Monguor language

The Monguor language (Template:Zh; also written Mongour and Mongor) is a Mongolic language of its Shirongolic branch and is part of the Gansu–Qinghai sprachbund (also called the Amdo sprachbund). There are several dialects, mostly spoken by the Monguor people. A writing system was devised for Huzhu Monguor (Mongghul) in the late 20th century but has been little used.

A division into two languages, namely Mongghul in Huzhu Tu Autonomous County and Mangghuer in Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, is considered necessary by some linguists. While Mongghul was under strong influence from Amdo Tibetan, the same holds for Mangghuer and Sinitic languages, and local varieties of Chinese such as the Gangou language were in turn influenced by Monguor.

Phonology

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link
Mid	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link
Open		Template:IPA link

• Vowel sounds may also be nasalized when preceding a nasal consonant, in different environments.
• Vowels may also undergo a devoicing process in certain phonetic environments.

Phoneme/Sound	Allophones	Notes
Template:IPAslink Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	in stressed syllables
	Template:IPAblink	when following alveolar sibilants or affricates
	Template:IPAblink	when following a retroflex consonant
Template:IPAslink Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	in stressed syllables without onset clusters or coda consonants
	Template:IPAblink	in a syllable with a palatal onset or palatal coda
	Template:IPAblink	in a syllable with a nasal coda consonant
Template:IPAslink Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	in a syllable closed by a velar nasal coda Template:IPAslink
	Template:IPAblink	before a syllable-final Template:IPAslink
	Template:IPAblink	when a syllable is closed by an alveolar nasal Template:IPAslink
	Template:IPAblink	when following a palatal onset consonant, and preceding an alveolar nasal Template:IPAslink
Template:IPAslink Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	may be closer in different environments
Template:IPAslink Template:IPAblink	Template:IPAblink	when in unstressed syllables
	Template:IPAblink	when following palatal consonants

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Alveolo- palatal	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Uvular
Plosive	voiceless	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link				Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
	aspirated	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link				Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Affricate	voiceless		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
	aspirated		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Fricative		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link			Template:IPA link
Nasal		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link				Template:IPA link
Approximant	liquid		Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link
	central					Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link

• can also be heard as allophones Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink, occurring in free variation.
• can be heard as a voiced fricative Template:IPAblink within the onset of a stressed syllable, or of a word-initial syllable. It can also be heard as a flap sound Template:IPAblink intervocalically in the onset of an unstressed syllable. In a syllable-coda position, it is heard as a rhotic Template:IPAblink vowel sound.
• can have a spirantized allophone of Template:IPAblink strongly in stressed syllables.

Writing system

Cyrillic alphabet

In 1958, a Cyrillic-based alphabet was developed for Monguor, but it's practical use did not begin for political reasons.

 The Cyrillic alphabet for Monguor had the following letters:

Letter
а	а̄	б	в	г	γ	д	е	е̄	ж	җ	з	и	ӣ	ј	к	л	м	н	ң	о	о̄	п	р	с	т	у	ӯ	ф	х	ц	ч	ҷ	ш	щ	э
IPA
/a/	/aː/	/b/	/w/	/k/	/q/	/d/	/e/	/eː/	/t͡ʂ/	/t͡ɕ/	/t͡s/	/i/	/iː/	/j/	/kʰ/	/l/	/m/	/n/	/ŋ/	/o/	/oː/	/p/	/r/	/s/	/t/	/u/	/uː/	/f/	/χ/	/t͡sʰ/	/t͡ʂʰ/	/t͡ɕʰ/	/ʂ/	/ɕ/	/ə/

Latin alphabet

From the 1970s to the 1980s, the current Latin alphabet for Monguor based on Pinyin was developed. It consists of 31 letters.

 The following list shows the letters of the Monguor Latin alphabet along with their pronunciation in the IPA:

• A a (/a/)
• B b (/p/)
• C c (/tsʰ/)
• D d (/t/)
• E e (/e/)
• F f (/f/)
• G g (/k/)
• H h (/χ/)
• I i (/i/)
• J j (/tɕ/)
• K k (/kʰ/)
• L l (/l/)
• M m (/m/)
• N n (/n/)
• O o (/o/)
• P p (/pʰ/)
• Q q (/tɕʰ/)
• R r (/ɻ/)
• S s (/s/)
• T t (/tʰ/)
• U u (/u/)
• W w (/w/)
• X x (/ɕ/)
• Y y (/j/)
• Z z (/ts/)
• Zh zh (/tʂ/)
• Ch ch (/tʂʰ/)
• Sh sh (/ʂ/)
• Ng ng (/ŋ/)
• Gh gh (/q/)
• Kh kh (/qʰ/)

 The letter V is not used. Long vowels are written with double vowel letters.

Numerals

Mongolian numerals such as the following are only in use in the Mongghul dialect, while Mangghuer speakers have switched to counting in Chinese. Note that while the Mongolian script has only arban for 'ten', Middle Mongolian *harpa/n including *h can be reconstructed from the scripts.

Numeral	Classical Mongolian	Monguor
1	nigen	nige
2	qoyar	ghoori
3	ghurban	ghuran
4	dörben	deeran
5	tabun	tawun
6	jirghughan	jirighun
7	dologhan	duluun
8	naiman	niiman
9	yisün	shdzin
10	arban	haran

References

• Dpal-ldan-bkra-shis, Keith Slater, et al. (1996): Language Materials of China’s Monguor Minority: Huzhu Mongghul and Minhe Mangghuer. Sino-Platonic papers no. 69.
• Georg, Stefan (2003): Mongghul. In: Janhunen, Juha (ed.) (2003): The Mongolic languages. London: Routledge: 286-306.
• Slater, Keith W. (2003): A grammar of Mangghuer: A Mongolic language of China's Qinghai-Gansu sprachbund. London/New York: RoutledgeCurzon.
• Svantesson, Jan-Olof, Anna Tsendina, Anastasia Karlsson, Vivan Franzén (2005): The Phonology of Mongolian. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Zhàonàsītú 照那斯图 (1981): Tǔzúyǔ jiǎnzhì 土族语简志 (Introduction to the Tu language). Běijīng 北京: Mínzú chūbǎnshè 民族出版社.

External links

• [The Tu ethnic minority http://www.china.org.cn/e-groups/shaoshu/shao-2-tu.htm]
• ELAR archive of Mongghul language documentation materials

Further reading

• Template:Open access