Features of an Oral Culture Anna Alfonso Tammy McPherson Christy Harris David Landriz Brad Gaines

Features of an Oral Culture

Anna Alfonso

Tammy McPherson

Christy Harris

David Landriz

Brad Gaines

Most Common Formulas1. Common ideas for poetry:

- Name of Actors- Main Actions- Time- Place

2. Most frequent example in the story, the verb and the subject onone line.

- Example: “Then he mounted his brown horse.” “He spoke, he uttered a word.”

3. Formulas indicate the time of when the action occurs.- Example: “When the sun had warmth the earth.”

- Fillers: “in the tower” -> “in the white tower” -> “in the white tower of stone”

Exceptions to the Rules

• The singer “does not memorize formulas any more than we as children memorize language.”

• Oral language is a living spoken language in its pure state.

• It has irregularities, abnormalities, and divergences

• Substitutions: “in the tower” “in the castle” “in the house”

• It is not mechanical or overly systemized as the formulas indicate.

• Each singer has their own style and formulaic tools.

Oral Literature & Homer

• Background

• Poetic Techniques

• Cumulative Poetic Structure

Automobiles Without Wheels

• Not a very accurate description of a horse

• However well you describe the horse, audience remains confused

• Pre-Literate is an equally confusing term for an oral culture

The Power of Sound

• The pen is mightier than the sword

• Sounds themselves have power

• Naming a thing gives you power over it

Poetry in an Oral Tradition

• Lines pre-formulated, memorized, drawn from as needed

• Traditional choices encouraged, not discouraged

• Choices based on sound rather than imagery

Magic to Science

• Power as magic

• Power as logic

• From logic to science

Mnemonically Gifted

• Oral traditions rely heavily on memory devices

• Literacy allows one to recall only when needed

• Leads to possibility of higher mathematics

Aggregative vs. Analytic

• And…and…and• Modern translations use

then…when…thus…while• In oral traditions, these

clauses had equal weight

Minimally Abstract

• Can you hear, see, smell, touch, taste it?

• How is it useful or harmful?

• How does it relate to me?

The Oral Culture in Connection to Beowulf

• Oral and Textual Communication•Oral Communication

•“in the moment”

•Print Culture•Socrates thoughts on print versus oral communication. (From Dale Spender, Nattering on the Net: Print)

It Comes Alive

• “Tone structure” and “sound texture” – Ex. Lyrics supplement melody, melody

supplements lyrics to make it whole.– Tone structure and sound texture of the

language supplements the storyline. – It’s better left to the Oral Culture rather than

the Print Culture in order for “Beowulf” to “come alive” and meet it’s full expectations.

Translation and Appreciating Beowulf

• Translation changes the sound and tone of the original– Words and diction changes the sound effects

• Ex. Operas

– Translating simplifies its complex sound due to the well chosen dictions by the original poet

• Even words in meaning differ from language to language