Somewhere tourists can lightly study Mongolian calligraphy in Inner or Outer Mongolia?
I'm currently in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia after having travelled through Inner Mongolia, China - which I'll return to when my current visa expires.
I bought an English-Mongolian dictionary before I left Inner Mongolia because there they still use the traditional Mongolian script and I have a deep interest in languages and writing systems. (Here in (Outer) Mongolia they use the (Russian) Cyrillic script.
(Mongolian calligraphy from WikiMedia Commons)
Today in a non-tourist cafe in town I happened to meet the former Mongolian Minister of Culture, who had just returned from a trip to Azerbaijan where UNESCO added the Mongolian ger and traditional Mongolian calligraphy to the world heritage list of intangible cultural assets.
All this increases my interest and I'm wondering if there's somewhere I can learn a bit about Mongolian calligraphy either here in UB, or when I get back to Hohhot, Inner Mongolia after Christmas.
I'm most interested in something free or cheap or donation-based that's mainly there to promote Mongolian culture rather than profit from tourists. I don't have much money so I don't mind if it's not too in-depth or too serious. Perhaps something similar to a community college, cultural centre, or language interchange.
Best Answer
Not physically in Mongolia, but since you have internet access: http://www.memrise.com/course/135213/classical-mongolian-script/
Tourists (or anybody) can lightly (or heavily) study Mongolian script in Inner or Outer Mongolia (or Outer, outer Mongolia).
On a serious note, I think the best way to study a language is self-study (at your own pace) combined with trying out what you've studied with natives.
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Answer 2
There are calligraphers who sell their calligraphy in UB. For instance, outside the bookstore on 6 Floor of State Department Store there are often stands selling calligraphy. I can't say for sure, but I think they might be delighted if they found a foreigner who was interested in their work. And of course, it will also help them eke out an income if you pay them.
I have a page up on understanding the script -- which is calligraphically beautiful but not easy to grasp.
Good luck!
Answer 3
The first steps in learning to write calligraphy is understanding the basic writing system. For that @Bathrobe's site is great. Also check out StudyMongolian.net. This is more intended for teaching spoken Mongolian, but all of the lessons include the traditional written script. You could use it to learn to read and write.
When you want to get more artistic, check out the book below. It has all kinds of samples and styles of traditional Mongolian calligraphy. I used it when I was working on a calligraphy project and it was really helpful. If you are in Hohhot you can find a copy at one of the Mongolian book shops at the culture market (????) near Inner Mongolia University.
Then if you are looking for a tutor, trading English for Mongolian is a good cheap way to do it. I've used this method quite a bit. Try ConversationExchange.com if you are not in the area, but if you are in the area ask a Mongolian if they know anyone who would want to do a language exchange. It should only take a few calls and you will have a new language partner. There are lots of Mongolians who would love to have the change to do a language exchange.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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