Dongxiang [1] (东乡语, Santa, ISO 639-3: sce) is a Southern Mongolic minority language of the Dongxiang people (东乡族) of Dongxiang Autonomous County, Linxia, Gansu province, China. With approximately 373,000 speakers, it is the most widely spoken of the three Southern Mongolic languages (Dongxiang, Bonan, Tu) of the Gansu–Qinghai corridor. Northwest Minzu University (NWMU) conducts the primary academic research on the language.

The Dongxiang Alphabet — Southern Mongolic Language of the Dongxiang People, Gansu, China

Q: Is Dongxiang the same as Santa?

Yes — Dongxiang and Santa [2] are two names for the same language (ISO 639-3: sce). "Dongxiang" (东乡) is the modern Chinese name; "Santa" is an older name derived from the self-designation of the Dongxiang people. The Endangered Languages Project recognises both names as valid designations for this Southern Mongolic minority language. Modern Chinese academic publications use Dongxiang; older Western linguistic works may use Santa.

Q: What language family does Dongxiang belong to?

Dongxiang [1] belongs to the Southern Mongolic subgroup of the Mongolic branch of the Altaic-related language group. Its closest relatives are Bonan (Paoan, peh) and Tu (Monguor, mjg), both also spoken in Gansu and Qinghai, China. Despite the Muslim cultural identity of the Dongxiang people, the language is genetically Mongolic — not Semitic or Turkic — reflecting a historical shift to Islam among a Mongolic-speaking community.

Q: Is Dongxiang endangered?

Dongxiang [2] has a relatively large speaker population (approximately 373,000), but the Endangered Languages Project documents significant pressure from Mandarin Chinese, particularly in education and official contexts. Younger Dongxiang children increasingly receive instruction in Mandarin, and the use of Dongxiang in everyday life is declining in urban areas. ELAR [3] preserves documentation of the spoken language for future generations.

Q: Why do the Dongxiang people speak a Mongolic language?

The Dongxiang people [1] are believed to descend from Mongolic-speaking communities of the Yuan dynasty (13th–14th century) who converted to Islam. Over time, this community retained its Mongolic language while adopting Muslim cultural practices, resulting in the unique combination of a Mongolic language with an Islamic identity. Northwest Minzu University documents this historical background as an important context for understanding the ethnic and linguistic identity of the Dongxiang people of Gansu.

Q: Where is Dongxiang spoken?

Dongxiang [2] is spoken primarily in Dongxiang Autonomous County (东乡族自治县) in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu province, China. Additional speakers live in parts of Qinghai province and Xinjiang. The Endangered Languages Project documents Dongxiang County as the core geographic area of the language, where the Dongxiang people have lived since the Yuan and Ming dynasty periods of Chinese history.

Q: How is Dongxiang different from Bonan?

Dongxiang and Bonan [1] are closely related Southern Mongolic languages, but they are distinct. Dongxiang has approximately 373,000 speakers; Bonan has approximately 9,000. Both are spoken in Gansu province — Dongxiang in Dongxiang Autonomous County, Bonan in Jishishan County. Northwest Minzu University treats them as separate languages with distinct phonological and lexical systems, despite their shared Southern Mongolic ancestry and geographical proximity in the Gansu highlands.

Q: How is Dongxiang written?

Dongxiang [3] has no standardised writing system of its own. The Dongxiang community uses Mandarin Chinese and Arabic (for Islamic religious texts) in written form. Academic researchers use a Latin romanization system with diacritic characters (Č, Š, Ž, Ŋ, Ö, Ü) to record the phonology of the spoken language. ELAR at SOAS University of London archives romanized transcriptions alongside audio recordings of Dongxiang, preserving the language in documentary form for academic research and community use.

