Mongolia to Drop Cyrillic Letters, Resume Old Script
Mongolia has decided to resume using its old script as its official written language beginning in 1994.
Mongolia’s Small Hural (Parliament) decided to replace the Cyrillic alphabet in use since the 1940s with the old script, the official New China News Agency reported. It said 80% of Mongolians under the age of 50 cannot read or write the old Mongolian script, but primary schools began teaching it again this year.
The Soviet Union was a close ally for 70 years, and Soviet influence has been strong in Mongolia. Most Mongolian intellectuals speak fluent Russian.
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