Guessing game

[muckefuck]

Some time ago, I gurgled about the foreign language children's books that had rolled in, some of which I expected to make it across my desk eventually. Well, today I got my first batch: The non-Roman scripts no one else could handle. Which turned out to Arabo-Persian, Japanese, Korean, and...well, I'll let you figure this one out yourselves. I'll give you the first line of the text and you tell me what you think it is:

Хадны суусар шөнөжин бөгтгөнөж мод зөөв.

Stumped? "A marten that lived in the rocks collected twigs all night."

Comments

[scathedobsidian.livejournal.com]

I think it says, "Vrakka vrakka, you are ignorant of the meaning of this, vrakka vrakka."

[wwidsith.livejournal.com]

Bloody hell. I'll guess Kazakh, just because of the өs

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

That is fake Cyrillic, it is WRONG, and it makes my eyes hurt.

[aadroma.livejournal.com]

It could be Azerbaijani ... though, I'd have to know when the book was written, since I know after 1991 the language switched to writing in Latin ...

[alcarilinque.livejournal.com]

Mongolian, or something related?

WINNER!

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

The place of publication is "Улаанбатаар". Barman, pour that lad an айраг!

Re: WINNER!

[alcarilinque.livejournal.com]

Now if only I knew what exactly айраг is. :) It was the vowels that gave it away.

Do you know/speak/understand any Mongolian?

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I taught myself a little Classical Mongolian in order to be able to translate something for my brother once, but that was years ago and I've basically forgotten it all. I do remember that улаан батаар means "red hero". Oh, and айраг is kumiss.

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

What script did the Mongolians use before 1917, and what do they use now?

[aadroma.livejournal.com]

There was the traditional Mongolian script, Arabic at some point, Phags-pa, Latin in the 30's, and now Cyrillic. There's motions to bring back traditional Mongolian, but right now few people have any knowledge of it ...