| Middle Mongol | |
| States: | Mongolia, China, Russia |
| Era: | Developed into Classical Mongolian by the 17th century |
| Ancestor: | Proto-Mongolic language |
| Familycolor: | Altaic |
| Fam1: | Mongolic |
| Iso3: | xng |
| Linglist: | xng |
| Glotto: | midd1351 |
| Glottorefname: | Middle Mongol |
| Notice: | IPA |
| Also Known As: | Middle Mongolian |
| Script: | Mongolian script ʼPhags-pa Chinese characters Arabic alphabet |
Middle Mongol or Middle Mongolian was a Mongolic koiné language spoken in the Mongol Empire. Originating from Genghis Khan's home region of Northeastern Mongolia, it diversified into several Mongolic languages after the collapse of the empire.[1] In comparison to Modern Mongolian, it is known to have had no long vowels, different vowel harmony and verbal systems and a slightly different case system.
Middle Mongol is close to Proto-Mongolic, the ancestor language of the modern Mongolic languages, which would to set at the time when Genghis Khan united a number of tribes under his command and formed the Khamag Mongol.[2] The term "Middle Mongol" is somewhat misleading, as what would generally by language naming rules be termed "Old Mongolian" in this terminology is actually Proto-Mongolic. The existence of another ("old") Mongol clan federation in Mongolia during the 12th century is historical, but there is no language material from this period.[3]
According to Vovin (2019), the Rouran language of the Rouran Khaganate was a Mongolic language and close, but not identical, to Middle Mongolian.[4]
Juha Janhunen (2006) classified the Khitan language into the "Para-Mongolic" family, meaning it is related to the Mongolic languages as a sister group, rather than as a direct descendant of Proto-Mongolic.[5] Alexander Vovin has also identified several possible loanwords from Koreanic languages into Khitan.[6] He also identified the extinct Tuyuhun language as another Para-Mongolic language.[7]
The temporal delimitation of Middle Mongol causes some problems as shown in definitions ranging from the 13th until the early 15th[8] or until the late 16th century.[9] This discrepancy arises from the lack of documents written in the Mongolian language from between the early 15th and late 16th centuries. It is not clear whether these two delimitations constitute conscious decisions about the classification of e.g. a small text from 1453 with less than 120 words[10] or whether the vaster definition is just intended to fill up the time gap for which little proper evidence is available.Middle Mongol survived in a number of scripts, namely notably ʼPhags-pa (decrees during the Yuan dynasty), Arabic (dictionaries), Chinese, Mongolian script and a few western scripts.[11] Usually, the Stele of Yisüngge is considered to be its first surviving monument. It is a sports report written in Mongolian writing that was already fairly conventionalized then and most often dated between 1224 and 1225.[12] However, Igor de Rachewiltz argues that it is unlikely that the stele was erected at the place where it was found in the year of the event it describes, suggesting that it is more likely to have been erected about a quarter of a century later, when Yisüngge had gained more substantial political power. If so, the earliest surviving Mongolian monument would be an edict of Töregene Khatun of 1240[13] and the oldest surviving text arguably The Secret History of the Mongols, a document that must originally have been written in Mongolian script in 1252,[14] but which only survives in an edited version as a textbook for learning Mongolian from the Ming dynasty, thus reflecting the pronunciation of Middle Mongol from the second half of the 14th century.[15]
The term "Middle Mongol" is problematic insofar as there is no body of texts that is commonly called "Old Mongol".[16] While a revision of this terminology for the early period of Mongolian has been attempted,[17] the lack of a thorough and linguistically-based periodization of Mongolian up to now has constituted a problem for any such attempts. The related term "Preclassical Mongolian" is applied to Middle Mongol documents in Mongolian script, since these show some distinct linguistic peculiarities.[18]
