. In February 1941 the Mongolian government abolished the traditional Mongolian script and from 1st February to 25 Match 1941 Mongolian was written with a version of the Latin alphabet. Then the Cyrillic alphabet was adopted as the official writing system in Mongolia.
What is the origin of the Mongolian language?
Origin of Mongolian Language. The traditional Mongolian script was not really ideal for writing in the traditional language. In the 13th century, the ruler of the time asked a Tibetan monk called Drogön Chögyal Phagpa to rewrite the Mongolian script. This was known as ‘Phags-pa script or Mongolian new script.
What is Mongolian new script or Phags-pa script?
This was known as ‘Phags-pa script or Mongolian new script. In the late 17th century a Mongolian monk and scholar called Bogdo Zanabazar created a new script for Mongolian called Soyombo.
What was the Galik script used for?
It was based on the Tibetan script, but what it was used for is uncertain. In 1567 the translator and scholar Ayuush Güüsh added extra letters to the traditional Mongol Script to make it possible to write loanwords from Tibetan, Sanskrit and Chinese in Mongolian texts. This version of the script is known as the Galik script.