Ambiguity and Abstraction in Mongolian Riddles: An Ethnolinguistic Analysis (PhD Thesis), 2020
The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian ridd... more The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Lovor and Ölziikhutag 1990 and Ölziikhutag 2013). The work contains over one hundred riddles appended with translations and morpheme-to-morpheme glosses. The riddles are further analyzed on a phonetic level, including descriptions of specific sound patterns and alliterations, as well as their lexical and semantic properties. This complex analysis, in conjunction with findings gained in field research, renders possible the description of a specific language of Mongolian riddles, characterized by the frequent occurrence of borrowings, the presence of semantically and phonetically 'damaged' words, ideophones, metaphors and many specific cultural expressions. The language of Mongolian riddles also often skilfully exploits overt abstractions, allusions, and lexical and morphological ambiguities, in addition to other techniques which facilitate conceptual mapping and cognitive blending. This linguistic analysis makes possible a description of the various aspects of the worldview of Mongolian nomads concealed in these riddles, including the characteristic linking of the 'sacred and profane,' as well as the relationship of these riddles to mythology and religious ideas.
The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian ridd... more The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Lovor and Ölziikhutag 1990 and Ölziikhutag 2013). The work contains over one hundred riddles appended with translations and morpheme-to-morpheme glosses. The riddles are further analyzed on a phonetic level, including descriptions of specific sound patterns and alliterations, as well as their lexical and semantic properties. This complex analysis, in conjunction with findings gained in field research, renders possible the description of a specific language of Mongolian riddles, characterized by the frequent occurrence of borrowings, the presence of semantically and phonetically 'damaged' words, ideophones, metaphors and many specific cultural expressions. The language of Mongolian riddles also often skilfully exploits overt abstractions, allusions, and lexical and morphological ambiguities, in addition to other techniques which facilitate conceptual mapping and cognitive blending. This linguistic analysis makes possible a description of the various aspects of the worldview of Mongolian nomads concealed in these riddles, including the characteristic linking of the 'sacred and profane,' as well as the relationship of these riddles to mythology and religious ideas.
MONGOLICA: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MONGOL STUDIES, 2019
The riddles used in this article were drawn from the collections Монгол оньсого ардын таваар [Eni... more The riddles used in this article were drawn from the collections Монгол оньсого ардын таваар [Enigmas and Puzzles of the People of Mongolia], by G. Lovor and Ts. Ölziihitag; and Түмэн оньсого [10,000 Riddles] by Ts. Ölziihutag. In the earlier collection, there is a section comprising 100 riddles about fire and other phenomena connected with fire (matches, smoke, ashes, the hearth, the cauldron or pot, sparks, and so on). This section follows a general progression of classifying the riddles from the most expansive conception of the cosmos (the Universe, celestial bodies), to the sun and moon, to the stars and constellations, to the year and the seasons, night and day, various meteorological phenomena, shadows, snow and ice, wind and storms, then progressing to the organic world, the human sphere, the human body, tools and implements used by men, and so on. This ordering of riddles also reflects a certain perception of the cosmos, in which the universe is seen as all-embracing, and a vast container, a cosmological perspective reflected in many riddles overall. In the second collection, in two volumes, there are approximately 175 riddles grouped under the heading of Fire and Flames (Гэр дөлийн зүйл), falling under the further classification of House and Residence (Гэр орон) (not including riddles about candles, lights, and matches).
As is true of Mongolian oral folklore in general, these riddles are characterized by an intensely visual character. In addition they explore (almost, one could say, document) the organic process of fire from its very origins to its drifting away upward as a fading trail of smoke. Through this intense visual symbolism, various aspects of the nomads’ lives are projected onto and thus symbolized in the fire, as we shall explore in detail in this article.
Mongolian Buddhism 1: Past, Present, and Future, Edited by Ágnes Birtalan, Krisztina Teleki, Zsuzsa Majer, Csaba Fahidi, Attila Rákos, L'Harmattan, Budapest , 2018
In this paper, I will examine some of the aspects of the ‘sacred and the profane’ in riddles that... more In this paper, I will examine some of the aspects of the ‘sacred and the profane’ in riddles that deal with Buddhism and related sacral themes in two extensive collections of Mongolian riddles. These riddles unite Buddhist themes with the daily life of the nomad, integrating the sacral into the tropes of everyday life. The use of iconopoeic words is also highly evidenced. In this article, I examine riddles employing iconopoeic words that describe figures associated with Buddhism and Buddhist clergy. Iconopoeic or ‘shape-painting’ words create a distinct visual image in the mind of the auditor, often with humorous associations. Rather than expressing disdain for religion or religious figures, these riddles express a degree of affectionate intimacy with the objects of these qualities.
The Mongolian and Tibetan versions of the 'Enchanted Corpse' or Vetāla cycle of tales (Tib. dpal ... more The Mongolian and Tibetan versions of the 'Enchanted Corpse' or Vetāla cycle of tales (Tib. dpal mgon 'phags pa klu sgrub kyis mdzad pa'i ro langs gser 'gyur gyi chos sgrung nyer gcig pa rgyas par phye ba bzhugs so, or ro sgrung; Mong. sidetü kegür-ün üliger;) provide us with a kind of textual laboratory for investigating some of the ideas connected to the concept of 'nomadology' as proposed by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and psychologist Felix Guattari in their groundbreaking study Milles Plateaux (1988). Rather than espousing a 'romantic embrace' of the nomadic worldview, these two scholars—working, paradoxically, largely from written sources—use an elaboration of 'nomadism' not as an implement of ethnographic research but as the linchpin for a critique of the intellectual mechanisms of control inherent within developed societies. Nonetheless, many of their insights regarding nomadic culture can strike the researcher of these cultures as strangely apt.
A large part of their project envisions a 'nomadic literature', in which ceaseless becoming, the absolute unfixedness of identity, the refrain, the deterritorialising mechanism of rhizome-like lines of flight are the dominant features. The goal of this brief study (part of a projected monograph) is to consider an example hailing from a genuinely oral-written literature produced under conditions of 'really existing nomadism': the Vetāla Tales.
In examining two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Түмэн оньсого
[Ten Thousand Riddles] collected an... more In examining two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Түмэн оньсого [Ten Thousand Riddles] collected and edited by Ц.Өлзийхутаг; and the collection of Г.Ловор and Ц.Өлзийхутаг, Монгол ардын оньсого, таавар [Enigmas and Puzzles of Mongolia]) a high frequency is evident of riddles that make reference to the cosmos of the natural world surrounding the nomad, as well as the structuring principles of this cosmos. At times, a poetic metaphor or simile is drawn between two beings or objects and the primary division of the universe into the (male) vertical and (female) horizontal axes of Тэнгэр – Газар. Other riddles use images of Тэнгэр (Sky, Heaven) as an enclosed space like that of an upturned bowl (аяга), a yurt, or a wooden trunk (авдар). These riddles go far beyond the typical functions of riddles in Western cultures in that they paint a picture of the entire cosmos through the humblest of everyday objects. In addition, in conveying the need for equilibrium between these two axes they express in succinct oral form one of the most important tenets of what could be termed ‘nomadic philosophy’ and thus form an important part of Mongolian nomad ‘ethno-pedagogy.’
This paper examines a particular word category within the context of Mongolian riddles which can ... more This paper examines a particular word category within the context of Mongolian riddles which can be described as ‘ruined words’ [evdersen üg]. These are words or expressions that are semantically evasive for a variety of reasons: they may have dropped out of the lexicon, lost their ethnographic context, or have undergone significant phonetic modification over time. In addition I examine the role played by iconopoeia (dürsleh üg, ‘image-making words’) in riddles; these words as well are subject to distortion. I examine phonetically modified words, modified iconopoeia, iconopoeia with inserted zero phoneme, possibly ‘lost’ words, semantically evasive or indiscernible words, and emic phonemes in Mongolian riddles. Some preliminary conclusions as to the possible phonic, semantic and cosmological functions of these distortions, omissions, and 'obsfucations’ are drawn.
