Editing Mongolian language (section)

== Geographic distribution ==
{{see also|Mongolian language in Inner Mongolia}}
Mongolian is the official national language of Mongolia, where it is spoken (but not always written) by nearly 3.6 million people (2014 estimate),{{sfn|Janhunen|2012|p=11}} and the official provincial language (both spoken and written forms) of Inner Mongolia, where there are at least 4.1 million ethnic Mongols.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tsung|first1=Linda|title=Language Power and Hierarchy: Multilingual Education in China|date=October 27, 2014|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|page=59|chapter=3}}</ref> Across the whole of China, the language is spoken by roughly half of the country's 5.8 million ethnic Mongols (2005 estimate){{sfn|Janhunen|2012|p=11}} However, the exact number of Mongolian speakers in China is unknown, as there is no data available on the language proficiency of that country's citizens. The use of Mongolian in Inner Mongolia has witnessed periods of decline and revival over the last few hundred years. The language experienced a decline during the late [[Qing]] period, a revival between 1947 and 1965, a second decline between 1966 and 1976, a second revival between 1977 and 1992, and a third decline between 1995 and 2012.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tsung|first1=Linda|title=Language Power and Hierarchy: Multilingual Education in China|date=October 27, 2014|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|chapter=3}}</ref> However, in spite of the decline of the Mongolian language in some of Inner Mongolia's urban areas and educational spheres, the ethnic identity of the urbanized Chinese-speaking Mongols is most likely going to survive due to the presence of urban ethnic communities.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Iredale|first1=Robyn|last2=Bilik|first2=Naran|last3=Fei|first3=Guo|title=China's Minorities on the Move: Selected Case Studies|date=August 2, 2003|page=84|chapter=4}}</ref> The multilingual situation in Inner Mongolia does not appear to obstruct efforts by ethnic Mongols to preserve their language.{{sfn|Janhunen|2012|p=16}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Otsuka|first1=Hitomi|title=More Morphologies: Contributions to the Festival of Languages, Bremen, 17 Sep to 7 Oct, 2009|date=30 Nov 2012|page=99|chapter=6}}</ref> Although an unknown number of Mongols in China, such as the Tumets, may have completely or partially lost the ability to speak their language, they are still registered as ethnic Mongols and continue to identify themselves as ethnic Mongols.{{sfn|Janhunen|2012|p=11}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Iredale|first1=Robyn|title=China's Minorities on the Move: Selected Case Studies|date=August 2, 2003|publisher=Routledge|pages=56, 64–67|chapter=3}}</ref> The children of inter-ethnic Mongol-Chinese marriages also claim to be and are registered as ethnic Mongols so they can benefit from the preferential policies for minorities in education, healthcare, family planning, school admissions, the hiring and promotion, the financing and taxation of businesses, and regional infrastructural support given to ethnic minorities in China.{{sfn|Janhunen|2012|p=11}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Iredale|first1=Robyn|last2=Bilik|first2=Naran|last3=Fei|first3=Guo|title=China's Minorities on the Move: Selected Case Studies|date=August 2, 2003|page=61|chapter=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |date=December 24, 2007|author=Barry Sautman |title=Preferential policies for ethnic minorities in China|journal=Nationalism and Ethnic Politics |volume=4 |issue=1–2 |pages=86–118 |doi=10.1080/13537119808428530 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13537119808428530#:~:text=Preferential%20policies%20for%20ethnic%20minorities%20in%20China%20are%20implemented%20in,businesses%2C%20and%20regional%20infrastructural%20support. |access-date=2 August 2022 }}</ref> In 2020, the Chinese government required three subjects—language and literature, politics, and history—to be taught in Mandarin in Mongolian-language primary and secondary schools in the Inner Mongolia since September, which caused widespread protests among ethnic Mongol communities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shih |first1=Gerry |title=Chinese authorities face widespread anger in Inner Mongolia after requiring Mandarin-language classes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-authorities-face-widespread-anger-in-inner-mongolia-after-requiring-mandarin-language-classes/2020/08/31/3ba5a938-eb5b-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html |access-date=1 September 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 31, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Qin |first1=Amy |title=Curbs on Mongolian Language Teaching Prompt Large Protests in China |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/world/asia/china-protest-mongolian-language-schools.html |access-date=1 September 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=August 31, 2020}}</ref> These protests were quickly suppressed by the Chinese government.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Feng |first1=Emily |title=Parents Keep Children Home As China Limits Mongolian Language In The Classroom |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/912623822/parents-keep-children-home-as-china-limits-mongolian-language-in-the-classroom |access-date=17 September 2020 |work=NPR |date=16 September 2020}}</ref> Mandarin has been deemed the only language of instruction for all subjects as of September 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-13 |title=China Enforces Ban on Mongolian Language in Schools, Books |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/china-enforces-ban-on-mongolian-language-in-schools-books/7267310.html |access-date=2023-09-18 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240629065604/https://www.voanews.com/a/china-enforces-ban-on-mongolian-language-in-schools-books/7267310.html|archive-date=June 29, 2024|website=Voice of America|language=en|last1=Kashgar|first1=Kasim}}</ref>