Lore is seen in societies with vigorous oral conveyance practices to be a general term inclusive of both oral literature and any written literature, including sophisticated writings, as well. There are also the minor genres of the proverb and the riddle. Oral literature synonyms, oral literature antonyms. To some people, oral literature is only but a mirage. Jul 15, 2019 categories of oral literature include. Epics have often been passed on orally and may have anonymous authors. Oral tradition definition, a communitys cultural and historical traditions passed down by word of mouth or example from one generation to another without written instruction. The difference between oral culture and written culture is that oral literature forms more fundamental component of culture. Oral literature can be defined as the sphere of spoken words to literature. The are encouraged to add this information to their notes using any type of shorthand that they are comfortable with. African literature article about african literature by the. Typically speaking, this would be oral poetry, or any oral tale or folklore verbal lore. Jan 22, 2017 lore is seen in societies with vigorous oral conveyance practices to be a general term inclusive of both oral literature and any written literature, including sophisticated writings, as well. The scholar examines literary issues which relate to the performance of folktales in traditional africa.
There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral. What are the characteristics of oral literature answers. Literary genres and subgenres fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry video and worksheet duration. African literature article about african literature by. Such a remark is well in accordance with broader approaches to oral literature. Another example of oral literature would be that of native americans. In an attempt to preserve this oral literature, several individual authors have collected tales, proverbs, riddles and published them in books. In general terms we can also ask ourselves whether oral literature has any purpose for. The two met at the university of iowa in the late 1930s, and by 1940 had begun writing the book. Oral traditional poetics, a mythic episode, and arming scenes in the iliad 4. This literature through narrative, poetry, song, dance, myths and fables, and texts for religious rituals provides a portrait of the meaning of life as experienced by the society at its. Defining education in oral contexts and practices is challenging. Written literature works in the domain of written words and the sphere of spoken word is known as oral literature. Contemporary debates over what constitutes literature can be seen as returning.
A more restricted sense of the term emerged during the romantic period, in which it began to demarcate imaginative writing. Oral literature by ruth finnegan investigates how culture, tradition, and various forms of communication have been passed down from different parts of africa. Unlike written literary genres, oral literature is conveyed or passed down to future generations by word of mouth, typically through memorization and recitation. Oral literature is a performed art which in most cases uses words as a medium of communication. Extensive research highlights phonological awareness as the strongest oral language predictor for reading success. The various categories of african folktales are analyzed. Yet, despite the existence of these books on oral literature, the young generation in africa that has grown under the western school system somehow feels estranged with respect to this oral literature. What are the differences between oral and written literature. Apr 24, 2012 the importance of oral literature in society oral literature is meaningful and useful to us in many and different ways. Theories in developing oral communication for specific learner group marham jupri hadi1 mataram nahdlatul wathan university publication date. Several authors in this collection remark that the demarcation between education and other domains of society is ambiguous. Further, a good example of a literary text will be written. Both are a form of communication in which the author or storyteller is trying to convey a message to the listerner. Read the oral poem below then answer the questions that follow.
While these genres are not necessarily always given separate designations in local languages. Seventh grade lesson introduction to oral literature. Anything passed on before it is written down which has cultural value a highly debatable term, in my opinion can be deemed an example of oral literature. Ruth takes us on a journey where you will learn several ways in which they express themselves from drums, dance, songs, parables and childrens. Oral literature, the standard forms or genres of literature found in societies without writing. Oral literature theories makerere university courses. Grand in length and scope, an epic provides a portrait of legends, beliefs, valves, laws, arts, and ways of life of a people. Synonyms for oral literature at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. Difference between oral literature and written literature.
A valuable book in the genre of african oral literature is ruth finnegans oral literature in africa. Songsoral narrativesoral poetryriddlestongue twisters 3. An epic is a long story often told in verse involving heroes and gods. The perception of african oral literature nineteenthcentury approaches and collections.
One example of this would be american sign language, or asl. Think the iliad, the odyssey, beowulf, the poetic or elder eddas, and poems from ancient india written in sanskrit about which i know very litt. There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature but a broad conceptualization refers to it as literature characterized by oral transmission and the absence of any fixed form. It is highly valued in africa in general and in igbo in particular mainly because of its didactic nature. Oral literature is a broad term which may include ritual texts, curative chants, epic poems, musical genres, folk tales, creation tales, songs, myths.
Oral literature in africa pdf open book publishers. Theories in developing oral communication for specific. How does oral literature affect written literature. Oral literature, which is almost always oral poetry, has claim to the great poems in literary history. Topics include role and functions of oral literature, genre studies. It was before written literature and consists of the poetperson memorizing the story and re. Theory of literature is a book on literary scholarship by rene wellek, of the structuralist prague school, and austin warren, a selfdescribed old new critic. Oral literature has no transcription due to the language not being a written language. Oral literature is a broad term which may include ritual texts, curative chants, epic poems, musical genres, folk tales, creation tales, songs, myths, spells, legends, proverbs, riddles, tonguetwisters, word games, recitations, life histories or historical narratives. The most basic characteristic of literature, it seems to me, is that a literary work is a verbal text. Introduction to oral literature question papers 10437. Oral literature in africa is part of the world oral literature series published in conjunction with the world oral literature project.
More restrictively, literature refers to writing considered to be an art form or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, and sometimes deploys language in ways that differ from ordinary usage. Information and translations of oral literature in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The term oral literature is also used to describe the tradition in written. African literature, literary works of the african continent. Contents online resources illustrations forward by mark turin prefaces acknowledgements abbreviations note on sources. Aug 06, 2014 literary genres and subgenres fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry video and worksheet duration. Oral literature is basically the art of verbal storytelling. The book is available as a free pdf and ebook download thanks to the generous support of interested readers and organisations, who made donations using the crowdfunding website unglue.
Oral literature, in creative writing, transcription and translation, oral literature and contemporary reality, and research methodology in oral literature. This literature through narrative, poetry, song, dance, myths and fables, and texts for religious rituals provides a portrait of the meaning of life as experienced by the society at its particular time and place with its unique. Beyond the epic, the main oral genres include the folktale. The oral artists agenda joseph muleka 87 p a g e the oral text naturally text is a crucial component in communicating messages. Explain the factors that affected the development of african oral literature during the colonial period. The definition of oral literature would be literature or story telling that uses the spoken work or word of mouth. Such a remark is well in accordance with broader approaches to. African literature consists of a body of work in different languages and various genres, ranging from oral literature to literature written in colonial languages french, portuguese, and english.
Epic poems narrative poems lyric poems nursery rhymes and nonsense verse puns proverbs kennings riddles hymns and other songs with words folk tales myths legends histories biographies. There is no standard definition as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature but a broad conceptualization refers to it as literature characterized by. Oral literature is an aspect of literature preserved not in written form but in oral form. This paper grapples with the question of choice of theory in the study of african oral literature. A concrete cultural meaning is expressed in a particular generic term when it is placed in a given social structure. Only when it is clear how the text stands to the performance and the other to the tradition can an analysis of the contents of the message begin, vansina, 1985. In western europe prior to the 18th century, literature denoted all books and writing. The term oral literature is also used to describe the tradition in written civilizations in which certain genres are transmitted by word of mouth or are confined to the socalled folk i.
Oral literature or folk literature corresponds in the sphere of the spoken oral word to literature as literature operates in the domain of the written word. Ect 315 topic 4 teaching oral literature page 1 of 3 topic 4 teaching of oral literature topic objectives by the end of this topic you should be able to. It thus forms a generally more fundamental component of culture, but operates in many ways as one might expect literature to do. With the invention of writing, people began to record. Oral literature in africa is part of our world oral literature series in. At the end of our discussion, i share the slide with the characteristics of oral literature. Definitions and understandings of oral literature world oral. Using clear illustrations, discuss the relationship between oral literature and society. Before humans developed writing, we passed down stories in the form of oral literature. Next, i share the slide with the different literary genres derived from oral literature. The oral nature of african unwritten literature the significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition. The difference between oral culture and written culture is that oral literature forms more fundamental component of.
Its contents were based on their shared understandings of. It is only material from the past but also a great deal of new material is being composed and performed today. Legends and myths are prime examples of oral literature, crossing the line between fact and fiction, yet strengthened by constant retelling. Literature, most generically, is any body or collection of written works.
Both oral tradition and written literature can be used to convey or tell a story. Jan 01, 2000 amongst the topics covered are translation problems, understanding proverbs, oral narrative as discourse, the use of audio visual aids in teaching, general and the politics of control, images of women in african oral literature, the relationship with material culture, and oral literature as part of oral traditions. African oral genres tales, proverbs, riddles, and lullabies. The paper argues that while it is easy and desirable to choose a facilitative theory in the analysis of a written work of literature, such a process poses challenges when it comes to the oral type of african literature.
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