Examining two major corpuses of Mongolian riddles, references continually arose to a particular w... more Examining two major corpuses of Mongolian riddles, references continually arose to a particular word category. Termed evdresen u’g (literally: ‘ruined words’), these words were semantically evasive, their meaning far from obvious, particularly joined to the other ‘obfuscating techniques’ of Mongolian riddles, such as ellipsis. This paper, presented in two parts, examines these ‘ruined words’ from several different viewpoints. The relatively high frequency of such words in the Mongolian riddle corpus also seems related to a degree of phonetic lability in these riddles – and perhaps in spoken Mongolian as a whole – resulting in variations of riddles that are phonetically very close, yet nonetheless manifesting subtle shifts of meaning. In addition, frequent occurrence of the words known as iconopoeia (du’rsleh u’g, literally, ‘imagemaking words’, ‘depicting words’) is found, as these words are also subject to distortion in riddles. In the first part of this paper, a preliminary attempt is made at categorizing these ‘ruined’ words, and distorted loan words are examined.
Ambiguity and Abstraction in Mongolian Riddles: An Ethnolinguistic Analysis (PhD Thesis), 2020
The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian ridd... more The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Lovor and Ölziikhutag 1990 and Ölziikhutag 2013). The work contains over one hundred riddles appended with translations and morpheme-to-morpheme glosses. The riddles are further analyzed on a phonetic level, including descriptions of specific sound patterns and alliterations, as well as their lexical and semantic properties. This complex analysis, in conjunction with findings gained in field research, renders possible the description of a specific language of Mongolian riddles, characterized by the frequent occurrence of borrowings, the presence of semantically and phonetically 'damaged' words, ideophones, metaphors and many specific cultural expressions. The language of Mongolian riddles also often skilfully exploits overt abstractions, allusions, and lexical and morphological ambiguities, in addition to other techniques which facilitate conceptual mapping and cognitive blending. This linguistic analysis makes possible a description of the various aspects of the worldview of Mongolian nomads concealed in these riddles, including the characteristic linking of the 'sacred and profane,' as well as the relationship of these riddles to mythology and religious ideas.
The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian ridd... more The aim of this thesis is to create an ethnolinguistic analysis of two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Lovor and Ölziikhutag 1990 and Ölziikhutag 2013). The work contains over one hundred riddles appended with translations and morpheme-to-morpheme glosses. The riddles are further analyzed on a phonetic level, including descriptions of specific sound patterns and alliterations, as well as their lexical and semantic properties. This complex analysis, in conjunction with findings gained in field research, renders possible the description of a specific language of Mongolian riddles, characterized by the frequent occurrence of borrowings, the presence of semantically and phonetically 'damaged' words, ideophones, metaphors and many specific cultural expressions. The language of Mongolian riddles also often skilfully exploits overt abstractions, allusions, and lexical and morphological ambiguities, in addition to other techniques which facilitate conceptual mapping and cognitive blending. This linguistic analysis makes possible a description of the various aspects of the worldview of Mongolian nomads concealed in these riddles, including the characteristic linking of the 'sacred and profane,' as well as the relationship of these riddles to mythology and religious ideas.
MONGOLICA: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MONGOL STUDIES, 2019
The riddles used in this article were drawn from the collections Монгол оньсого ардын таваар [Eni... more The riddles used in this article were drawn from the collections Монгол оньсого ардын таваар [Enigmas and Puzzles of the People of Mongolia], by G. Lovor and Ts. Ölziihitag; and Түмэн оньсого [10,000 Riddles] by Ts. Ölziihutag. In the earlier collection, there is a section comprising 100 riddles about fire and other phenomena connected with fire (matches, smoke, ashes, the hearth, the cauldron or pot, sparks, and so on). This section follows a general progression of classifying the riddles from the most expansive conception of the cosmos (the Universe, celestial bodies), to the sun and moon, to the stars and constellations, to the year and the seasons, night and day, various meteorological phenomena, shadows, snow and ice, wind and storms, then progressing to the organic world, the human sphere, the human body, tools and implements used by men, and so on. This ordering of riddles also reflects a certain perception of the cosmos, in which the universe is seen as all-embracing, and a vast container, a cosmological perspective reflected in many riddles overall. In the second collection, in two volumes, there are approximately 175 riddles grouped under the heading of Fire and Flames (Гэр дөлийн зүйл), falling under the further classification of House and Residence (Гэр орон) (not including riddles about candles, lights, and matches).
