Kalmyk-Oirat

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A language of Russian Federation

ISO 639-3
xal
Alternate Names
European Oirat, Kalmack, Kalmuck, Kalmuk, Kalmytskii Jazyk, Khalli, Oirat, Qalmaq, Volga Oirat, Western Mongolian
Population

80,500 in Russian Federation (2010 census). Population total all countries: 360,500. Ethnic population: 174,000.

Location

Kalmykia Republic, Volga-Don steppes northwest of the Caspian, north of the Caucasus. Dörböt dialect: mostly west Kalmykia; Torgut dialect: mostly east, lower Volga region, Astrakhan Province. Also in China, Taiwan, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia (Oirat), United States.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Altaic, Mongolic, Eastern, Oirat-Khalkha, Oirat-Kalmyk-Darkhat
Dialects

Buzawa, Dörböt (Derbet, Dörbet, Dörböd), Oirat (Oyrat), Sart Qalmaq, Torgut (Torghoud, Torghud, Torguud, Torguut). Diverged from other Mongolian languages. Called Kalmyk in the Russian Federation; Oirat in China and Mongolia; in the United States, Kalmyk not heavily influenced by Russian [rus]. Different from other varieties in China called Oirat [xal], which are sometimes called Asiatic Oirat. In Mongolia, some scholars consider Oirat to be a dialect of Halh Mongolian [khk].

Language Use

91% speak it as L1. A few children learn the language. Also use Russian [rus]. Tibetan [bod] is religious language.

Language Development
NT: 1827–2009.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Kalmyk-Oirat
Writing
Cyrillic script, adopted in 1924, used in Russia and Mongolia. Mongolian script, Todo style, used in China.
Other Comments

The modern literary language is mainly based on the Torgut dialect, though it incorporates a large number of concessions to Dörböt. Buddhist (Lamaist).

Also spoken in:

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