Middle Mongol had the consonant phonemes pronounced as //p, m, tʰ, t, s, n, l, r, t͡ʃʰ, t͡ʃ, j, kʰ, k, h// and the vowel phonemes pronounced as //i, e, y, ø, a, u, o//.[19] The main difference to older approaches[20] is that (γ) is identified with pronounced as //h// and pronounced as //ɡ// (sometimes as pronounced as /[p]/ before pronounced as //u// and pronounced as //y//), so that pronounced as /
| Front | Neutral | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | y | i | u | |
| Mid | ø | o | ||
| Low | e | a |
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
| Fortis | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | |
| Lenis | b | d | d͡ʒ | g | |
| Fricative | s | ʃ | h | ||
| Lateral | l | ||||
| Liquid | r | ||||
| Semivowel | w | j |
There appears to have been a positionally determined allophonic variation [k]~[q], [g]~[ɢ], with the postvelar allophones occurring in back-vowel contexts. Both have been claimed to occur before /i/ (depending on its origin from Proto-Mongolic */i/ or */ɯ/), which would make them phonemic.[24]
In transliteration, /ø/ and /y/ are commonly indicated as <ö> and <ü>, respectively; /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/ and /ʃ/ are written
The vowels participate in front-back vowel harmony, where /a/, /o/ and /u/ alternate with /e/, /ø/ and /y/; in the rest of this article, morphemes are represented only by their back-vocalic allomorph. The vowel /i/ is neutral with respect to vowel harmony. Certain stems end in an 'unstable /n/' (here marked n), which is obligatorily or optionally dropped in front of various suffixes.[27] The consonants /g/ and /k/ are elided in front of vowel-initial suffixes.[28]
Middle Mongol is an agglutinating language that makes nearly exclusive use of suffixes. The word order is subject–object–predicate if the subject is a noun and also object–predicate–subject if it is a pronoun. Middle Mongol rather freely allows for predicate–object, which is due to language contact.[29] There are nine cases, the nominative being unmarked. The verbal suffixes can be divided into finite suffixes, participles and converbal suffixes. Some of the finite suffixes inflect for subject number and gender. Adjectives precede their modificatum and agree with it in number. The pronouns have a clusivity distinction.
The plural suffixes are distributed as follows:[30]
| -nar | vowel stems denoting non-lineal kinship terms and deities | only in texts of eastern provenance | |
| -nu'ud | unclear | only in texts of eastern provenance | |
| -s | vowel stems | ||
| -d | stems in -n, -l, -r | The stem-final consonant is elided; likewise the entire stem-final sequence -sun in earlier texts. | |
| -ud | other consonant stems (and occasionally stems in -n, -l, -r as well) | ||
| -n | stems in a vowel + -y | The stem-final -y is elided. |
The case endings have different allomorphs depending on whether the stem ends in a vowel, the consonant /n/ or another consonant. There is also some chronological variation between earlier and later texts, as marked with the sign > in the table.[31]
| genitive | -yin, -n | -un, -in, -ai | -(n)u('ai) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| accusative | -yi | -i | -(n)i | |
| dative-locative | -Du(r), -Da[32] | -a | -(n)a | |
| ablative | -('a)ca > -('a)sa | -('a)ca > -('a)sa | -(n)(a)ca > -asa | |
| instrumental | -'ar (-bar[33]) | -i'ar > -aar | -(n)i'ar | |
| comitative | -lu'a > -laa |
A reflexive possessive suffix (meaning 'his own', 'my own' and so on) can be placed after a noun declined for any case. Its shape varies depending on phonological factors and the genitive ending of vowel stems is also changed in front of it:
| basic form | -'an (-ban) | -i'an | |
|---|---|---|---|
| genitive | -yu-'an > -yaan | -u-'an > -aan |
The personal pronouns exhibit an inclusive-exclusive distinction. They mostly take the same case suffixes as the nouns, but display some suppletion and stem allomorphy, as summarised below:
| 1st person | bi | min- | nama- | na(ma)- | nada- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ba | man- | ||||||
| bida | bidan- | ||||||
| 2nd person | ci | cin- | cima- | ||||
| ta | tan- | ||||||
| 3rd person | (ene, tere, mün)[35] | in- | ima-[36] | ||||
| (ede, tede, müt) | an- | ||||||
Other pronouns and related forms are:[37]
| proximal demonstrative | ene | e'ün- | ede(-er/ci) | eden- | ende | eyin | eyimü (pl.-n) | edüi | ||
| distal demonstrative | tere | teün- | tede | teden- | tende | teyin | teyimü (pl.-n) | tedüi | ||
| 'same' | mün | mün | müt | |||||||
| interrogative who? | ken | ken- | ked | ker | kedüi | keji'e,keli | ||||
| interrogative what? | ya'un > yaan | ya'un > yaan | ya'ud | qa'a | yekin | yambar | ||||
| reflexive | ö'er (öber) | ö'er- | ö'ed |
The finite indicative verbal suffixes express different shades of temporal, aspectual and modal meaning, and the ones with a past meaning also agree with the subject in semantic/biological gender. There are two present and two past forms, with a modal distinction between a marked and unmarked form within each pair, and a pluperfect. The usual suffixes are displayed in the table below. As above, more innovative variants are introduced with the sign >.[38]
| present | narrative | ‑m(u(i)) | The usual present-future tense. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deductive | -yu (-yi) | Described either as a present inferential mood form (used to state something that can be deduced from available evidence)[39] or as expressing certainty ('of course', 'obviously').[40] | ||
| past | terminative | masculine | -ba | The usual perfective past tense.[41] According to some, however, a near past perfective tense, expressing the notion of 'having just done' something).[42] |
| feminine | -bi | |||
| ambivalent | -bai | |||
| confirmative | masculine | -lu'a > ‑la'a | Stresses the fact that a past action or state has been witnessed or is otherwise known beyond any doubt. | |
| feminine | -li'i | |||
| ambivalent | -lu'ai > ‑la'ai | |||
| pluperfect | resultative | masculine | -Ju'u[43] | The pluperfect (past perfect) tense. |
| feminine | -Ji'i, -Ji'ai | |||
| ambivalent | -Ju'ui > ‑Ja'ai | |||
There are a number of forms expressing wishes and commands, as shown in the following table.[47]
| optative | -su('ai) | 1st person singular, sometimes plural ('I or we want to do X') | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| desiderative | -'asa | Same as above, but more innovative and found only in Arabic sources. | ||
| imperative | -∅ | 2nd person singular ('Do X!') | ||
| concessive | -Dukai | 3rd person, rarely 2nd person ('He shall do X.', 'Let him do X!') | ||
| voluntative | -ya | 1st person plural ('Let us do X!') | ||
| benedictive | -Dkun (-gtun) | 2nd person plural, polite ('Please do X!') | ||
| dubitative | -'uja('a)i | A negative wish or concern referring to a possible action by the first or second person ('Let him not do X!', 'You/he should not do X', 'But suppose he does X | '). |
There are a number of participles. They may be used attributively or as standalone heads of nominal phrases, and several may also be combined with a copula to form complex verbal forms, or simply be used predicatively without a copula. They are listed in the following table.[48]
| future | singular | -ku(i) | May also be used predicatively as a future tense. Also used as a general action noun (infinitive). |
|---|---|---|---|
| plural | -kun | ||
| imperfective | -'a(i) | Rarely used predicatively with a meaning 'has done X'. | |
| perfective | singular | -gsan | May also be used predicatively as a past tense. |
| plural | -gsad | ||
| habitual | -dag | ||
| agentive | singular | -gci | |
| plural | -gcin,‑gcid | ||
Converbs are used as modifiers of the finite verb and their subject is normally the same as that of the finite verb. The following types occur:[49]
| modal | -n | 'by doing X' | |
|---|---|---|---|