Dongxiang Alphabet at a Glance

Dongxiang (东乡语, Santa, ISO 639-3: sce) ^[1] is a Southern Mongolic minority language of the Dongxiang people (东乡族) of Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu province, China. Northwest Minzu University (NWMU) in Lanzhou is a principal centre for Dongxiang linguistic research
The Dongxiang people ^[2] are a Hui-related Muslim ethnic group (东乡族) whose language is Mongolic rather than Semitic. Dongxiang is one of the few Mongolic languages spoken exclusively by a Muslim community, reflecting the complex ethnic history of the Gansu–Qinghai corridor. The Endangered Languages Project estimates approximately 373,000 Dongxiang speakers
Northwest Minzu University ^[1] (西北民族大学) researches Dongxiang alongside Bonan and Tu as part of the Southern Mongolic language group. NWMU's research documents the phonology, morphology and vocabulary of Dongxiang, providing the primary academic resource for the language in China
The Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) ^[3] at SOAS University of London holds documentation of the Dongxiang language, preserving audio recordings and transcriptions. ELAR materials capture spoken Dongxiang in Dongxiang County, Gansu, providing resources for both community use and academic research
Dongxiang belongs to the Southern Mongolic subgroup ^[1], together with Bonan (Paoan) and Tu (Monguor). These three languages of the Gansu–Qinghai corridor share phonological and grammatical features derived from a common Mongolic ancestor, distinguished from the Northern Mongolic varieties (Mongolian, Buryat) of the Mongolian steppe and Siberia
Despite the large speaker population, Dongxiang faces pressure ^[2] from Mandarin Chinese in education and official contexts. The Endangered Languages Project notes that Dongxiang children increasingly receive education in Mandarin, raising concerns about long-term language maintenance among younger generations in Gansu

Dongxiang (东乡语, Santa, ISO 639-3: sce) ^[1] is a Southern Mongolic minority language of the Dongxiang people (东乡族) of Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu, China. Northwest Minzu University ^[1] documents it as a member of the Southern Mongolic group alongside Bonan and Tu.

The Endangered Languages Project ^[2] and ELAR ^[3] document Dongxiang with approximately 373,000 speakers — making it the most widely spoken Southern Mongolic language. The Latin romanization on this page preserves the phonology of spoken Dongxiang.

[AH]

[EH]

[EE]

[OH]

[EU]

[OO]

[UE]

[B]

[CH]

[D]

[G]

[H]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[NG]

[P]

[R]

[S]

[SH]

[T]

[KH]

[Z]

[ZH]

[B]

as in "bat"

[CH]

as in "church"

[D]

as in "dog"

[G]

as in "go"

[H]

as in "hat"

[Y]

as in "yes"

[K]

as in "key"

[L]

as in "lamp"

[M]

as in "man"

[N]

as in "not"

[NG]

velar nasal, as in "sing"

[P]

as in "pen"

[R]

as in "run"

[S]

as in "sun"

[SH]

as in "ship"

[T]

as in "top"

[KH]

velar fricative

[Z]

as in "zoo"

[ZH]

as in "measure"

[CH]

[ch]

[NG]

[ng]

[EU]

[eu]

[SH]

[sh]

[UE]

[ue]

[ZH]

[zh]

[CH]

ch sound (uppercase)

[ch]

ch sound (lowercase)

[NG]

velar nasal (uppercase)

[ng]

velar nasal (lowercase)

[EU]

front rounded mid vowel (uppercase)

[eu]

front rounded mid vowel (lowercase)

[SH]

sh sound (uppercase)

[sh]

sh sound (lowercase)

[UE]

front rounded high vowel (uppercase)

[ue]

front rounded high vowel (lowercase)

[ZH]

zh sound (uppercase)

[zh]

zh sound (lowercase)

[zero]

[one]

[two]

[three]

[four]

[five]

[six]

[seven]

[eight]

[nine]

[AH]

[B]

[CH]

[D]

[EH]

[G]

[H]

[EE]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[NG]

[OH]

[EU]

[P]

[R]

[S]

[SH]

[T]

[OO]

[UE]

[KH]

[Z]

[ZH]

Expand All Collapse All

What is Dongxiang?

Is Dongxiang the same as Santa?

What language family does Dongxiang belong to?

Is Dongxiang endangered?

Why do the Dongxiang people speak a Mongolic language?

Where is Dongxiang spoken?

How is Dongxiang different from Bonan?

How is Dongxiang written?

References:

[1] Northwest Minzu University (西北民族大学, NWMU), Lanzhou, Gansu, China. "Dongxiang (Santa) Language Research" — NWMU conducts systematic research on the Dongxiang language (东乡语, ISO 639-3: sce), also known as Santa, spoken by the Dongxiang people (东乡族) of Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu province, China. Dongxiang is a Southern Mongolic language closely related to Bonan and Tu. Retrieved from Northwest Minzu University (西北民族大学)
[2] Endangered Languages Project, Google.org. "Dongxiang (Santa) Language" — the Endangered Languages Project documents Dongxiang (ISO 639-3: sce), a Mongolic minority language of the Dongxiang (东乡族) people of Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu province, China. The language is also known as Santa and is spoken by approximately 373,000 people. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Project
[3] Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR), SOAS University of London. "Dongxiang Language Documentation" — ELAR holds documentation of the Dongxiang (Santa) Mongolic language (ISO 639-3: sce) of Gansu, China, preserving audio recordings and transcribed materials of this minority language for academic research and community use. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR)