Oriental Studies最新文献

{"title":"Подарки и их смыслы в деятельности Монголо-тибетской экспедиции П. К. Козлова (1923–1926 гг.) (по новым архивным документам)","authors":"Tatiana I. Yusupova","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2023-65-1-44-58","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2023-65-1-44-58","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. The article examines gift donations practiced during the 1923–1926 expedition to Mongolia and Tibet led by the outstanding Russian explorer of Central Asia Pyotr K. Kozlov. Goals. The paper seeks to analyze items approved by the Soviet Government for P. Kozlov to have selected from the State Depositary, reasons why the traveler did receive the precious artifacts of gold and silver, circumstances of donations, addressees, and the latter’s perceptions. Materials and methods. The work focuses on materials from the State Archive of the Russian Federation and P. Kozlov’s expedition diaries, the objectives set be articulated via individual gift donation stories (occasions) with Mongolian elites and the 13th Dalai Lama, corresponding motives and offering forms. Results. The paper shows the gift-giving practices were viewed by the traveler not only as some homage be paid to local cultures but rather as a means of communication with Mongolian officials and authorities for the latter’s assistance in solving problems faced by the Expedition. No other Russian explorer ever delivered such high-value items to have been used as gifts. Conclusions. This suggests the Bolshevik Government was hoping — with the help of Kozlov’s expedition — to facilitate positive images of Soviet Russia in Mongolia and Tibet (during a scheduled meeting with the Dalai Lama). The Appendix to the article includes several documents from the State Archive of Russia describing the selected gifts and their distribution by individuals.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87079589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Советский геополитический проект в МНР и проблемы демографии в середине 1920-х – начале 1940-х гг.","authors":"V.Yu. Bashkuev, Surzhana B. Miyagasheva","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1217-1226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1217-1226","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. The Soviet-Mongolian public health cooperation was a major component of the Soviet project (with geopolitical motives) aimed at modernizing the nomadic society. The Soviet shaping of Mongolia’s public health institutions not only yielded an efficient tool of soft power and neutralized competition from other medical systems, but also set the stage for the country’s demographic well-being in subsequent periods. Goals. The article aims at highlighting some pivotal points of medical efforts undertaken to improve the MPR’s demographic situation in the 1920s to 1940s. Materials and methods. The study analyzes documents housed at the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Sociopolitical History, examines some unpublished dissertations authored by Mongolian and Russian physicians. The employed research methods include the retrospective, comparative, and geopolitical ones. Results. In the 1920s to 1940s, the key problems of Mongolia’s demography were social diseases, primarily syphilis and gonorrhea, that reduced reproductive capacities and caused increased infant mortality, these having been aggravated by traditional obstetric practices and unsanitary conditions of nomadic life. The former were adversely affecting the entire course of socialist modernization and hindering socioeconomic development of the nation. The anti-venereal disease campaign, establishment of maternity and child health services, development of pre-schools, and health education for women laid the early groundwork for a dramatic health transition. Conclusions. The efforts of Soviet physicians at earliest stages of the MPR’s healthcare system development ensured the growth of demographic indicators in the 1940s–1960s, namely: a two-fold decrease in infant mortality paralleled by increased birth rates, and a population growth of 60 %. So, all that served a basis for the comprehensive implementation of Mongolia’s socialist modernization project, which had geopolitical significance both for the Soviets and the MPR, the latter to have become a full member of the UN and the CMEA after 1961.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78434185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"К вопросу о чувашских материалах Ф. И. Страленберга","authors":"A. V. Savelyev","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1352-1372","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1352-1372","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. The paper deals with the linguistic data documented in Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s Chuvash wordlist, which is known to be the earliest lexicographic source on the Chuvash language. The wordlist was published in Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s 1730 book but had been, most likely, collected much earlier, in 1711. Goals. The study aims to provide a philological interpretation of Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s wordlist and evaluate its significance for the history of Chuvash. This source has been widely considered to be of little linguistic value and, generally, hardly interpretable because of numerous errors and inconsistencies as well as the brevity of the wordlist. The starting point of this article is the idea that Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s wordlist can still be analyzed if it is taken not as an isolated piece of documentation of Chuvash, but within the broader context of, firstly, Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s materials on other languages of Northern Eurasia and, secondly, other sources on the 18th-century Chuvash language. Materials and methods. It is shown that Ph. J. Strahlenberg has documented 30 Chuvash words in total, including 28 words in the Chuvash wordlist proper, 1 word in the main text of his book, and 1 word mistakenly placed in the wordlist of the neighboring Mari language. These materials have been investigated through