My Research into Mongolian Language and Dialects

Ochirbat Sambuudorj
(Visiting professor, October 2014)

I am a professor and head of the Linguistic Department of Institute of Language and Literature of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. I graduated from the Ulaanbaatar Pedagogical College and Mongolian National University. I have worked as a researcher since 1987 and in 1997 obtained my PhD at the Institute with a dissertation on “The Phonemic System of the Oirat Dialect in Modern Mongolian”. My research fields are Mongolian dialects, Mongolian written languages, phonemic systems, lexicology and sociolinguistics.

I am grateful to have been awarded a Visiting professor posting to the Research Institute for Language and Literature of Asia and Africa (ILCAA) Joint Research Project entitled “Cross-Linguistic Research on ‘Verbals’” headed by Associate Professor Yasuhiro Yamakoshi and at the invitation of Professor Tokusu Kurebito. The main aim of my research is to circumstantiate systems of verbal suffixes -in other words, exploring how to build V – N, V – V syntagma in the written language of Oirat clear script which has been used by Oirat Mongols since 1648, and in the Oirat dialect. It is important to thoroughly study traditional dialects of Mongolian languages so as to conceptualize the development and evolution of that language system. However, it is equally critical to conduct this dialect research quickly and efficiently, as Mongolian dialects depend on modern media communication systems and the influence of the dominant dialect used by written language means that the linguistic systems in Mongolia are rapidly changing.

Several years ago, I taught Mongolian at Osaka University of Foreign Studies; my experiences there were immensely rewarding, and they will be extremely useful in preparing me for this next phase of my academic career as a visiting professor. I am thankful for my earlier opportunities as a scholar abroad, and to all my colleagues and co-workers for their help and generosity. I look forward to contributing to the academic culture and research project at the ILCAA.

Selected publications:

BOOKS

• Pronunciation Dictionary of Mongolian. (With Introduction). Ulaanbaatar. 2011. (265 pages)
• Thematic Dictionary of Mongolian Slang. (With Introduction). Ulaanbaatar. 2011. (167 pages)
• Introduction to Written Oirat Mongolian. (Co-authored with Prof. Masaru Hashimoto). Osaka. 2005. (241 pages)
• The Phonemic System of the Oirat Dialect in Modern Mongolian. Ulaanbaatar. 2002. (175 pages)
• Mongolian Encyclopedia (With other authors). Editor B.Chadraa. Ulaanbaatar. 2000. I-II volumes.
• Modern Mongolian (With other authors). Ulaanbaatar. 1995.

ARTICLES

• Modern Mongolian Written Languages and Their Cultural Relations. –“Nauchnyi Journal Vestnik” BNTs SO RAN. №3 (15). Ulan-Ude. 2014. 230-234
• On the question of the Methods How to Arise New Idioms in Mongolian language. –“Research Writings”. Уб., 2014. №3. 91-94
• Origins of the Some Words in Mongolian and Correspondent Examples to Altai Tribe Languages. –“Altaica” IX. Ulaanbaatar. 2012. 103-117
• On the question of the Spoken Language of the Ordos Mongols. –“Language and Literature’. Volume 37. Ulaanbaatar. 2012. 53-60
• On the Field Expedition in 1993 to Study Darkhat Dialects and Its Folklore. –“Sanjeev Reading 7”. Ulan-Ude. 2012. 3-6
• Political Slang in Mongolian. –“Mongolian Studies. Journal of The Mongolia Society” Vol. XXX and XXXI. 2008 and 2009 (2010). pp.1-17. USA.
• To the question to Study Word Origins on the Paradigm Method in Mongolian. –“Mongolian linguistics”. Volume Х (XXXII). Ulaanbaatar. 2006. 74-80
• The Origin and Use of Slang Expressions in Modern Mongolian. –“Journal of Osaka University of Foreign Studies” Оsaka. 2003. N. 29. 151-163
• On the question to Study Phoneme and Its Variation in Mongolian Dialects –“Mongolian linguistics”. Volume V (XXVII). Ulaanbaatar. 1999. 190-196
• Az urianxai nyelvjárás hangtanának alapvetö sajátosságai. -”Öseink Nyomán Belsö-Ázsiában II, Szerkeszti: Birtalan Agnes, Budapest. 1998. 145-156
• Some Remarks Concerning The Offering of Sutra by the Mongols. -“Bulletin of the Association for Mongolian Studies”. Tokyo. No. 28 (1997) pp. 129-140
• A vadászat hagyományos elemei. -”Öseink Nyomán Belsö-Ázsiában I, Budapest. 1996. 119-140
• То distinguish Word Meaning on the Phonetic Alternation in Manchu Language. –“Mongolian linguistics”. Volume II (XXIV). Ulaanbaatar. 1996. 120-126.
• Word order in Mongolian. –“Research Writings of the Mongolian and Korean Researches”. №4. Soul. 1995. 413-418
• Meaning and Origin of the Some Words with Suffix – musun (-műsűn) in Mongolian language. –“Mongolian Academy News”. Ulaanbaatar. 1992. №1 (125). 76-78