Introduction / History
Darkhat speakers are known in Mongolia by the name "Oirat". Darkhat and standard Halh, however, are closely related. Nearly all Oirat can read standard Mongolian, even if they may pronounce words differently from standard Halh Mongolian. Many can read both the traditional vertical script, as well as the Cyrillic script promoted during the period of Soviet influence. Apparently the literacy effort in standard Mongolian has been very successful and the Darkhat are bilingual enough to read and comprehend literature in Halh Mongolian.