The Baoan language: the history of study and the place in the classification of Mongolian languages

Introduction. The Baoan language (Chinese 保安语 Bao'an, Baonan) is the language of the Baoan people, belonging to the Mongolian group of the Altaic language family. For many centuries, speakers of Bao'an have been isolated from other Mongolian nationalities, and the language has absorbed a large number of Chinese loanwords and has been influenced by Chinese in speech and grammar.

Materials and methods. The materials are scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists who have studied Mongolian languages and dialects. Descriptive and comparative methods were used in the work.

Analysis. The study of existing classifications, on the basis of which scholars have highlighted the principles for attributing Baoan language to the Southern Mongolian group. The history of the issue was analyzed, as well as the main methods of classification of Mongolian languages and dialects.

Results. Up until the 1950s, Mongolian studies lacked complete data on the Baoan language, and Baoan was more often treated as a dialect or not included in the classification at all. There are no complete and systematic studies on Baoan language in domestic studies. Despite the many existing classifications, there is still no universally accepted classification of Mon- golian languages. The isolated position of Baoan language has influenced the classification structure of Mongolian languages, making it difficult to belong to a particular group. The problem is that the language is still considered understudied, so existing classifications need to be clarified. The aim is to describe Baoan language in the general classification of Mongolian languages, as well as the main stages of its study.  The article gives a brief overview of studies on the Baoan language by both national and foreign scholars. The article presents some data on the history of the study of the Baoan language, as well as information about national and foreign researchers who include the Baoan language in the classification of Mongolian languages.  

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