Presentation given at the workshop on Minority Languages of the Chinese Tibetosphere at Uppsala University, Nov 3-4 2014.

1. Henan-Oirat
An Extinguishing Mongolic Dialect in
Qinghai
 Oirat-Mongols from Jungaria
 The Jungarian Empire, early 17th century:
1. Tsoros (Jungar) 2. Torgut 3. Dörböt 3. Hoshut
 Migrations:
1. Dörböt and Torgut→ Volga estuary c. 1627
2. Hoshut → Amdo 1637
3. Torgut from Volga →Jungaria→ Alsha 1771

2. The Hoshut in Amdo
 1635 the 5th Dalai
lama calls the Hoshut
to fight Cogtu taiji
 The Hoshut settle
down in the Caidam
 Some Torgut and
Coros join them
 1666 (?) a small pack
of Oirats move

4. The Migration
 Took 23 years (?)
 First stop: Gonghe,
Mongol village
 Arrival, 1689 ?
 Labrang monastery
1709

5. Administration
 Before 1954, four
banners (qi):
Qinwang, Lajia,
Dacan, and Tuerhu
(Torgut)
 After 1954, Six
townships (5 xiang, 1
zhen):
 Dacan – Saierlong
 Tuerhu – Duosong,
Kesheng

6. Number of Speakers Today
 Total population: c. 30 000
 Speakers restricted to: County center,
Kesheng, Saierlong, Duosong (?).
 Mongolian speakers, Oyrat speakers, Henan
Oyrat speakers
 1985-1995 Language restoration project with
teachers from IMAR and Haixi
 Command and fluency

7. Kesheng and Saierlong
 Kesheng
 Everybody able to
hold simple
conversation over 45
 Few truly fluent
speakers
 Few younger
speakers
 Some speakers have
moved to the center
 Saierlong
 Only 3 authentic
speakers
 None is truly fluent
 2 not authentic
speakers: Tserendorji
and a 36yld woman
speaking Haixi

8. Damba and Tserendorji

9. Gezang

10. Tamki

11. Gelog

12. The Characteristic Feautres of
Henan Oyrat
 Basically Oyrat, branch of Haixi (Deed Mongol)
 Strong Amdo-Tibetan influence on phonology
 b→ w, d→l, Tib. bod→wol, HO. bürged→wәrgil
 š→ђ, šüd →ђәdә
 ö and ü, disappear (ә, e, I)
 Suffixes, and tenses unknown from other M.
varieties

13. Restoration Efforts
 1985-95 Mongolian language teachers from
Haixi and IMAR
 “Mongol” appearance of the county
 Teachers quit but left some speakers
 Society for Mongolian Traditions in Henan
 Given up language restoration

14. Survival?
 Only a handful of fluent speakers remain
 They speak Tibetan with their children
 My estimation: 500 ppl able to converse in HO.
 My expectation: some increase Mongolian
speakers but extinction of HO.