# Mongolic

> language family of Eurasia

**Wikidata**: [Q33750](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33750)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolic_languages)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mongolic

## Summary
Mongolic is a language family of Eurasia that includes modern and historical languages spoken across parts of Asia. It is also referred to as Mongolic languages or Mongolian languages and includes varieties such as Mongolian, Oirat, Buryat, Daur, Eastern Yugur, Moghol, and historical forms like Middle Mongolian and Classical Mongolian.

## Key Facts
- Mongolic is described in Wikidata as a "language family of Eurasia" and has a sitelink_count of 78.
- Aliases: "Mongolic languages" and "Mongolian languages".
- Mongolian is a member of the Mongolic family and is the official language of Mongolia.
- Oirat is a Mongolic language spoken in Russia, China and Mongolia.
- Buryat is a variety of Mongolic spoken by the Buryats and is classified either as a language or as a major dialect group of Mongolian (associated with the countries listed , , ).
- Daur is a Mongolic language primarily spoken by members of the Daur ethnic group (country code ).
- Eastern Yugur is a Mongolic language spoken in China.
- Khamnigan Mongol is listed as a Mongolic language (associated with country codes , , ).
- Moghol is a Mongolic language spoken in the region of Herat, Afghanistan, by the Moghol people, who are members of the Sunni Hazara community (countries , ).
- Middle Mongolian is a Mongolic language spoken in Central Asia during the time of the Mongol Empire (country code ).
- Classical Mongolian is an extinct Mongolic literary language associated with the countries , , .
- The Mongolic family has been historically associated with the Altaic supergroup; Altaic is described here as an obsolete, widely rejected supergroup of Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Koreanic and Japonic language families (Altaic sitelink_count 106).
- The Mongol Empire is a related historical entity; its inception date is recorded as +1206-00-00T00:00:00Z and it has sitelink_count 140.
- Related general concepts include "language family" (defined as a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor; sitelink_count 124) and "academic discipline" (an academic field of study or profession; sitelink_count 50).
- Namkhai Norbu is listed among related entities as a Tibetan Dzogchen master (1938–2018) with occupations , , , , citizenship codes Q38 and , and sitelink_count 13.
- Proposed larger groupings that have included Mongolic in some proposals are Altaic and Nostratic (Nostratic described as a proposed superfamily of Eurasian and African languages; sitelink_count 40).

## FAQs
Q: What is Mongolic?
A: Mongolic is a family of related languages of Eurasia, also called Mongolic languages or Mongolian languages. It includes modern languages, varieties, and historical literary forms tied to the Mongolian linguistic tradition.

Q: Which languages and varieties are part of the Mongolic family?
A: Notable members and varieties include Mongolian (the state language of Mongolia), Oirat, Buryat, Daur, Eastern Yugur, Khamnigan Mongol, Moghol, Middle Mongolian, and Classical Mongolian. Each entry in sources lists its status or region.

Q: Is Mongolic the same as Mongolian?
A: No. "Mongolian" refers specifically to the state language of Mongolia, while "Mongolic" denotes the entire family that contains Mongolian plus related languages and historical forms.

Q: Where are Mongolic languages spoken?
A: Mongolic languages appear across parts of Eurasia. Source descriptions explicitly mention Mongolia, Russia, China, Herat in Afghanistan, and Central Asia for different languages and historical forms.

Q: How does Mongolic relate to the Altaic and Nostratic proposals?
A: Mongolic has been included in the Altaic supergroup in past proposals; Altaic is described here as obsolete and widely rejected. Mongolic has also been associated with the proposed Nostratic superfamily in some hypotheses.

Q: What historical forms of Mongolic are documented?
A: Middle Mongolian, spoken in Central Asia during the time of the Mongol Empire, and Classical Mongolian, an extinct literary form, are documented historical members of the family.

## Why It Matters
Mongolic matters because it captures a coherent set of related languages and historical forms that have shaped linguistic, cultural, and political history across parts of Eurasia. The family contains the official language of Mongolia and includes varieties spoken by distinct ethnic groups such as the Buryats, the Daur, and the Moghol people; this diversity links modern speech communities to medieval literary traditions like Classical Mongolian and to the historical linguistic stage Middle Mongolian of the Mongol Empire era. The family thus provides the basis for comparative study in linguistics and for understanding regional histories and identities. Debates over higher-level classifications such as Altaic or Nostratic show that Mongolic also plays a central role in broader questions about deep genetic relationships among Eurasian languages and about how language families are reconstructed and classified in academic disciplines.

## Notable For
- Being identified in Wikidata as a language family of Eurasia (Mongolic; sitelink_count 78).
- Including Mongolian, the official language of Mongolia.
- Preserving historical stages and literary traditions such as Middle Mongolian (linked to the Mongol Empire) and Classical Mongolian (an extinct literary language).
- Encompassing geographically and ethnically diverse languages and varieties, including Oirat (spoken in Russia, China and Mongolia), Daur and Eastern Yugur (China), and Moghol (Herat, Afghanistan).
- Appearing in historical and comparative proposals that link it to larger, debated groupings such as the Altaic supergroup (described here as obsolete and widely rejected) and the proposed Nostratic superfamily.