standard methods of philological analysis, with a main focus on the orthographic peculiarities of the wordlist (considered against the background of other old written Chuvash sources) and on proposing plausible conjectures. Results. The paper provides a comprehensive philological account of each item on Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s Chuvash wordlist. It is established that almost all difficulties of interpretation that are traditionally associated with this source are rooted in the use of limitedly known orthographic patterns and, additionally, in the distortion of the recorded forms during the period after the original documentation and before the publication of Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s book. After introducing conjectures into the wordlist, it becomes possible to reconstruct phonetic prototypes of the documented forms. This, in turn, sets the stage for placing Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s materials on the dialectological map of Chuvash. While not particularly specific in terms of historical dialectology, the features characteristic of this variety can be broadly described as Viryal Chuvash. Given the extra-linguistic evidence available, it can be assumed that Ph. J. Strahlenberg’s Chuvash wordlist was recorded in the vicinity of Šupaškar (Cheboksary). Therefore, the attested dialect should probably be classified among the northern varieties of Viryal Chuvash.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"306 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77909293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Нойон Галдама в письменной и народной традиции монгольских народов","authors":"E. Bakaeva","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1271-1292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1271-1292","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. Oirat old-script texts tell us about the prominent historical figure of Noyon Galdma (Kalm., Oir. Һалдма, Һалдмба; Mong. Галдамаа, Галдамбаа), son of Khan Ochirtu-Tsetsen, grandson of Khan Baibagas of the Khoshuts and Khong Tayiji Erdeni-Baatar of Dzungaria. The image and memory of Galdama has been preserved in oral folklore of Mongols. Goals. The article attempts a review of studies to have dealt with Galdama, seeks to analyze the reasons underlying his popularity in Mongolic folklore traditions, and reveal peculiarities of the image characteristic of different genres. Results. The historical figure — the son of Khan Ochirtu-Tsetsen — is widely known in written and oral traditions of Mongolic peoples, e.g., Galdama is mentioned in Ratnabhadra’s Biography of Zaya Pandita and other narratives. Mongolists have been dealing with epic songs of Galdama for over a century already, a total of circa twenty legends about this hero have been recorded. The seventeenth-century Oirat nobleman’s name is nowadays integral to diverse Mongolic cultures, such as Kalmyks and Buryats of Russia, Oirats of Western Mongolia and China’s Xinjiang (Torghuts, Upper Mongols, Olots), as well as Alasha Khoshuts and Ejine Torghuts inhabiting Inner Mongolia (PRC). So, versions of Galdma-related songs number over thirty. Conclusions. The dissemination of folklore texts centered around the renown protector of native territories believed to have been a skilful warrior and chieftain of border detachments is associated with the theme of homeland defense that was most urgent during the lifetime of Noyon Galdama (1635–1667) — when all Mongols faced an increasing threat of Manchu invasion, and the Congress of 1640 developed The Great Code of Laws that proclaimed defense of Mongol-inhabited domains a supreme goal and virtue. Mythologization of Galdama’s image also attests to the significance of his personality in Oirat history, which can be traced in Oirat folklore heritage.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83700000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Образ культурного героя Сартакпая в алтайском фольклоре","authors":"Tamara M. Sadalova, Tatuna N. Pashtakova","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1401-1409","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1401-1409","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. Altaian mythology is a distinct religious and mythological system, since historical and cultural ties of the Altai people go deep into the ancient and medieval history of Central Asian Turks and Mongols. The article analyzes Altaian myths centered around the culture hero Sartakpai whose image is widely known in folklore traditions of Southern Siberia and Mongolia. Goals. The work aims to identify mythological foundations in the system of cultural landscapes (or ethnocultural space) inherent to the Altai people. Materials and methods. To facilitate this, it is urgent to reveal mechanisms that sustain the religious and mythological tradition, and serve to select, preserve or remove certain elements in plots of myths, folktales, and legends. So, it is a combination of traditional folklore research methods and an interdisciplinary approach that proves instrumental therein. The paper examines multi-genre texts of Altaian folklore from a comparative perspective, and involves comparative materials of related cultures. This makes it possible to consider the Altaian religious and mythological system in its close relationship with the mythological world view, identify some new dimensions, and actualize relations between its ‘ancient’ and ‘new’ layers. Results. It is generally agreed that Altaian mythology is largely etiological by nature and tends to express worldviews and attitudes of the people’s distant ancestors. The Altaian system of cultural landscapes (or ethnic space) comprises a concept of its mythological development. Hierarchically arranged deities and spirits — each occupying a special niche in three-dimensional space — co-exist with culture heroes that had arranged (developed) certain places, rivers, lakes in the Middle World. And it is Sartakpai who proves a most popular hero of Altaian folklore and whose name is associated with origins of some natural objects. In Altaian mythology, he is viewed as a most active builder of the human-inhabited Middle World — and a native of the Altai. His image is creative, and it is him who had left behind lots of productive evidence in cultural heritage of the Altai people that survive to date, the culture hero himself being still perceived as a glorified historical figure rather than a mythological character. Therefore, the image of Sartakpai persists in present-day ethnocultural processes and discourse.