The Eastern Yugur Alphabet

Q: What is Eastern Yugur?

Eastern Yugur [1] (ISO 639-3: yuy) is a Mongolic language spoken by the Yugur people (裕固族) of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu province, China. It is also known as Yogur, Yoghur or Sarï Uyghur. Eastern Yugur is distinct from Western Yugur — a Turkic language spoken by other members of the same Yugur ethnic group. Minzu University of China documents Eastern Yugur as one of the rarest Mongolic languages in China.

Q: What are all the names for Eastern Yugur?

Eastern Yugur [1] is known by several names: Eastern Yugur (academic term distinguishing it from Western Yugur), Yogur (a common alternate spelling), Yoghur (another alternate spelling), and Sarï Uyghur (from the Mongolic tradition, meaning Yellow Uyghur). All these names refer to the same Mongolic language (ISO 639-3: yuy) of the Yugur people of Sunan, Gansu. The term "Eastern" is added to distinguish this Mongolic language from Western Yugur, which is a Turkic language spoken by other Yugur people.

Q: Why do the Yugur people speak two unrelated languages?

The Yugur people speak two unrelated languages because of their complex history [2] . The ancestors of the Yugur people were part of the Uyghur Khaganate, which collapsed in 840 CE. Some descendants moved west and eventually became Turkic-speaking (Western Yugur). Others moved into the Gansu corridor and over centuries assimilated to the local Mongolic-speaking population, developing Eastern Yugur. The Endangered Languages Project documents this historical divergence as the reason for the unusual situation where a single ethnic group speaks two genetically unrelated languages.

Q: Is Eastern Yugur endangered?

Yes — Eastern Yugur [2] is critically endangered . The Endangered Languages Project documents only a few hundred fluent speakers remaining, predominantly elderly. Younger Yugur people mostly speak Mandarin Chinese. ELAR [3] at SOAS University of London preserves documentation of Eastern Yugur as part of global efforts to record endangered languages before they cease to be actively spoken. The critically endangered status makes Eastern Yugur one of the most urgent documentation priorities among Mongolic languages.

Q: How is Eastern Yugur different from Western Yugur?

Eastern Yugur [1] is a Mongolic language , while Western Yugur is a Turkic language — they are completely unrelated, as different as French and Japanese. The two languages happen to be spoken by members of the same Yugur ethnic group in Sunan County, Gansu. Minzu University of China documents both languages separately. Eastern Yugur is related to Mongolian, Buryat and Tu; Western Yugur (Salar Yugur or Raogai Yugur) is related to other Turkic languages of Central Asia. Speakers of one Yugur language cannot understand the other without study.

Q: Where is Eastern Yugur spoken?

Eastern Yugur [2] is spoken in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County (肃南裕固族自治县) in Zhangye, Gansu province, China. The county lies along the Hexi Corridor — the ancient Silk Road trade route between China and Central Asia. The Endangered Languages Project documents the remaining fluent speakers as concentrated in this area, where the Yugur people have lived since the collapse of the Uyghur Khaganate and subsequent movements during the Tang and Song dynasty periods.

Q: What does Sarï Uyghur mean?

Sarï Uyghur [1] means "Yellow Uyghur" in Mongolian and related languages — "sarï" means yellow. This traditional name for Eastern Yugur refers to the yellow colour associated with Buddhism (the Yugur people are predominantly Tibetan Buddhist) and may also reflect the yellow landscape of the Hexi Corridor. Minzu University of China documents Sarï Uyghur as a traditional Mongolian name for the Eastern Yugur-speaking Yugur people, distinguishing them from the Turkic-speaking Western Yugurs who are sometimes called "Ak Yugur" (White Yugur).

Q: How is Eastern Yugur written?

Eastern Yugur [3] has no standardised writing system. The Yugur community uses Mandarin Chinese for written communication. Academic researchers use a Latin romanization with diacritic characters (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 Eastern Yugur in Sunan County, Gansu — creating a lasting documentary record of this critically endangered Mongolic language under its various names (Eastern Yugur, Yogur, Yoghur, Sarï Uyghur).

