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 The term Oirat or, more precisely, Written Oirat is sometimes also used to refer to the language of historical documents written in the Clear script.