Why you should learn Mongolian as a second language

You can listen to the audio version of this post (there may be some slight variations).


Mongolian is a language that is really out there and is a language that many people actually haven’t heard of let alone consider actually learning! Often I will even have others ask me what do they speak in Mongolia thinking they must speak Russian or Chinese. Mongolia in fact does have its own rich language which on the surface may look daunting but if you dig a little deeper, can be incredibly rewarding to learn about. If you are considering learning another language why not try Mongolian? Here are several reasons why you should learn Mongolian!

Bragging Rights:

Firstly this is kinda a fun one but have you ever wanted to be around your friends and impress them with your linguistic skills? Or perhaps maybe you have that one friend who speaks multiple languages but they are all common languages. You have learned a language that isn’t like anything else and even if that friend wants to try they are going to have put the hard hours into Mongolian Phonology and good luck with the pronunciation practice. You will be able to wow your friends with a language that many know very little about. Not convinced? Then why not try just learning a few phrases to start? Sign up for our free basics beginner course. This will help you with all the necessary phrases to help you survive a trip to Mongolia (and be able to find the bathroom for that one emergency).



To Make Life Easier:

Some may say that Mongolian is a dying language. Those people have never lived in Mongolia and never had to do everything for themselves. Mongolian is spoken by over 5 million people, spanning several countries, and within Mongolia, it’s spoken everywhere so it is far from dead. If you are planning on living in Mongolia for even a short while or planning a short trip knowing some Mongolian really will make a world of difference, and I don’t mean just knowing how to say hello and goodbye here! You won’t always be able to rely on your guide or a friend to help you in a pinch.

Knowing some basic Mongolian can be really really helpful in certain situations. If you need to do some shopping and your friend can’t come with you knowing some Mongolian shopping phrases like ‘how much is this’ (энэ хэд вэ) or some phrases for an emergency can make life so much simpler and hassle-free. By also learning some Mongolian you will most likely not be treated like a tourist. Most Mongolians do not expect foreigners to know Mongolian so when you do speak it they know you have probably been in Mongolia a little longer than the average tourist and will treat you as such. An added bonus of this is you will make a great impression with Mongolians and possibly save your wallet some cash (no tourist rates for you)!

I lost count of the number of times knowing even a little Mongolian was incredibly useful and allowed me to get out of some tricky situations. To make sure you have a better experience in Mongolia learn the basics!

Because It Is A Hard Language:

This might sound a little strange but hear me out. When I first started learning Mongolian I was a little concerned about what others were telling me and what I found online. It was said that Mongolian is one of the hardest languages for native English speakers to learn because of complex pronunciation, difficult grammar rules and sentence structures.

puzzle
Mongolian can be very difficult for native English speakers to learn.

Let’s have a look at the last one there. The sentence structure is different to English which is Subject + verb + object. In Mongolian, it will be Subject + object + verb. So instead of saying ‘I will go to the store’ in Mongolian, you would say; ‘I to the store will go’. Sounds a bit weird right? But did you know this is also the case for Korean which also has a similar sentence structure of SOV?

Now here is the point I have been building to. If you were to learn Mongolian would it be easier to then learn Korean? Or maybe it would be easier to then learn Russian (another difficult language) as both Mongolian and Russian use the Cyrillic Alphabet. By learning a difficult language it can become easier to learn other languages, yes, but easier for more difficult languages. Your mind will be more intuned to the difficulties faced. Those of you who will learn Mongolian, probably aren’t going to stop there. You will probably pick up other languages along the way. So why not start with Mongolian? Don’t let the simple speed bump of it being hard stop you from experiencing this amazing language! To learn more about why Mongolian is a hard language check out our other post; why is Mongolian hard to learn?

As A Passion Project:

This last one will build upon what I just said. Those who have a passion for languages normally won’t just stop at one or two but will continue on a journey of language learning. To do that takes passion and interest to persevere when it gets tough. Mongolian I would argue helps to strengthen this passion. Mongolian really is unique as a language and the culture associated with it. How many other nations can say they had hordes of warriors that conquered and maintained one of the largest empires the world has ever witnessed? Mongolia is no Bhutan! It has had such a deep impact on the world whether people realise it or not. Now I have nothing against Bhutan but the point I’m trying to make is this; You aren’t just learning another language when you do learn Mongolian. You are learning about a rich, diverse and complex country along the way with a history which will drive your passion to learn more, want to be able to interact more.

There really isn’t any place like Mongolia and what the culture has to offer. If you do decide to learn its magnificent language you will open yourself up to so much more. At Goldigobi we ensure that you will learn the history and culture along the way of your Mongolian language journey. Get immersed and let your passion for Mongolian be ignited!


Start Today

Ignite your passion and see what Goldigobi has to offer!


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *