The Dagur Alphabet

Dagur ^[2] is an alternate spelling of Daur (达斡尔语, ISO 639-3: dta), the Mongolic minority language of the Daur people (达斡尔族) of China. Both names — Dagur and Daur — refer to the same language. Dagur reflects Mongolian-influenced romanization; Daur follows modern Chinese pinyin. Inner Mongolia University in Hohhot conducts the primary academic research on this language.

Yes — Dagur and Daur ^[1] are two spellings of the same language name (达斡尔语). The difference is in the romanization convention: Daur uses modern Chinese pinyin while Dagur follows older or Mongolian-influenced romanization. Both names describe the same Mongolic language (ISO 639-3: dta) spoken by the Daur people in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, China. Inner Mongolia University now uses Daur in its publications but recognises both spellings in the academic literature.

The two spellings Dagur and Daur ^[2] arise from different romanization traditions. "Dagur" appears in older Western linguistic publications and in Mongolian-influenced romanization, while "Daur" follows modern Chinese pinyin (达 = Da, 斡 = wo, 尔 = er). The Endangered Languages Project recognises both as valid names for the same language (ISO 639-3: dta). This dual naming is common for Chinese minority languages whose names were romanized under different conventions at different periods.

Dagur (Daur) ^[1] belongs to the Mongolic branch of the Altaic-related language group. It is most closely related to Mongolian and Buryat within the northern Mongolic subgroup. Inner Mongolia University documents Dagur as a language that has preserved archaic Mongolic phonological features that Mongolian itself has lost — making it valuable for reconstructing the history of the Mongolic language family.

Dagur (Daur) ^[2] is a vulnerable minority language. The Endangered Languages Project documents an estimated 100,000 speakers, but the language faces strong competition from Mandarin Chinese in schools, government and public life. Younger members of the Daur community increasingly prefer Mandarin, weakening intergenerational transmission. ELAR ^[3] preserves documentation of the spoken language for future research and community access.

While Dagur (Daur) ^[1] and Mongolian share a common Mongolic ancestor, Inner Mongolia University documents significant differences. Dagur/Daur has preserved archaic consonant distinctions lost in Mongolian, and has developed distinct vocabulary through contact with Manchu, Chinese and Tungusic languages over many centuries. Dagur and Mongolian speakers would not readily understand each other. Inner Mongolia University researchers have identified Dagur as one of the most phonologically conservative Mongolic languages, making it important for understanding how Mongolian itself evolved from Proto-Mongolic.

Dagur (Daur) ^[2] is spoken in three main areas: the Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner in Inner Mongolia (the main heartland), the Qiqihar area of Heilongjiang province, and a smaller community in Tacheng (Tarbagatay) in Xinjiang. The geographic dispersal of the Daur people is largely a result of Qing dynasty administrative resettlements. The Endangered Languages Project documents these three distinct speaking areas within the Daur/Dagur community.

Dagur (Daur) ^[3] is an oral language without a standardised writing system. The Daur community uses Mandarin Chinese for written communication. Academic linguists use a Latin romanization system with diacritic characters (Č, Š, Ž, Ŋ, Ö, Ü) to represent the phonology of the spoken language in research publications. ELAR at SOAS University of London archives romanized transcriptions alongside audio recordings of the language, creating a lasting documentary record that is accessible under both the Dagur and Daur names.