(A) COMPLIANCE REVIEW REPORT

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

(A) COMPLIANCE REVIEW REPORT OYU TOLGOI REQUEST NUMBER: 2013/01 (a) COMPLIANCE REVIEW REPORT – February 2017 The Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) is the independent accountability mechanism of the EBRD. PCM provides an opportunity for an independent review of complaints from one or more individual(s) or organisation(s) concerning an EBRD project, which allegedly has caused, or is likely to cause harm. PCM may address Complaints through two functions: Compliance Review, which seeks to determine whether or not the EBRD has complied with its Environmental and Social Policy and/or the project-specific provisions of the Public Information Policy; and Problem-solving, which has the objective of restoring a dialogue between the Complainant and the Client to resolve the issue(s) underlying a Complaint without attributing blame or fault. Affected parties can request one or both of these functions. For more information about PCM, contact us or visit www.ebrd.com. Contact information Inquiries should be addressed to: The Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development One Exchange Square London EC2A 2JN Telephone: +44 (0)20 7338 6000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7338 7633 Email: [email protected] http://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/project-finance/project-complaint-mechanism.html How to submit a complaint to the PCM Complaints about the environmental and social performance of the EBRD can be submitted by email, telephone or in writing at the above address, or via the online form at: http://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/project-finance/project-complaint-mechanism/submit-a- complaint.html Contents Executive summary ......................................................................................................................... Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 Factual Background to Project and Complaint ......................................................................... 2 Positions of Relevant Parties ...................................................................................................... 3 Steps Taken in Conducting Compliance Review ...................................................................... 4 Relevant EBRD policy obligations ............................................................................................... 6 Applicable EBRD Policy ................................................................................................................ 6 Implications of Relevant Policy Provisions ................................................................................ 6 PR 1: Environmental and Social Appraisal and Management ............................................... 7 PR 5: Land Acquisition, Involuntary Resettlement and Economic Displacement .............. 9 PR 7: Indigenous Peoples ......................................................................................................... 11 PR 8: Cultural Heritage .............................................................................................................. 16 PR 10: Information Disclosure and Stakeholder Engagement ........................................... 18 Analysis of Compliance Issues ................................................................................................. 22 PR 1: Environmental and Social Appraisal and Management ............................................ 22 PR 5: Land Acquisition, Involuntary Resettlement and Economic Displacement ........... 55 PR 8: Cultural Heritage .............................................................................................................. 58 PR 10: Information Disclosure and Stakeholder Engagement ........................................... 61 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 65 NOTE: Unless otherwise defined, capitalised terms used in this Compliance Review Report refer to terms as defined in the PCM Rules of Procedure. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The present Complaint alleges non-compliance on the part of EBRD with a number of performance requirements arising under the 2008 Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), due to an alleged failure on the part of the Bank to ensure the identification and avoidance or mitigation of a range of adverse impacts upon herders’ health, livelihoods and cultural heritage resulting from a proliferation of roads, road traffic and road-related dust associated with the Oyu Tolgoi Project. Having examined the Project Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in detail, along with a wide range of supporting documents, the Compliance Review Expert has concluded that EBRD was compliant with the ESP PR 1 and related performance requirements. Specifically, the Compliance Review Expert has found that the ESIA was adequate in terms of the timing of its completion and disclosure, its designation of the Project area of influence, the arrangements set out therein for stakeholder identification and consultation, the manner in which it addressed road-related dust impacts, its mitigation of potential road safety impacts and the manner in which it identifies and addresses the needs of vulnerable people. In addition, the Compliance Review Expert has determined that EBRD has complied fully with the requirements of ESP PR 5 on Land Acquisition, Involuntary Resettlement and Economic Displacement, PR 8 on Cultural Heritage, and PR 10 on Information Disclosure and Stakeholder Engagement. Therefore, the Compliance Review Expert concludes that the Bank was in compliance with the Relevant EBRD Policy. INTRODUCTION Factual Background to Project and Complaint1 1. On 26 February 2013, EBRD approved financing of the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine project (OT), providing a loan of up to US$400 million, together with further financing of up to US$1 billion, to be syndicated to international commercial banks. The loans are part of a larger financing package that includes an assortment of international financial institutions and commercial banks. Oyu Tolgoi is a Category A Project, which defines the EBRD requirements under the 2008 Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) and sets the standard by which the appraisal is assessed. OT is a joint venture between Turquoise Hill Resources (66 per cent) and Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi (34 per cent), a company wholly owned by the Government of Mongolia. Rio Tinto (RT) is a major shareholder in Turquoise Hill Resources and since 2010 is formally managing the Project on behalf of all shareholders. 2. On 2 July 2013, fourteen Mongolian herders from Javkhlant bagh submitted a Complaint dated 1 July 2013, to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM), regarding the Oyu Tolgoi Project (as well as the Ukhaa Khudag (UHG) coal mine, operated by Energy Resources and financed by EBRD). Two Mongolian civil society organizations (CSOs), OT Watch and Shuteen Gaviluut, joined as Co-Complainants. On 6 September 2013 via electronic mail, PCM received related Complaints (dated 5 August 2013) from five herders residing in Manlai soum, and four individual herders from Javkhlant bagh (one dated 28 July 2013 and three dated 9 August 2013). On 1 April 2014, OT Watch submitted a letter to the PCM that supplements the previous complaints and provides additional information related to the request for a Compliance Review. As requested by the Complainants, these submissions were assessed for eligibility collectively, according to the 2009 PCM Rules of Procedure (RP). The Complaint alleges risks and impacts from both projects on herders’ livelihoods, health and cultural heritage due to a proliferation of roads, road traffic and road-related dust, primarily due to the extensive network of paved and unpaved roads being utilised by the Project. The Complainants requested a Problem- solving Initiative (PSI) and a Compliance Review (CR) for each Project. 3. The Eligibility Assessment Report (EAR) was published on 22 December 2014 and found that the Complaint satisfied the PCM criteria for a Compliance Review and, consistent with the 2009 PCM Rules of Procedure, included Terms of Reference (ToRs) for two separate Compliance Reviews. On 26 January 2015 PCM Expert Prof Owen McIntyre was appointed as the Compliance Review Expert for the Compliance Review concerning the Oyu Tolgoi Project. 1 A more detailed account of the respective positions of the Relevant Parties is provided in the Eligibility Assessment Report: Project Complaints Mechanism, Eligibility Assessment Report – Request No. 2013/01, Energy Resources Phase II & Oyu Tolgoi (22 December 2014), at 11-36, available at http://www.ebrd.com/cs/Satellite?c=Content&cid=1395241816445&d=&pagename=EBRD%2FContent%2FDownloa dDocument 2 Positions of Relevant Parties2 Complainants 4. The Complainants allege adverse impacts and increased risks of such impacts from the Project on herders’ health, livelihoods and cultural heritage, principally due to the proliferation of roads, road traffic and road-related dust arising from the extensive network of paved and unpaved roads utilised by the Project. Specifically, the Complainants allege that the environmental and social appraisal conducted under EBRD’s 2008 Environmental and Social Policy (ESP) failed adequately to evaluate the full set of Project impacts on local herders from road transportation or to develop appropriate avoidance and mitigation measures in accordance with EBRD policy. In addition, they
Recommended publications
  • Borders, Territory and Nationalism in Mongolia, 1943-1949
    Carving up the Steppes: Borders, Territory and Nationalism in Mongolia, 1943-1949 Sergey Radchenko (U. of Nottingham, Ningbo, China) In August 2005 the Mongolian government resolved to take down the red-marble mausoleum in front of the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, which had since the 1950s housed the remains of the hero of Mongolia’s revolution Sukhbaatar and its long-time ruler Choibalsan, rebury both at the Altan-Ulgii cemetery on the outskirts of town, and build a massive complex in honor of Chinggis Khaan in the mausoleum’s place. The complex, complete with a larger-than-life statue of Chinggis Khaan upon a throne, was hastily built to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the Mongol Empire, becoming one of the most visible manifestations of the Chinggis craze, which has swept Mongolia in recent years. Marshal Khorloogiin Choibalsan, whose sour, determined appearance in a military tunic adorned with rows of medals, was once familiar to just about every man and woman within the borders of the Soviet-dominated Mongolian People’s Republic, had now been crossed out of public memory, and blotted out by the long shadow of Chinggis Khaan. Yet Choibalsan shared a trait with Chinggis: both wanted to unite the Mongol peoples. Still, Choibalsan failed where Chinggis Khaan succeeded. So Chinggis was placed on the throne in the central square, while Choibalsan’s remains were shelved away out of sight and, for most Mongols, out of mind. Choibalsan’s unrealized dream was to bring all the peoples of the Mongol stock under one roof. The tides of history had carried these peoples far, so that by the middle of the twentieth century most Mongols lived outside of what was properly Mongolia: hundreds of thousands dwelt in China, from Manchuria in the East to the Tibetan plateau and the arid deserts in the Southwest (as subjects of China), and fewer, but still thousands, in the Soviet Union.
    [Show full text]
  • Improving Adaptive Capacity and Risk Management of Rural Communities in Mongolia
    Annex 6a – Environmental and Social Management Framework GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL H Improving Adaptive Capacity and Risk Management of Rural Communities in Mongolia Environmental and Social Management Framework 11 May 2020 FP-UNDP-120320-5873-Annex 6b ESMF 1 Annex 6a – Environmental and Social Management Framework GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL H CONTENTS Contents ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 4 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 Overview of the Project ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.1 Summary of Activities ................................................................................................................ 6 1.3 Environmental and Social Risk Assessment ................................................................................... 11 1.3.1 Assumptions Underpinning the Development of the Environmental and Social Management Framework ..............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Technical Assistance Layout with Instructions
    Initial Environmental Examination August 2017 Mongolia: Sustaining Access to and Quality of Education during Economic Difficulties Project Prepared by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 1 August 2017) Currency unit – togrog (MNT) MNT1.00 = $0.000409 $1.00 = MNT2,443.50 ABBREVIATIONS ACM – asbestos containing materials ADB – Asian Development Bank ASI – agency for specialized inspection DPR – detailed project report EIA – environmental impact assessment EMoP – environmental monitoring plan EMP – environmental management plan GASI – general agency for specialized inspection GoM – Government of Mongolia GRM – grievance redress mechanism IEE – initial environmental examination MET – Ministry of Environment and Tourism MECSS – Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports MoF – Ministry of Finance UMED – Ulaanbaatar Metropolitan Education Department VOC – volatile organic compound WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 1 cusec – measure of flow rate (28.317 liters per second) 1 ha (hectare) – 10,000 square meter 1 km (kilometer) – 1,000 meter 1 kV – kilovolt (1,000 volts) 1 kW – kilowatt (1,000 watts) 1 kWh – 1 kilowatt-hour = 1000 watts NOTE In this report, "$" refers to United States dollars. This initial environmental examination is a document of the borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB's Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. Your attention is directed to the “terms of use” section on ADB’s website. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.
    [Show full text]
  • EMIS Mongolia.Pdf
    © UNICEF/UN0321665/Matas REVIEW OF EDUCATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS (EMIS) THAT TRACK INDIVIDUAL STUDENT DATA MONGOLIA July 2020 2 Review of EMIS that track individual student data: Mongolia Acknowledgements Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports The school level is where equitable access and the (MECSS) has shown a great interest in this research, quality of education service delivery must be measured. illustrated by the willingness of many staff to be So, it has been exceptionally meaningful to listen to interviewed and to provide open responses. There is the experiences of staff working at school or soum growing awareness amongst the interviewed MECSS level. These staff should continue to inform the staff of the potential of using more and better-quality development of EMIS, so that the system becomes data for decision-making. This was not only evident relevant not only at macro-level, but also to individual during interviews and small-group discussions, it was schools. also illustrated by the Vice-Minister who opened the validation workshop, emphasizing the importance of Lastly, a word of thanks goes out to the MECSS staff availability of reliable data to move the education sector and education stakeholders who were interviewed or forward. participated in the validation workshop. It was positive to observe how staff from the MECSS and other The time-availability and the openness of Director- organizations worked together in small groups, providing Generals, National Directors and other staff were valuable feedback to complete the findings and shape instrumental to inform the analyses and formulation the recommendations.
    [Show full text]
  • Mongolia for the Asian Development Bank
    Initial Environmental Examination October 2010 (Updated in August 2012) MON: Fourth Health Sector Development Additional Financing Prepared by the Ministry of Health of Mongolia for the Asian Development Bank. CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS (as of 1 July 2012) Currency Unit – togrog (MNT) MNT1.00 = $0.000760 $1.00 = MNT1,316 ABBREVIATIONS ADB – Asian Development Bank DI – Design Institute DIA – District Inspection Agency (Ulaanbaatar) DRA – Drug Regulatory Agency EA – Executing Agency ED – Environmental Department (cities and aimags) EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment EMC – Environmental Management Consultant EMP – Environmental Management Plan EMS – Environmental Monitoring Station FGP – Family group practice FHSDP – Fourth Health Sector Development Project GASI – General Agency for Specialized Inspection GIEC – Grant Implementation Environmental Consultant GDP – Gross Domestic Product GOM – Government Of Mongolia GRM – Grievance Redress Mechanism HCF – Health care facilities HRD – Human resources development HSMP – Health Sector Master Plan HSUM – Health Sciences University of Mongolia IA – Implementing Agency IEE – Initial Environmental Examination LIEC – Loan Implementation Environmental Consultant MDG – Millennium Development Goals MOF – Ministry of Finance MNET – Ministry Of Nature Environment and Tourism MOH – Ministry Of Health MSWL – Ministry of Social Welfare and Labor NCB – National competitive bidding RP – Resettlement Plan PHC – Primary health care PIU – Project implementation unit PMO – Project Management Office PPMS – Project
    [Show full text]
  • Altaic Languages
    Altaic Languages Masaryk University Press Reviewed by Ivo T. Budil Václav Blažek in collaboration with Michal Schwarz and Ondřej Srba Altaic Languages History of research, survey, classification and a sketch of comparative grammar Masaryk University Press Brno 2019 Publication financed by the grant No. GA15-12215S of the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR) © 2019 Masaryk University Press ISBN 978-80-210-9321-8 ISBN 978-80-210-9322-5 (online : pdf) https://doi.org/10.5817/CZ.MUNI.M210-9322-2019 5 Analytical Contents 0. Preface .................................................................. 9 1. History of recognition of the Altaic languages ............................... 15 1.1. History of descriptive and comparative research of the Turkic languages ..........15 1.1.1. Beginning of description of the Turkic languages . .15 1.1.2. The beginning of Turkic comparative studies ...........................21 1.1.3. Old Turkic language and script – discovery and development of research .....22 1.1.4. Turkic etymological dictionaries .....................................23 1.1.5. Turkic comparative grammars .......................................24 1.1.6. Syntheses of grammatical descriptions of the Turkic languages .............25 1.2. History of descriptive and comparative research of the Mongolic languages .......28 1.2.0. Bibliographic survey of Mongolic linguistics ...........................28 1.2.1. Beginning of description of the Mongolic languages .....................28 1.2.2. Standard Mongolic grammars and dictionaries ..........................31 1.2.3. Mongolic comparative and etymological dictionaries .....................32 1.2.4. Mongolic comparative grammars and grammatical syntheses...............33 1.3. History of descriptive and comparative research of the Tungusic languages ........33 1.3.0. Bibliographic survey of the Tungusic linguistics.........................33 1.3.1. Beginning of description of the Tungusic languages ......................34 1.3.2.
    [Show full text]
  • Overview Print Page Close Window
    World Directory of Minorities Asia and Oceania MRG Directory –> Mongolia –> Mongolia Overview Print Page Close Window Mongolia Overview Environment Peoples History Governance Current state of minorities and indigenous peoples Environment The world’s largest landlocked country in Central-East Asia wedged between China and Russia, Mongolia is mainly made up of arid steppes in its heartland and the Gobi Desert in the south. More than a quarter of its population is nomadic or semi-nomadic, though this is diminishing because of changing climatic conditions and growing urbanisation. Its location at the door of Central Asia’s steppes means that Mongolia has at various times been a major transit – and starting – point for different peoples throughout history. Peoples Main languages: Mongolian (incl. regional dialects), Russian, Kazakh. Main religions: Buddhism (majority), traditional Lamaism, Sunni Islam, Christianity Minority groups include Kazakh (103,000), Durbet Mongol (66,700), Bayad (50,800), Buryat Mongol (40,600), Dariganga Mongol (31,900), Chinese and Russian (less than 8,000) (Source: National Statistical Office of Mongolia Census 2000) Mongolia is a fairly homogenous, sparsely populated country of less than three million people (Source: Mongolian National Statistical Office Bulletin, December 2006). While some 85 percent of the population is of Mongol background, mainly Khalka (90 percent), Durbet, and other Mongols (Source: National Statistical Office of Mongolia Census 2000), there is a fairly substantial (about 4 percent) Kazakh-speaking
    [Show full text]
  • Doing Business Guide in Mongolia 2015
    www.pwc.com/mn Doing Business Guide in Mongolia 2015 Doing Business Guide 2015 www.pwc.com/mn Doing Business Guide in Mongolia 2015 Doing Business Guide 2015 CONTENTS KEY STATISTICS ................................................................................. 5 1. MONGOLIA – COUNTRY PROFILE ............................................... 6 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Government structure .................................................................................. 7 1.3 Legal System ................................................................................................ 8 1.4 People .......................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Economy .................................................................................................... 10 1.6 Foreign Trade ............................................................................................ 11 1.7 Mining in Mongolia .................................................................................... 11 2. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT ......................................................... 13 2.1 Business Climate ........................................................................................ 13 2.2 Free Trade Zones ....................................................................................... 13 2.3 International Agreements .........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Sources, History, and Remnants of the Mongolian Monastic Capital City
    Sources, history, and remnants of the Mongolian monastic capital city Autor(en): Teleki, Krisztina Objekttyp: Article Zeitschrift: Asiatische Studien : Zeitschrift der Schweizerischen Asiengesellschaft = Études asiatiques : revue de la Société Suisse-Asie Band (Jahr): 65 (2011) Heft 3 PDF erstellt am: 08.10.2021 Persistenter Link: http://doi.org/10.5169/seals-177824 Nutzungsbedingungen Die ETH-Bibliothek ist Anbieterin der digitalisierten Zeitschriften. Sie besitzt keine Urheberrechte an den Inhalten der Zeitschriften. Die Rechte liegen in der Regel bei den Herausgebern. Die auf der Plattform e-periodica veröffentlichten Dokumente stehen für nicht-kommerzielle Zwecke in Lehre und Forschung sowie für die private Nutzung frei zur Verfügung. Einzelne Dateien oder Ausdrucke aus diesem Angebot können zusammen mit diesen Nutzungsbedingungen und den korrekten Herkunftsbezeichnungen weitergegeben werden. Das Veröffentlichen von Bildern in Print- und Online-Publikationen ist nur mit vorheriger Genehmigung der Rechteinhaber erlaubt. Die systematische Speicherung von Teilen des elektronischen Angebots auf anderen Servern bedarf ebenfalls des schriftlichen Einverständnisses der Rechteinhaber. Haftungsausschluss Alle Angaben erfolgen ohne Gewähr für Vollständigkeit oder Richtigkeit. Es wird keine Haftung übernommen für Schäden durch die Verwendung von Informationen aus diesem Online-Angebot oder durch das Fehlen von Informationen. Dies gilt auch für Inhalte Dritter, die über dieses Angebot zugänglich sind. Ein Dienst der ETH-Bibliothek ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Schweiz, www.library.ethz.ch http://www.e-periodica.ch SOURCES, HISTORY, AND REMNANTS OF THE MONGOLIAN MONASTIC CAPITAL CITY Krisztina Teleki, Eötvös Loránd University ELTE) Abstract Being the residence of the religious dignitaries of Mongolia, the camp, founded originally by Öndör gegeen Janabajar in the 17th century, moved several times until it finally settled down in 1855 in the present Ulaanbaatar basin.
