Oirat (
Clear script:
Oirad kelen;
Kalmyk: Өөрд,
Khalkha-Mongolian: ) belongs to the group of
Mongolic languages. Scholars differ as to whether they regard Oirat as a distinct
language or a major
dialect of the
Mongolian language. Oirat speaking areas are scattered across the far west of the
Mongolian state, the northwest of
People's Republic of China (mainly in
Xinjiang, but even
Deed Mongol in
Qinghai and, with a tiny population, in
Gansu), and
Russia's Caspian coast, where its major
variety is
Kalmyk. In all three nations, Oirat has become variously endangered or even obsolescent as a direct result of government actions or as a consequence of social and economic policies. Its most widespread tribal dialect, which is spoken in all of these nations, is
Torgut. The term
Oirat or, more precisely,
Written Oirat is sometimes also used to refer to the language of historical documents written in the
Clear script.