| imperfective | -ju (-ji) | '(while) doing X' | |
| perfective | -'ad | '(after) having done X' | |
| conditional | -'asu (-basu) | 'if he does X', 'when he did X' (the subject may be different from that of the finite verb). When combined with the particle -ber, it has concessive function 'even if / although he does X'. | |
| terminative | -tala | 'until he does X'. It also sometimes expresses simultaneous action. | |
| final | -ra | 'in order to do X' | |
| preparative | -run | 'in consequence of doing X' | |
| abtemporal | -gsa-'ar(-gsa-bar) | 'as soon as he had done X' |
The voice morphology can be viewed as part of word formation. The following suffixes may be mentioned:[50]
| passive | -gda | -da | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| causative | -'a, -'ul | -ka, -ga | ||
| reciprocative | -ldu | -uldu | ||
| cooperative | -lca | -ulca | Meaning 'to do X together'. | |
| middle | -ra | -ura | Expressing an action affecting the subject. |
Middle Mongol exhibits a passive construction that is peculiar to it and maybe Buryat as well, but is not present in the other dialects or in the other Mongolic languages. While it might also have fulfilled the function to foreground the patient, it usually seems to mark actions which either affect the subject directly or indirectly affect it in a harmful way.[51]
In §131, Belgütei is negatively affected by an unknown actor. In §112, the addressee is the passive subject. While it is possible for the speech content to be passive subject, it is far less frequent. In §178, the referent of the subject is directly affected, but syntactically, the affected noun phrase is marked with the reflexive-possessive suffix (that on its own can resemble the accusative case in other contexts). In §163, it is not the referent of the subject noun phrase, but people related to it that are directly affected to the distress of the subject.
The agent may be marked by the dative (-a and -da, but in contrast to Classical Mongolian never -dur) or the nominative:
In both of these examples, the verb stems to which the passive subject is suffixed are intransitive. Passive suffixes get suffixed to phrases, not verbal stems, e.g.:
In modern Mongolian, neither the passivization of ir- nor the suffixing of passive suffixes to phrases are possible, so the modern translation of §200 runs:
Next to the passive, there is also a causative that is, however, less notable. Subjects of intransitive verbs of clauses that are causativized get accusative marking (as in §79), while former subjects of transitive verbs get marked with dative or instrumental case (as in §188 and §31). In contrast to the passive suffix, the causative suffix does not attach to a phrase, but to single verbs (as long as they denote different actions):[52]
Next to these morphemes, Middle Mongol also had suffixes to express reciprocal and cooperative meaning, namely -ldu- ~ -lda- and -lča-.[53] While the plurative/distributive -čaγa- is common to modern Mongolic languages, it is not attested in Middle Mongol.[54]
There are a number of enclitic particles:[55]
| bar, bae, ci | marks a topic (as well as indefinite pronouns and concessive constructions, see above) | |
| gü | emphatic | |
| lu | contrastive | |
| je | potential, 'possibly' | |
| yuu after vowels,uu after consonants | interrogative |
| ese | default | |
| ül(ü), üle | indicative present-tense forms, futuritive participle and modal converb, as well as dubitative | |
| bu(u) | other deontic forms |
The usual word order is SOV, but there are deviations. A pronoun of the 1st or 2nd person may be placed as an enclitic after the verb rather than before it. In noun phrases, modifiers are normally placed in front of heads (i.e. adjectives and possessors precede nouns), but possessive pronouns (minu 'my' etc.) are often placed as enclitics after the head instead. Number agreement between attributes and the nouns they modify is observed optionally. There is also gender agreement (for the suffix -tu and some verbal forms), but no case agreement; instead, only the head receives the case marker. There are no conjunctions. Long sequences of converbs preceding the finite verb are common.[56]