Eastern Yugur Alphabet at a Glance

Eastern Yugur (ISO 639-3: yuy) ^[1] is the Mongolic language of the Yugur people (裕固族) of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu province, China. It is also known as Yogur, Yoghur or Sarï Uyghur. "Eastern" distinguishes it from Western Yugur, which is a Turkic language — the two Yugur languages are unrelated and spoken by members of the same ethnic group
The Yugur people ^[2] descend from the Uyghur Khaganate, which collapsed in 840 CE. Eastern Yugur-speaking Yugurs trace their Mongolic heritage to the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom of the 9th–11th century, when their ancestors assimilated to the local Mongolic-speaking population. The Endangered Languages Project documents Eastern Yugur as a critically endangered language
Minzu University of China (MUC) ^[1] (中央民族大学) is the primary academic institution documenting Eastern Yugur. MUC research covers the phonology, grammar and vocabulary of the language, documenting it under the names Yogur (Mongolic variety), Eastern Yugur and sometimes Sarï Uyghur
The Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR) ^[3] at SOAS University of London holds documentation of Eastern Yugur, preserving audio recordings and transcriptions. ELAR materials document the language as spoken in Sunan County, where the Mongolic-speaking Yugurs live alongside Turkic-speaking Western Yugurs within the same ethnic community
The name Sarï Uyghur ^[1] (Yellow Uyghur) refers to Eastern Yugur in the Mongolic tradition — "Sarï" means yellow. This name distinguishes the Mongolic branch of the Yugur from the Turkic branch (Western Yugur). Both branches use the Yugur ethnic name but speak entirely different languages with different genetic origins
Eastern Yugur is critically endangered ^[2], with only a few hundred fluent speakers remaining. Younger Yugur people predominantly use Mandarin Chinese. The Endangered Languages Project and ELAR together preserve documentation of this language in its final generations of active speakers in Sunan, Gansu, China

Eastern Yugur (ISO 639-3: yuy) ^[1] is the Mongolic language of the Yugur people of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu, China. Also known as Yogur, Yoghur or Sarï Uyghur, it is distinct from Western Yugur — which is a Turkic language spoken by the same ethnic group.

Minzu University of China ^[1], the Endangered Languages Project ^[2] and ELAR ^[3] document Eastern Yugur as critically endangered with only a few hundred fluent speakers remaining. The Latin romanization on this page preserves the phonology of this rare Mongolic language.

[AH]

[EH]

[EE]

[OH]

[EU]

[OO]

[UE]

[B]

[TS]

[D]

[G]

[H]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[NG]

[P]

[R]

[S]

[SH]

[T]

[W]

[KH]

[Y]

[Z]

[ZH]

[B]

as in "bat"

[TS]

as in "cats"

[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"

[W]

as in "wet"

[KH]

velar fricative

[Y]

palatal glide

[Z]

as in "zoo"

[ZH]

as in "measure"

[NG]

[ng]

[EU]

[eu]

[SH]

[sh]

[UE]

[ue]

[ZH]

[zh]

[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]

[TS]

[D]

[EH]

[G]

[H]

[EE]

[Y]

[K]

[L]

[M]

[N]

[NG]

[OH]

[EU]

[P]

[R]

[S]

[SH]

[T]

[OO]

[UE]

[W]

[KH]

[Y]

[Z]

[ZH]

Expand All Collapse All

What is Eastern Yugur?

What are all the names for Eastern Yugur?

Why do the Yugur people speak two unrelated languages?

Is Eastern Yugur endangered?

How is Eastern Yugur different from Western Yugur?

Where is Eastern Yugur spoken?

What does Sarï Uyghur mean?

How is Eastern Yugur written?

References:

[1] Minzu University of China (中央民族大学), College of Ethnology and Sociology, Beijing. "Eastern Yugur Language Studies" — the university conducts research on Eastern Yugur (东部裕固语, ISO 639-3: yuy), a Mongolic language of the Yugur people (裕固族) of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu, China, documenting its academic Latin romanization and its distinction from the Turkic Western Yugur. Retrieved from Minzu University of China
[2] Endangered Languages Project, Google & First Peoples Worldwide. "Eastern Yugur (Yogur) — Language Documentation" — the Project documents Eastern Yugur (Yogur, ISO 639-3: yuy), the Mongolic language of the Yugur people of Sunan, Gansu, China, classified as endangered; distinct from the Turkic Western Yugur (Sarïgh Uyghur) spoken by the same people. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Project
[3] Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR), SOAS University of London. "Eastern Yugur (Yogur) Language Documentation" — ELAR holds field documentation of Eastern Yugur, the Mongolic language of the Yugur people of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County, Gansu, China, providing recordings and transcriptions that illustrate the academic Latin romanization system used to represent this endangered Mongolic language. Retrieved from Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR)