Deciphering the Psychological Worldview of Ancient Mongols: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of the Terminology in The Secret History of the Mongols

Abstract

This study aims to analyze psychological terminology within the text of The Secret History of the Mongols (the SHM) from the perspective of cognitive psychology. Uncovering the psychohistorical and cognitive peculiarities of medieval Mongols is of significant theoretical and practical importance for understanding the ancestral foundations of Mongolian personality development. From the extensive corpus of ancient terms in the SHM annotated by Batsaikhan, B., and S. Choimaa. 2021. The Secret History of the Mongols. Vol. 1. Soyombo Printing, 65 specific units with psychological connotations were first identified. From this subgroup, 22 expressions were then purposively sampled based on their “embodied” characteristics and theoretical value for qualitative analysis. The research employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing the “Conceptual Metaphor Theory” of Lakoff, G., and M. Johnson. 2003. Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226470993.001.0001 and De Rachewiltz, I. 2013. The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century. Vol. 3 (Supplement). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004258587 concept of “psychosomatic unity” to categorize the selected expressions into four primary groups. In this framework, De Rachewiltz’s concept of “psychosomatic unity” serves as the ontological basis for identifying ancient Mongol perceptions, while Lakoff and Johnson’s “Conceptual Metaphor Theory” provides the analytical tool to decode how these perceptions are linguistically mapped. The analysis results demonstrate that the psychological perceptions of the ancient Mongols were profoundly “embodied,” mapping internal emotional states directly onto physical organs (heart, liver, interior) and facial transformations. Specifically, the “Containment Metaphor” – a cognitive model where the body is conceptualized as a “vessel” for emotions – is predominant. Furthermore, it was observed that psychological terms served not only to express feelings but also appear to function as an “active force” defining nomadic survival strategies and social trust norms. This research contributes to Mongol studies by establishing a cognitive-linguistic baseline for “embodied” psychological terminology, offering a methodological bridge to interpret nomadic mentalities through indigenous cultural codes rather than Western-centric frameworks.