Some of the common suffixes are the following:[57]
| -btur | moderative, '-ish' | |
| -ci | person who deals with X | |
| -du | located in X | |
| -kan | diminutive | |
| -ki | belonging to X | |
| -kcin | female animal | |
| -tu, fem. -tai, pl. -tan | having X | |
| Deverbal nouns | ||
|---|---|---|
| -aci | agent noun | |
| -ur | instrument | |
| -dal, -(ku)lang, -l, -m, etc. | action noun | |
| Denominal verbs | ||
| -cila | factitive | |
| -ra, -si | inchoative | |
The numeral system is decimal. Almost all numerals end in -n, although some are also attested without the final -n.[58] The decimals from 20 to 50 end in -in, while those from 60 to 90 end in -an[59] (as do many of the units); the decimals, apart from 'ten', share the same historical root with the corresponding units, but the exact derivational relation is not regular and transparent. The most common and archaic forms are as follows:
| 1: niken | 10: harban | |
| 2: qoyar (feminine jirin) | 20: qorin | |
| 3: qurban | 30: qucin | |
| 4: dörben | 40: döcin | |
| 5: tabun | 50: tabin | |
| 6: jirqo'an, jirwa'an | 60: jiran | |
| 7: dolo'an | 70: dalan | |
| 8: naiman | 80: nayan | |
| 9: yisün | 90: yeren |
Both teens and sums of other tens and a unit are formed by juxtaposing the ten and the unit, e.g. 15 harban tabun, lit. 'ten five'; 26 qorin jirqo'an, lit. 'twenty six'. Multiples of hundred, thousand and ten thousand are also expressed by juxtaposition, e.g. 500 tabun ja'un, lit. 'five hundred'; in these cases, the second component may also optionally stand in the plural, e.g. 500 tabun ja'ut.
Ordinal numerals are formed by the suffix -Du'ar > -Da'ar, but the shape of the stem often deviates from that of the cardinal, as seen in the table below, and there are suppletive forms for 'first' and 'second', although the less common regular ones are attested in composite numerals. The suffix -tu/-ta and the Turkic loan -cin are attested with the same function.
| Cardinals | Ordinals | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | niken | teri'ün (niketü'er) | |
| 2 | qoyar (feminine jirin) | nökö'e (qoyadu'ar) | |
| 3 | qurban | qutu'ar | |
| 4 | dörben | dötu'er | |
| 5 | tabun | tab(u)tu'ar | |
| 6 | jirqo'an, jirwa'an |
| |
| 7 | dolo'an | dolodu'ar | |
| 8 | naiman |
| |
| 9 | yisün |
| |
| 20 | qorin | qoridu'ar |
The following is an excerpt from the Secret History of the Mongols, §§ 4-6.
| 1. ...Toroqoljinu köün Duwa Soqor, Dobun Mergen qoyar bülee. | 1. ... The sons of Toroqoljin were two: Duwa Soqor (and) Dobun Mergen. | |
| 2. Duwa Soqor, maŋlay dumda qaqca nidütü, qurban neürid qajara qaraqu bülee. | 2. Duwa Soqor, having a single eye in the middle of (his) forehead, was capable of peering at a place (at a distance) of three journeys. | |
| 3. Niken üdür Duwa Soqor Dobun Mergen deülüebeen Burqan Qaldun deere qarba. | 3. One day, Duwa Soqor went up on (the mountain) Burhan Haldun with his younger brother Dobun Mergen. | |
| 4. Duwa Soqor, Burqan Qaldun deerece qaraju, | 4. Duwa Soqor, peering from on top of Burhan Haldun, | |
| 5. Tüŋgelig qoroqan huruu niken bölög irgen newüjü, oroju ayisuquyi qaraju üjejü, | 5. seeing a band of people journeying, coming (and) about to approach down the Tüŋgelig stream, | |
| 6. ügülerün: ”Tede newüjü ayisuqun irgenü dotora | 6. saying: “In (the midst of) those people who are about to approach, journeying, | |
| 7. niken qarautay tergenü öljigede niken ökin sayin buyu. | 7. at the front part of one black cart, it turns out that (there is) one maiden (who) is good. | |
| 8. Güüne ese ögtegsen böesü, Dobun Mergen deüdeen cimada quyuya!” keejü, | 8. If she is not (yet) given to a man, let us request (her) for you, my younger brother Dobun Mergen!”, | |
| 9. Dobun Mergen deüyüen üjere ileba. | 9. sent his younger brother Dobun Mergen to see (her). |
INSTR:instrumental case
and bibliographies of Mongolian and other Altaic languages