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72972418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Устные нарративы в записи фольклорных экспедиций (2012–2017 гг.) как репрезентация исторической памяти калмыков","authors":"Evdokia E. Khabunova","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1422-1431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1422-1431","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. The article analyzes essentials of oral narratives recorded from respondents across Kalmykia in 2012–2017, focusing on how the former tend to articulate and characterize past events, activities of certain individuals and folklore characters who had left noticeable marks on the history of the ethnos, in the memory of individuals and society at large. Materials and methods. The study investigates authentic materials — narratives recorded from bearers of the Kalmyk oral tradition expressing their attitudes, assessments, and interpretations of events of the past. When it comes to define the scope of the research object, special attention is paid to theoretical and methodological generalizations developed by V. Shklovsky, W. Labov and J. Waletzky in their works examining oral narratives. Results. The study attests to oral narratives recorded at the beginning of the 21st century in Kalmykia cluster together to shape a specific form employed to register events, preserve and transmit data on the life of certain individuals and ethnos in all its diversity. The paper shows that Kalmyks have preserved the memory of epic heroes, legendary personalities of past eras, about events of later times, and they do find different ways to verbally transmit this knowledge of theirs to the new generation.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"265 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74937486","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"History of the Savirs/Suvars: Evidence from Archaeology","authors":"A. Salmin","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1244-1253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1244-1253","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. The paper examines some archaeological evidence for a line of continuity between the Savirs (an ethnic group that had inhabited the Caucasus up to the mid-1st millennium CE), the Suvars (who were part of the northward migration of the Bulgar tribal federation to the middle reaches of the Volga later in the 1st millennium CE), and the present-day Chuvash people (first attested under that name in the early 16th century). Goals. The article aims to shed light on the history of ancestors of the Chuvash. Materials. Pottery and other artefacts support the link postulated to exist between the mentioned ethnic groups from different periods in history, while other archaeological discoveries indicate what connected them to and what distinguished them from their neighbors, suggest how they lived, and show the persistence of certain traditions and practices up to date. Results. Excavations of archaeologists from Makhachkala reject the version of the mid-fifth-century migration of Savirs from the region of Derbent towards southeastern Ciscaucasia allegedly because of the Pseudo-Avars that had arrived from Siberia. In fact, such movement resulted from the offensive of Sassanid Iran. The paper also reviews burial grounds located in Kizilyurtovsky District of Dagestan. The analysis of archaeological evidence confirms there is a continuity of black-and-gray pottery from the North Caucasus and Volga Bulgaria.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"485 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86772566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Некоторые аспекты из истории взаимоотношений ханов Абылая и Уали с Цинской империей (на основе архивных источников)","authors":"Ziyabek E. Kabuldinov, Akmaral R. Beisembayeva, Yerkin A. Abil, Anar S. Tylakhmetova","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1202-1216","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1202-1216","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. In the 1740s–1780s, decentralization processes within the Kazakh Khanate led to that it was involved into somewhat troubled foreign policy relations. The period of struggle for political independence witnessed the emergence of Abylai — among most authoritative leaders of the Kazakh Khanate — as a key political decision-maker of the Great Steppe. His son Uali joined and continued the process of developing diplomatic relations between the Kazakh Khanate and the Qing Empire. In the future, it was a balanced strategy of diplomatic maneuvers under conditions of dual citizenship that constituted the basis of the latter ruler’s administrative agenda across Kazakh lands. Goals. Thus, the study aims to examine Abylai and Uali’s diplomatic relations with the Qing Empire. The paper shall also explore archival materials for data pertaining to diplomatic endeavors of Uali which are scarce enough as compared to those on Abylai’s activities. Materials and methods. The work focuses on documents stored at the Historical Archive of Omsk Oblast, Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, and Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. Quite a number of the documents from the Historical Archive of Omsk Oblast have been declassified only in 2019, and were never introduced into wide scholarly circulation. The newly obtained records reveal certain historical facts, including about certain diplomatic endeavors definitely adding to the little-known personality of Khan Uali. The currently available documentary evidence dealing with the events of the 18th–19th centuries virtually shed no light on Uali’s role in historical processes. Our search for information about activities of this historical figure shows how poorly investigated the latter is. The study employs the principles of scientific and historical knowledge, with due regard the value approach. Results. The Kazakh-Qing land-related negotiations after the collapse of the Dzungar Khanate continued with the establishment of trade and economic relations — to witness an increase in mutual diplomatic missions. So, Abylai faced an opportunity to obtain the Qing citizenship as a basis for further development of ties with the Manchu imperial palace. The Qing citizenship of Kazakh rulers Abylai and Uali did significantly expand room for political maneuver of theirs. Abylai is still considered to be a key figure in establishing Kazakh-Qing diplomatic relations, he who had taken the bulk of the responsibility — in this matter — among the then individuals of power and influence in the Steppe. Whereas, the role and activities of Uali remain little-known when it comes to discuss diplomatic relations between the Kazakhs and neighboring states.