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