As is true of Mongolian oral folklore in general, these riddles are characterized by an intensely visual character. In addition they explore (almost, one could say, document) the organic process of fire from its very origins to its drifting away upward as a fading trail of smoke. Through this intense visual symbolism, various aspects of the nomads’ lives are projected onto and thus symbolized in the fire, as we shall explore in detail in this article.
Mongolian Buddhism 1: Past, Present, and Future, Edited by Ágnes Birtalan, Krisztina Teleki, Zsuzsa Majer, Csaba Fahidi, Attila Rákos, L'Harmattan, Budapest , 2018
In this paper, I will examine some of the aspects of the ‘sacred and the profane’ in riddles that... more In this paper, I will examine some of the aspects of the ‘sacred and the profane’ in riddles that deal with Buddhism and related sacral themes in two extensive collections of Mongolian riddles. These riddles unite Buddhist themes with the daily life of the nomad, integrating the sacral into the tropes of everyday life. The use of iconopoeic words is also highly evidenced. In this article, I examine riddles employing iconopoeic words that describe figures associated with Buddhism and Buddhist clergy. Iconopoeic or ‘shape-painting’ words create a distinct visual image in the mind of the auditor, often with humorous associations. Rather than expressing disdain for religion or religious figures, these riddles express a degree of affectionate intimacy with the objects of these qualities.
The Mongolian and Tibetan versions of the 'Enchanted Corpse' or Vetāla cycle of tales (Tib. dpal ... more The Mongolian and Tibetan versions of the 'Enchanted Corpse' or Vetāla cycle of tales (Tib. dpal mgon 'phags pa klu sgrub kyis mdzad pa'i ro langs gser 'gyur gyi chos sgrung nyer gcig pa rgyas par phye ba bzhugs so, or ro sgrung; Mong. sidetü kegür-ün üliger;) provide us with a kind of textual laboratory for investigating some of the ideas connected to the concept of 'nomadology' as proposed by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze and psychologist Felix Guattari in their groundbreaking study Milles Plateaux (1988). Rather than espousing a 'romantic embrace' of the nomadic worldview, these two scholars—working, paradoxically, largely from written sources—use an elaboration of 'nomadism' not as an implement of ethnographic research but as the linchpin for a critique of the intellectual mechanisms of control inherent within developed societies. Nonetheless, many of their insights regarding nomadic culture can strike the researcher of these cultures as strangely apt.
A large part of their project envisions a 'nomadic literature', in which ceaseless becoming, the absolute unfixedness of identity, the refrain, the deterritorialising mechanism of rhizome-like lines of flight are the dominant features. The goal of this brief study (part of a projected monograph) is to consider an example hailing from a genuinely oral-written literature produced under conditions of 'really existing nomadism': the Vetāla Tales.
In examining two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Түмэн оньсого
[Ten Thousand Riddles] collected an... more In examining two corpuses of Mongolian riddles (Түмэн оньсого [Ten Thousand Riddles] collected and edited by Ц.Өлзийхутаг; and the collection of Г.Ловор and Ц.Өлзийхутаг, Монгол ардын оньсого, таавар [Enigmas and Puzzles of Mongolia]) a high frequency is evident of riddles that make reference to the cosmos of the natural world surrounding the nomad, as well as the structuring principles of this cosmos. At times, a poetic metaphor or simile is drawn between two beings or objects and the primary division of the universe into the (male) vertical and (female) horizontal axes of Тэнгэр – Газар. Other riddles use images of Тэнгэр (Sky, Heaven) as an enclosed space like that of an upturned bowl (аяга), a yurt, or a wooden trunk (авдар). These riddles go far beyond the typical functions of riddles in Western cultures in that they paint a picture of the entire cosmos through the humblest of everyday objects. In addition, in conveying the need for equilibrium between these two axes they express in succinct oral form one of the most important tenets of what could be termed ‘nomadic philosophy’ and thus form an important part of Mongolian nomad ‘ethno-pedagogy.’