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90267975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Мотив пути в калмыцких сказках, включающих сюжет ATU 300 The Dragon-Slayer","authors":"Baira B. Goryaeva","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1410-1421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1410-1421","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. In the oral tradition of Kalmyks, type ATU 300 The Dragon-Slayer serves an episode to magic and heroic folktales. In Kalmyk narratives, the main character slays a serpent to save a maiden from death. Such tales begin with that a hero takes the road to eliminate some shortage/trouble, the action be based on the former’s spatial movement. So, the to-be serpent-slayer travels through worlds: he descends to the lower world, returns to the human-inhabited middle one, undergoes some difficulties, and finds a bride. Thus, the motif of way proves central to the considered plots. Goals. The study aims to examine the motif of way in ATU 300-based (The Dragon-Slayer) Kalmyk folktales. Materials. The paper analyzes texts of published Kalmyk folktales. Results. In The Son of Khan Gal — Otkhon Shara (Kalm. Һал хаана отхн шар көвүн), the main character — like a tuuli-uliger hero — sets off on a journey after receipt of a message from his betrothed. And it is the traditional formula ‘good advice, or a palm-sized skin’ that provides a stage for the hero to meet the messenger. When it comes to describe the hero’s departure, the narrative involves the genre of yöräl (‘good wishes’) which goes back to magic folk poetry rooted in the belief word has power, a successful arrival in the other world be guaranteed by certain preparatory action and appropriate attributes that had once accompanied the deceased on their last journey. Another motive for a hero to start on a trip is that his reigning father loses eyesight. In The Story of Tögseg Khaan (Kalm. Ном Төгсг хаана туск тууҗ) sons are supposed to leave and dare see what their father never saw for his sight to recover. In this text, the function of adviser and donor is performed by a Buddhist priest — gelong — who replaces the image of zayachi (‘guardian genius’). The hero’s return journey from the lower world to the middle (human) one is associated with the image of Khan Garuda. Conclusions. The motif of way in ATU 300-based (The Dragon-Slayer) folktales tends develop in accordance with magic folktale morphological patterns (according to Propp) and within the framework inherent to oral (tuuli-uliger) traditions, paralleled by that Buddhist representations replace the earlier ones.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80990659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Абсурдные и парадоксальные пословицы в тувинском языке (онтологический и логический аспекты категоризации пословичной семантики)","authors":"Evgeny E. Ivanov","doi":"10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1373-1388","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2022-64-6-1373-1388","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction. The article deals with absurd and paradoxical proverbs resulting from the categorization of proverbial semantics according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’ in the ontological or logical aspects. Goals. The study aims to identify quantitative and qualitative features of ontological and logical contradictions to reality traced in semantics of Tuvan proverbs. Materials and methods. The work analyzes a total of 770 Tuvan proverbs contained in Tuvan Proverbs and Sayings (1966), Proverbs and Sayings of the Tuvan People (2020), and other sources. The publication employs the author’s methodology for semantics categorization of aphoristic units and their differentiation into semantic types according to the criterion of ‘relation to reality’. Results. The article reveals that one in eight Tuvan proverbs literally (in the direct sense) contradict the existing order of things in the world. The ontological nature of a contradiction to reality in a proverb is implemented via the semantics of the absurd, which is motivated by a situational or verbal context, and it is impossible to interpret the literal content of the proverb — from the viewpoint of logical (rational) thinking — being unaware of that very context. The logical nature of the contradiction to reality in the proverb is implemented via the semantics of the paradox, which can be motivated epistemologically, semantically or formally, and logically. Only one structural part of a proverb can be contrary to reality, and this part always dominates in terms of general content. The Tuvan proverbs that contradict reality are distinguished by the presence of absurdity semantics in one of their structural parts, and that of paradox in the other one. Conclusions. An unexpectedly large number of absurd and paradoxical proverbs in the Tuvan proverb corpus attests to that it is reality’s perception and comprehension — based on the ontological and/or logical contradictions to objective reality — that take a significant place in the Tuvan view of the world.","PeriodicalId":36786,"journal":{"name":"Oriental Studies","volume":"80 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88060679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}