    [Show full text]
  • National Report on the Situation of Adult Learning and Education (ALE)–Mongolia
    National Report on the Situation of Adult Learning and Education (ALE) – Mongolia Report development team leaded by Batchuluun Yembuu National Centre for Non Formal and Distance Education Ministry of Education, Culture and Science Government Building-10 Barilgachdiin Talbai-2 Ulaanbaatar-44 Mongolia Tel:+976-11-324344 Fax:+976-11-324344 URL:www.nfde.mn e-mail:[email protected] Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia April 2008 CONTENT I. GENERAL OVERVIEW 5 II. ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION MONGOLIA 1. POLICY, LEGISLATION AND FINANCING 8 1.1. Legislative and policy frameworks of ALE 8 1.2. Financing of ALE 12 2. QUALITY OF ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION: PROVISION, PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT 2.1. Provision of ALE and institutional frameworks 14 2.2. Participation in ALE 18 2.3. Monitoring & evaluating programmes and assessing learning outcomes 19 2.4. Adult educators/facilitators’ status and training 19 3. RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND GOOD PRACTICE 3.1. Research studies in the field of adult learning 22 3.2. Innovations and examples of good practice 22 4. ADULT LITERACY 4.1. Definition of literacy in Mongolia. Changes since 1997 CONFINTEA V 23 4.2. New policies and implementation 24 4.3. Effective practice and innovative literacy programmes 26 4.4. Policies and programmes’ focus on gender 28 4.5. Policies and programmes for literate environments and progress of achievement 28 5. EXPECTATIONS OF CONFINTEA VI AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES FOR ALE 5.1. Expected outcomes from CONFINTEA VI 28 5.2. The main issues of adult education of future perspectives for the development of policies and practices in adult education and adult learning 28 REFERENCE 30 2 | P a g e List of Figures Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Ko, Seongyeon. 2018. Tongue Root Harmony and Vowel Contrast In
    TONGUE ROOT HARMONY AND VOWEL CONTRAST IN NORTHEAST ASIAN LANGUAGES A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Seongyeon Ko August 2012 © 2012 Seongyeon Ko TONGUE ROOT HARMONY AND VOWEL CONTRAST IN NORTHEAST ASIAN LANGUAGES Seongyeon Ko, Ph. D. Cornell University 2012 This dissertation investigates the synchrony and diachrony of the vocalism of a variety of Northeast Asian languages, especially Korean, Mongolic, and Tungusic languages, which have traditionally been described as having developed from a palatal system. The dissertation rewrites the vocalic history by demonstrating that the original vowel harmony in these languages was in fact based on an RTR, rather than a palatal, contrast, and provides a formal account for the development of individual vowel systems within the framework of Contrastive Hierarchy (Dresher, 2009). Following the general and theoretical background in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 begins to explore how the vowel contrasts in the modern Mongolic languages are hierarchically structured. It proceeds to propose an RTR analysis for Old Mongolian (contra Poppe, 1955) based on a combination of arguments from the comparative method, the typology of vowel shifts, and the phonetics of vowel features. Consequently, the palatal system in Kalmyk/Oirat is understood not as a retention but an innovation as a result of an RTR-to-palatal shift, contra Svantesson‘s (1985) palatal-to-RTR shift hypothesis. Chapter 3 presents an innovative view that Middle Korean had an RTR contrast-based vowel system and that various issues in Korean historical phonology receive better treatment under the contrastive hierarchy approach.
    [Show full text]
  • Urtiin Duu: Performing Musical Landscapes and the Mongolian Nation
    URTIIN DUU: PERFORMING MUSICAL LANDSCAPES AND THE MONGOLIAN NATION BY LILIANA CARRIZO THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music in Music with a concentration in Musicology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign, 2010 Urbana, Illinois Master’s Committee: Donna A. Buchanan, Associate Professor Gabriel Solis, Associate Professor ABSTRACT Urtiin duu, or Mongolian long song, is a vocal genre prevalent throughout Mongolia and especially common among mobile pastoralists of the central Gobi steppe. Based on fieldwork conducted in 2001, 2004, and 2006 in Dundgovi province and Ulaanbaatar, this thesis focuses on urtiin duu as a marker of regional and national identity. Urtiin duu signify various levels of meaning for performers and listeners alike. Through the mimesis of landscape topography in melodic contour, these songs have become powerful emblems of clan identity important to Chinggis Khan’s legacy. Their melodic contours allude to landscape deities, or ezen, associated with particular geographical formations and regional topographies, and their texts often praise important Tibetan Buddhist deities or monks. A musical tool utilized in efforts to calm and soothe livestock, these songs also form an important component of various mobile pastoral herding practices. During Mongolia’s socialist era (1921–1990), however, urtiin duu were invariably implicated in processes of cultural modernization and reform, during which time the genre’s performance context and associated meanings were largely transformed. Although these songs continued to be performed in the domestic sphere, they were also increasingly performed at large, staged gatherings in support of the Mongolia People’s Republic and Communist Party.
    [Show full text]