| Familycolor | altaic |
|---|---|
| Fam 1 | Turkic |
| Fam 2 | Common Turkic |
| Fam 3 | Siberian Turkic |
| Fam 4 | South Siberian |
| Fam 5 | Sayan Turkic |
| Fam 6 | Taiga Sayan Turkic |
| Pronunciation | [tuʰha] [tuˤha] |
| Iso 3 | none |
| Glotto | tuha1234 |
| Ethnicity | 600 Tuha (Urianghai) |
| States | Mongolia |
| Altname | Uighur Uryangkhai, Khövsgöl Uryangkhay |
| Speakers | <10 |
| Date | 2019 |
| Region | Tsagaan-Üür, Khövsgöl[1] |
| Nativename | Tuha |
| Ref | [2] |
| Dia 1 | Soyt |
| Dia 2 | Arig Urianghai |
| Dia 3 | Övör Širkheten |
| Dia 4 | Görööčin Urianghai |
Tuha, also called Uighur Uryangkhai and Khövsgöl Uryangkhay, is a moribund variety of Tofa[3] or an independent language[4][5] spoken east of Lake Khövsgöl[6] in northern Mongolia by less than 10 people.[3][2] Even though it was taught in schools during the 1970s, during which it was investigated by the Mongolian linguist Luvsandorjiyn Bold, it is now nearly extinct.[7]
Classification
Tuha is a member of the Sayan Turkic branch of Siberian Turkic. It has preserved archaic features lost elsewhere in Sayan Turkic.[2] According to Juha Janhunen, it is best classified as a language for taxonomic purposes and language revitalization.[8] According to Elisabetta Ragagnin, Tuha shares isoglosses with Tofa, Altai and Old Turkic.[1]
It is believed that the Tuha originally were Soyots that separated from them around 400 years ago.[citation needed]
Phonology
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i[a] | ɨ[b] | u[c] |
| Mid | e[d] | o[e] | |
| Open | a |
Consonants
The nasal palatal approximant [j̃] occurs in Tuha, as with all other Taiga Sayan languages. For example, the words añaq 'cup' (<Mongolian: аяга), ñaš 'tree' (<*ɨɣaš), mɨñaq~mɨyaq 'dung', ñaaq 'chin, jaw', ñeŋ 'anus', and yaa~ñaa 'new' have it.[4]
Vocabulary
In the 1970s, Tuha took over 30% of its vocabulary from Mongolian.[4] This can be seen from the word for böhkčinǝ ~ böhkčino 'wolf', which seems to come from the Mongolian word mn 'blue-grey wolf'.[9] Tuha also has preserved the archaic features of Sayan Turkic that are not documented in the other Sayan Turkic languages.[1]
Where Tuha has the word keeš- /keeǰir/ 'to say', in Tofa this word is far more limited in usage, and is used only relating to marriage arrangements (cf. Tofa heešken qɨs 'bride).[4]
Notes
- ^ ɪ is an allophone of [i].
- ^ ɑ, ɔ are allophones.
- ^ [ʊ] is an allophone.
- ^ ɛ is an allophone.
- ^ May be pronounced as [a] in first syllables.
References
- ^ Elisabetta Ragagnin (2018). A Turcological gem: The Tuhan language of Northern Mongolia. Vol. 22. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ^ "A preliminary archive of language and cultural material from the Tuhan people of northern Mongolia | Endangered Languages Archive". www.elararchive.org. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Ragagnin, Elisabetta (2009). "A rediscovered low-land Tofan variety. Turkic Languages 13, 225-245.". Turkic Languages
- ^ Eriksson, Tom. On the Phonology and Morphology of the Taiga-Sayan Tuha Language. The 4th International Turkish Research Symposium.
- ^ Peter Piispanen (2020). BLAŽEK, V. Altaic Languages–History of research, survey, classification, and a sketch of comparative grammar, in collaboration with M. SCHWARZ and O. SRBA. p. 271. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ^ Tom Eriksson & Juha Janhunen (2015). "On the Limnonyms Khövsgöl and Kosogol and their Ethnic Implications". Studia Etymologica Cracoviensia. 20: 90. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
- ^ "Tuha". ELP. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
During the Soviet era Tuha was taught in the village school and was investigated by Mongolian linguist Luvsandorjiyn Bold in the 1970s.
- ^ "Did you know Tuha is critically endangered?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
- ^ Ragagnin, Elisabetta (2022). "Further notes on Mongolic elements in Uyghur-Uriankhay (Tuhan)". Türkçe ve Moğolca Çalışmaları Sempozyumu