This paper examines a particular word category within the context of Mongolian riddles which can ... more This paper examines a particular word category within the context of Mongolian riddles which can be described as ‘ruined words’ [evdersen üg]. These are words or expressions that are semantically evasive for a variety of reasons: they may have dropped out of the lexicon, lost their ethnographic context, or have undergone significant phonetic modification over time. In addition I examine the role played by iconopoeia (dürsleh üg, ‘image-making words’) in riddles; these words as well are subject to distortion. I examine phonetically modified words, modified iconopoeia, iconopoeia with inserted zero phoneme, possibly ‘lost’ words, semantically evasive or indiscernible words, and emic phonemes in Mongolian riddles. Some preliminary conclusions as to the possible phonic, semantic and cosmological functions of these distortions, omissions, and 'obsfucations’ are drawn.
Examining two major corpuses of Mongolian riddles, references continually arose to a particular w... more Examining two major corpuses of Mongolian riddles, references continually arose to a particular word category. Termed evdresen u’g (literally: ‘ruined words’), these words were semantically evasive, their meaning far from obvious, particularly joined to the other ‘obfuscating techniques’ of Mongolian riddles, such as ellipsis. This paper, presented in two parts, examines these ‘ruined words’ from several different viewpoints. The relatively high frequency of such words in the Mongolian riddle corpus also seems related to a degree of phonetic lability in these riddles – and perhaps in spoken Mongolian as a whole – resulting in variations of riddles that are phonetically very close, yet nonetheless manifesting subtle shifts of meaning. In addition, frequent occurrence of the words known as iconopoeia (du’rsleh u’g, literally, ‘imagemaking words’, ‘depicting words’) is found, as these words are also subject to distortion in riddles. In the first part of this paper, a preliminary attempt is made at categorizing these ‘ruined’ words, and distorted loan words are examined.
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As is true of Mongolian oral folklore in general, these riddles are characterized by an intensely visual character. In addition they explore (almost, one could say, document) the organic process of fire from its very origins to its drifting away upward as a fading trail of smoke. Through this intense visual symbolism, various aspects of the nomads’ lives are projected onto and thus symbolized in the fire, as we shall explore in detail in this article.
A large part of their project envisions a 'nomadic literature', in which ceaseless becoming, the absolute unfixedness of identity, the refrain, the deterritorialising mechanism of rhizome-like lines of flight are the dominant features. The goal of this brief study (part of a projected monograph) is to consider an example hailing from a genuinely oral-written literature produced under conditions of 'really existing nomadism': the Vetāla Tales.
[Ten Thousand Riddles] collected and edited by Ц.Өлзийхутаг; and the collection of Г.Ловор and Ц.Өлзийхутаг, Монгол ардын оньсого, таавар [Enigmas and Puzzles of Mongolia]) a high frequency is evident of riddles that make reference to the cosmos of the natural world surrounding the nomad, as well as the structuring principles of this cosmos. At times, a poetic metaphor or simile is drawn between
two beings or objects and the primary division of the universe into the (male) vertical and (female) horizontal axes of Тэнгэр – Газар. Other riddles use images of Тэнгэр (Sky, Heaven) as an enclosed space like that of an upturned bowl (аяга), a yurt, or a wooden trunk (авдар). These riddles go far beyond the typical functions of riddles in Western cultures in that they paint a picture of the entire cosmos through the humblest
of everyday objects. In addition, in conveying the need for equilibrium between these two axes they express in succinct oral form one of the most important tenets of what could be termed ‘nomadic philosophy’ and thus form an important part of Mongolian nomad ‘ethno-pedagogy.’
