Current trends in Oirat dialect studies

Osaka: Senri Ethnological Studies 86: 9–17, 2014. (Oirat people: cultural uniformity and diversification)Language and dialect are the main instruments of human communication, to which economies, cultures, and political relationships are closely related. The Mongolian language and its dialects have tended to become similar to the central Khalkha dialect as conditioned by the Mongol nation’s form and language rules. Oral dialects and the branch dialects’ phonemes, grammar, and (especially) vocabulary have tended to converge through various dialectical similarities. Television, radio, cell phones, email, and the Internet, which are rapidly broadcasting our lifestyles, are influencing the standardization of the Mongolian language and its dialects. Key words: Mongol, Mongolian Dialects, Oirad Dialects, Bayad, Dőrvőd, Zakhchin, Őőld, Torgut, Uriankhai.