## Body

### Overview and definition
- Mongolic is defined in source material as a language family of Eurasia.
- It is known by the aliases "Mongolic languages" and "Mongolian languages".
- The Wikidata entry for Mongolic lists a sitelink_count of 78.

### Classification and higher-level proposals
- Historically, Mongolic has been grouped within the Altaic supergroup in some classifications. Altaic is described in the sources as an obsolete and widely rejected supergroup that once encompassed Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Koreanic and Japonic language families; Altaic carries a sitelink_count of 106.
- Mongolic has also appeared in proposals that seek to place it within larger macro-families, including Nostratic. Nostratic is described as a proposed superfamily of Eurasian and African languages and has a sitelink_count of 40.
- These higher-level affiliations are part of ongoing scholarly debate in the academic discipline of linguistics (academic discipline has sitelink_count 50 in the related list).

### Major members, varieties, and subsidiaries
- Mongolian: Listed as part of the Mongolic family and identified as the official language of Mongolia (countries associated  and  in the parent listing for Mongolian).
- Oirat: Identified as a Mongolic language spoken in Russia, China and Mongolia; linked country codes in its listing include , , .
- Buryat: Described as a variety of Mongolic spoken by the Buryats. The source notes that Buryat is classified either as a separate language or as a major dialect group of Mongolian; country codes associated are , , .
- Daur: Listed as a Mongolic language primarily spoken by members of the Daur ethnic group; associated country code .
- Eastern Yugur: Identified explicitly as a Mongolic language spoken in China.
- Khamnigan Mongol: Included as a Mongolic language with associated country codes , , .
- Moghol: Described as a Mongolic language spoken in the region of Herat, Afghanistan, by the Moghol people, who are members of the Sunni Hazara community (countries associated , ).
- Middle Mongolian: Listed as a Mongolic language spoken in Central Asia during the time of the Mongol Empire; associated country code .
- Classical Mongolian: Characterized as an extinct Mongolic literary language; associated with country codes , , .

### Geographic distribution (as given in sources)
- Mongolia is explicitly identified via the status of Mongolian as the official language.
- China is explicitly mentioned for Eastern Yugur and in country-code associations for several varieties.
- Russia is explicitly mentioned for Oirat, and it appears in country-code associations for other varieties.
- Herat, Afghanistan is specified as the region where Moghol is spoken.
- Central Asia is the region associated with Middle Mongolian during the Mongol Empire era.

### Historical context and links
- The Mongol Empire is a related historical entity in the source list; its inception date is given in the source as +1206-00-00T00:00:00Z and its sitelink_count is 140. Middle Mongolian is explicitly tied to the time of the Mongol Empire.
- Classical Mongolian is recorded as an extinct literary language within the family, linking the family to literary and historical traditions.

### Scholarly and conceptual relations
- The family is connected conceptually to the notion of a "language family," defined in the related list as a group of languages related through descent from a common ancestor (language family sitelink_count 124).
- The study and classification of Mongolic are part of the academic discipline of linguistics and related fields (academic discipline sitelink_count 50).
- Alternative macro-family proposals that have included Mongolic in various hypotheses include Altaic (described as obsolete and widely rejected) and Nostratic (a proposed superfamily of Eurasian and African languages).

### Related people and entities
- Namkhai Norbu is listed among related entries. The source identifies him as a Tibetan Dzogchen master (1938–2018). His listed occupations in the source include , , , , and he is associated with citizenship codes Q38 and ; his sitelink_count in the related list is 13. The source treats him as a related entity rather than as a direct member of the Mongolic family.

### Metadata and cross-references
- The Wikidata description for Mongolic is "language family of Eurasia."
- The Wikipedia title associated in the structured properties is "Mongolic languages."
- The structured properties in the source include the aliases, the sitelink_count (78), and the wikidata_description as noted above.

### Comparative and cultural notes
- Several Mongolic varieties are associated with distinct ethnic groups (for example, the Daur people and the Moghol people). The Moghol language is specifically noted as spoken by Moghol people who are members of the Sunni Hazara community in the Herat region of Afghanistan.
- Classification status of particular varieties can vary; for example, Buryat is described as either a separate language or a major dialect group of Mongolian.

### Source-linked identifiers and counts
- Mongolic (Wikidata description): "language family of Eurasia"; sitelink_count 78.
- Related concept "language family": sitelink_count 124.
- Related concept "academic discipline": sitelink_count 50.
- Mongol Empire: inception +1206-00-00T00:00:00Z; sitelink_count 140.
- Namkhai Norbu: Tibetan Dzogchen master (1938–2018); occupations , , , ; citizenship Q38, ; sitelink_count 13.
- Altaic (as used in source): described as obsolete, widely rejected; sitelink_count 106.
- Nostratic (as used in source): described as a proposed superfamily; sitelink_count 40.

(End of entry.)

## References

1. Chinese Wikiversity
2. [Nuovo soggettario](https://thes.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/termine.php?id=68771)
3. YSO-Wikidata mapping project
4. BabelNet
5. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
6. KBpedia