mongolica

Mongolica is a term used in linguistics and ethnography to refer to the Mongolic language family and the cultures of its speakers across Eurasia. It is used in scholarly contexts to describe the linguistic grouping, historical connections, and cultural traditions associated with Mongolic-speaking communities.

Linguistic classification and features: The Mongolic language family includes Mongolian (with its Khalkha and other dialects) and several related languages such as Buryat, Kalmyk, Oirat, Dongxiang, and Monguor (Tu). These languages are generally agglutinative, with extensive suffixing, and they typically show vowel harmony and a rich system of nominal case marking and complex verbal morphology. The family is distributed across Mongolia, Inner Mongolia (China), and parts of Russia, with diverse dialects and varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.

Geographic distribution and writing systems: Core areas for Mongolic languages are Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, with smaller but enduring communities in Russia’s Buryatia and Kalmykia, as well as other border regions in China. Writing systems vary by language and region: traditional Mongolian script is vertical; Mongolia uses Cyrillic scripts for Mongolian; Buryat and Kalmyk communities in Russia use Cyrillic scripts; Dongxiang and some other Mongolic languages have historically used adapted Arabic or other scripts, with ongoing reform and regional adaptations.

Scholarly usage and culture: Mongolica also denotes the study of Mongolic languages, literature, and history, including medieval chronicles and the literary traditions of the Mongol Empire. The modern standards include Mongolian in Mongolia and standard varieties in other regions, while dialectal diversity remains a central feature of the field.