Sounds and Scripts of Modernity: Language Ideologies and Practices in Contemporary Mongolia

Abstract

The change of script from the traditional bichig to Cyrillic that took place in Mongolia in the 1940s brought Mongols closer to the rest of the Soviet world and effected a break with ethnically and linguistically identical populations beyond the borders. While the political ramifications of this transition have been examined at length, much less attention has been given to the impact that the introduction of a new script has had on Mongolian phonology. This paper examines some of the language ideologies currently prevalent in Mongolia as well as the new language practices that have emerged in the last two decades around the use of Latin.

Translocal English in the linguascape of Mongolian popular music

“…Young Mongolians seem to incorporate varied linguistic resources not only within their daily online activities including mobile texting, chats, and social media interactions, but also within their casual face‐to‐face language practices of leisure time get‐togethers. The linguistic landscape of UB has also become the target of the linguistic diversity, with restaurants, cafes, street signs and advertisement boards are exceedingly incorporating English and other foreign language oriented symbolic and linguistic resources (Billé ).…”

“…Specifically, English is widespread in the popular music scene, as many young Mongolians learn English, according to Beery (: 3), ‘through the English language translations of popular songs or original songs written in English by non‐native English speakers such as Shakira and the Russian group T.A.T.U’. Billé (: 245) similarly writes that ‘the significance of English and the Latin script remains ‘highly visible’ in the contemporary musical landscape in Mongolia, as the ‘vast majority of Mongolian singers and bands write their names in the Latin script, occasionally translating titles in English as well’. Many young Mongolian musicians produce their recordings and performances in English, promoting themselves using English‐oriented modes.…”

Translingual English, Facebook, and gay identities

“…The sociolinguistic situation of Mongolia was considerably reformed during this transition period, once the dominant Russian language was gradually replaced by English and other foreign languages such as French, German, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. The citizens in a newly democratic nation started recognizing both the institutional and non‐institutional importance of English in order to succeed in Mongolia's new market economy (Billé, ). Having a proficient level of English became a compulsory benchmark for literally every formal institution (for example, job interviews and business meetings) and an obligatory subject at the primary, secondary, tertiary, and higher education levels (Cohen, ).…”

“…The Russian language and culture were the sole dominant foreign influences in Mongolia. The classic Mongolian Uyghur script was officially replaced with the Russian Cyrillic alphabet in 1941, which still remains the present official orthographic system of post-socialist Mongolia (Marsh, 2009 (Billé, 2010). Having a proficient level of English became a compulsory benchmark for literally every formal institution (for example, job interviews and business meetings) and an obligatory subject at the primary, secondary, tertiary, and higher education levels (Cohen, 2005).…”

Uneven distribution of resources in the youth linguascapes of Mongolia

“…Billé (2010) notes the significance of English and the Latin script in the contemporary musical landscape in Mongolia, with the vast majority of young singers and bands titling themselves in English or Latin, and online consumers of varied Mongolian websites using predominantly the transliterated Roman Mongolian orthographic system, instead of official Cyrillic Mongolian. Likewise, Beery (2004) observed on multiple occasions how young Mongolians send SMS texts to each other using English and other Latin script languages.…”