In addition I examine the role played by iconopoeia (dürsleh üg, ‘image-making words’) in riddles; these words as well are subject to distortion. I examine phonetically modified words, modified iconopoeia, iconopoeia with inserted zero phoneme, possibly ‘lost’ words, semantically evasive or indiscernible words, and emic phonemes in Mongolian riddles. Some preliminary conclusions as to the possible phonic, semantic and cosmological functions of these distortions, omissions, and 'obsfucations’ are drawn.
of such words in the Mongolian riddle corpus also seems related to a degree of phonetic lability in these riddles – and perhaps in spoken Mongolian as a whole – resulting in variations of riddles that are phonetically very close, yet nonetheless manifesting subtle shifts of meaning. In
addition, frequent occurrence of the words known as iconopoeia (du’rsleh u’g, literally, ‘imagemaking words’, ‘depicting words’) is found, as these words are also subject to distortion in riddles. In the first part of this paper, a preliminary attempt is made at categorizing these ‘ruined’ words, and distorted loan words are examined.
As is true of Mongolian oral folklore in general, these riddles are characterized by an intensely visual character. In addition they explore (almost, one could say, document) the organic process of fire from its very origins to its drifting away upward as a fading trail of smoke. Through this intense visual symbolism, various aspects of the nomads’ lives are projected onto and thus symbolized in the fire, as we shall explore in detail in this article.
A large part of their project envisions a 'nomadic literature', in which ceaseless becoming, the absolute unfixedness of identity, the refrain, the deterritorialising mechanism of rhizome-like lines of flight are the dominant features. The goal of this brief study (part of a projected monograph) is to consider an example hailing from a genuinely oral-written literature produced under conditions of 'really existing nomadism': the Vetāla Tales.
[Ten Thousand Riddles] collected and edited by Ц.Өлзийхутаг; and the collection of Г.Ловор and Ц.Өлзийхутаг, Монгол ардын оньсого, таавар [Enigmas and Puzzles of Mongolia]) a high frequency is evident of riddles that make reference to the cosmos of the natural world surrounding the nomad, as well as the structuring principles of this cosmos. At times, a poetic metaphor or simile is drawn between
two beings or objects and the primary division of the universe into the (male) vertical and (female) horizontal axes of Тэнгэр – Газар. Other riddles use images of Тэнгэр (Sky, Heaven) as an enclosed space like that of an upturned bowl (аяга), a yurt, or a wooden trunk (авдар). These riddles go far beyond the typical functions of riddles in Western cultures in that they paint a picture of the entire cosmos through the humblest
of everyday objects. In addition, in conveying the need for equilibrium between these two axes they express in succinct oral form one of the most important tenets of what could be termed ‘nomadic philosophy’ and thus form an important part of Mongolian nomad ‘ethno-pedagogy.’
In addition I examine the role played by iconopoeia (dürsleh üg, ‘image-making words’) in riddles; these words as well are subject to distortion. I examine phonetically modified words, modified iconopoeia, iconopoeia with inserted zero phoneme, possibly ‘lost’ words, semantically evasive or indiscernible words, and emic phonemes in Mongolian riddles. Some preliminary conclusions as to the possible phonic, semantic and cosmological functions of these distortions, omissions, and 'obsfucations’ are drawn.
of such words in the Mongolian riddle corpus also seems related to a degree of phonetic lability in these riddles – and perhaps in spoken Mongolian as a whole – resulting in variations of riddles that are phonetically very close, yet nonetheless manifesting subtle shifts of meaning. In
addition, frequent occurrence of the words known as iconopoeia (du’rsleh u’g, literally, ‘imagemaking words’, ‘depicting words’) is found, as these words are also subject to distortion in riddles. In the first part of this paper, a preliminary attempt is made at categorizing these ‘ruined’ words, and distorted loan words are examined.