Yes, the Mongols developed a written language early in the history of the Mongol Empire, and the development of a writing system for the Mongol language was a major step in the development of the Mongol state. The Mongols adopted the Uyghur script, which was derived from the Sogdian script, in the early thirteenth century, and they used it to write the Secret History of the Mongols, the Yassa code of law, and a wide variety of other texts.
The adoption of the Uyghur script was a major cultural innovation. The script was originally developed for the Uyghur language, which was spoken in the Uyghur kingdom of Turfan and which was a major language of Central Asia in the ninth and tenth centuries. The Uyghur script was adapted for the Mongol language by the Uyghur scribe Tatatunga, who served as the chief chancellor of the Mongol court under Genghis Khan.
The Uyghur Script
The Uyghur script, also known as the Old Uyghur script, was a writing system that was derived from the Sogdian script, which was in turn derived from the Syriac script. The script was a phonetic alphabet of about 20 letters, and it was written vertically from top to bottom and from left to right. The script was the official writing system of the Uyghur kingdom of Turfan, and it was widely used in Central Asia before the Mongol conquest.
The Mongols adopted the Uyghur script in the early thirteenth century, and they used it to write the Mongol language. The script was adapted for the Mongol language by the addition of new letters and the modification of existing letters, and the resulting writing system was used for the writing of the Yassa, the Secret History, the imperial decrees, and a wide variety of other texts.
The Uyghur script was the official writing system of the Mongol Empire throughout the imperial period, and it was widely used in the khanates and the successor states. The script was eventually replaced by the ‘Phags-pa script in the late thirteenth century, and then by the Cyrillic script in the seventeenth century. The traditional Mongolian script, which is a modified version of the Uyghur script, was reintroduced in the twentieth century, and it is now the official script of Mongolia.
The ‘Phags-pa Script
In the late thirteenth century, a new writing system was devised for the Mongol language, this time based on the Tibetan script. The new script, called the ‘Phags-pa script (after the Tibetan monk ‘Phags-pa, who devised it), was used for the writing of the Mongol language and for the writing of the languages of the other khanates.
The ‘Phags-pa script was a sophisticated writing system, and it was used officially for a few decades. The script was, however, eventually abandoned in favor of adaptations of existing scripts, and the script is now used only for the writing of certain ceremonial and religious texts. The ‘Phags-pa script is, however, significant as an early attempt to develop a writing system that could be used for all of the languages of the Mongol Empire, and it is a major step in the history of the Mongol writing systems.
The Cyrillic Script
In the seventeenth century, the Mongol language began to be written in a new script, this time based on the Cyrillic alphabet. The Cyrillic script was introduced by the Russian Empire, which had taken control of the Mongol territories of Buryatia and Kalmykia, and it became the standard script for the Buryat and Kalmyk languages. In Mongolia itself, the Mongolian script continued in use, although it was briefly replaced by the Latin alphabet in the 1930s and then by the Cyrillic alphabet in the 1940s. The Cyrillic script remained the official script of Mongolia until 1990, when the country began a gradual transition back to the traditional Mongolian script.
The Modern Mongolian Script
The modern Mongolian script, also known as the traditional Mongolian script, is a modified version of the Uyghur script. The script is written vertically from top to bottom and from left to right, and it has about 20 letters. The script is the official script of Mongolia, and it is used in education, government, and the media. The script is also widely used in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, where it is the official script of the Mongol minority.
The modern Mongolian script is a major feature of the Mongolian national identity, and it is a major symbol of the cultural heritage of the Mongols. The script is also a major tourist attraction, and visitors to Mongolia often learn a few words of Mongolian script during their travels. The script is, in this sense, a major contribution to the cultural heritage of the world, and it is one of the most distinctive writing systems in use today.
Sources
- Jack Weatherford, The Secret History of the Mongol Queens (New York, 2010).
- Anatoly M. Khazanov, Nomads and the Outside World (2nd ed., Madison, 1994).
- David Morgan, The Mongols (2nd ed., Oxford, 2007).