Mongolia is the only country that has vertical script in the world. ‘National Language and Script Day-2018’ will be marked nationwide under the slogan ‘National Script-Independence.’

The Day will be widely marked on 4 May 2018 with academic conferences on Mongolia’s fascinating language and script, public events – including  a series of exhibitions displaying Mongolian literacy history and discussions between readers and scholars. Promotional  activities will be jointly organised by the Ulaanbaatar City Library, universities and schools.

Today,  May 1, a scientific conference on ‘National language and script, heritage and usage’ is taking place at the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery.

The Mongolian vertical script was adopted from the Old Uyghur alphabet in the year 1204 at the command of Chinngis Khan and was the official script of the Great Mongol Empire. A version of the script was also used by China’s Manchu (Qing) Dynasty. However, with the increasing Soviet influence, it was replaced by Cyrillic in 1946 – after a short attempt at a Latin-based alphabet. It can be said that at least two generations in  Mongolia are still unfamiliar with the traditional vertical script. Up to the present, the vertical script has been used in China’s Inner Mongolia. Following Independence in 1990, the Mongolian government has passed various decrees making the teaching of the traditional script compulsory in schools as well as it being the preferred script for decrees and official documentation.