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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > China > Daur

Daur

A language of China

ISO 639-3: dta

Population  96,100 in China (1999 Y. Dong). 24,270 monolinguals. 35,000 Buteha dialect, 35,000 Qiqiha’er dialect, 15,500 Haila’er dialect, 4500 Ili dialect. Ethnic population: 132,394.
Region  Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hulun Buir League, Hailar Prefecture, Morin Dawa (Molidawa) Daur Autonomous Banner, Oroqen Autonomous Banner and Ewenki Autonomous Banner; Heilongjiang Province, Nenjiang Prefecture, Fuyu and Nehe counties; Qiqihar Prefecture, Qiqihar City; northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tacheng Prefecture (Ili dialect). Also in Mongolia.
Language map  China
Alternate names   Daguor, Dagur, Dawar, Dawo’er, Tahuerh, Tahur
Dialects  Buteha (Butah, Bataxan, Nawen, Nemor, Aihui, Darbin, Mergen), Haila’er (Hailar, Nantun, Mokertu), Qiqiha’er (Qiqihar, Tsitsikhar, Jiangdong, Jingxi, Fularji), Ili. Definitely distinct from other Mongolian languages (Voegelin and Voegelin 1977). Some identify Haila’er dialect as a dialect of Evenki [evn].
Classification  Altaic, Mongolic, Eastern, Dagur
Language use  Official regional language. All domains. Mainly adults. Neutral attitude. Also use Chinese [cmn] or Mongolian [mvf]. A few also speak Evenki [evn], Kazakh [kaz], Oroqen [orh], or Manchu [mnc]. Reported to have high and widespread levels of bilingualism in Chinese [cmn], the language of schools.
Language development  Literacy rate in L2: 97%. Some literacy in Mongolian among those 30 to 50 years of age in Hala’er. Radio programs. Films. Dictionary. Grammar.
Writing system  Cyrillic script. Han script, Simplified variant. Latin script. Mongolian script, Manchu style, used during the Qing dynasty.
Comments  In China classified as Daur nationality. SOV; grammatical function marked mainly by suffixes; vowel harmony but not very strict; many consonant clusters; palatalized and labialized consonants; rich vocabulary related to hunting, fishing, animal husbandry; loans from Chinese, Manchu, Evenki. Agriculturalists; pastoralists; hunters. Shamanist, Buddhist (Lamaist), Christian.

Also spoken in:

Mongolia

Language name   Daur
Alternate names  Daguor, Dagur, Dawar, Dawo’er, Tahuerh, Tahur
Dialects  Buteha (Bataxan), Haila’er (Hailar), Qiqiha’er (Qiqihar, Tsitsikhar).