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Part A | Sounds and Speech

UNIT The Oral Tradition

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1 Long before computers and copying machines and even before there were printing presses, people
remembered important events and stories through something called the oral tradition. The oral tradition is
the passing down of history and information through the ages via storytelling. Much of classic literature is
actually a story that has been conveyed by means of the oral tradition and later recorded in a manuscript.
There are several criteria that linguists examine to determine if a story was passed down through the oral
tradition. The most obvious indication is the manner in which the stories are related, but the simplicity of the
story and the presence of errors are also important indications.

2 In stories passed down by word of mouth, there is often a looseness both in the author?셲 interpretation
of the facts and in the order elements occur within various versions of the stories. For example, jokes are
often circulated in this way---the main characteristics of the joke stay the same, as does the punch line, but
the names of the characters, places, or other details may change. This fluidity of form doesn?셳 affect the overall
humor of the joke; thus, the joke still serves its purpose. Another aspect that linguists look for as a clue to a
story?셲 origin in oral tradition is the presence of clich챕s. Stories transmitted through spoken tradition are often
instructive in nature, and as a result, details and characters may be idealized or typical; there are simple heroes
or villains, instead of complex, conflicted individuals who represent a little of both. Something else that is an
important indication of oral heritage is the vividness of detail. There is not usually much detail in a story that
has been transmitted orally, but the detail that is present is extremely vivid. In the case of a joke, this would
be apparent in the detail that makes the joke funny---the rest of the joke would not be vividly detailed, but the
punch line is the key part of the joke, and therefore always descriptive. The other details are often either omitted
or lost due to the difficulty in retaining all the details of more involved stories. Hence, the focus of the story
is always the overall concept. For example, in the familiar story about the chicken that crossed the road, all
that matters is why the chicken is crossing the road. Such details as the age or color of the chicken, for
instance, are omitted, though they might well be included in a written version of the story.

3 The second major characteristic that can identify whether a story has been passed down orally is its
simplicity. Again, the storyteller is inclined to focus on the main points rather than on extraneous information
that will not impact the listener?셲 overall concept of the story. The story would be far too difficult to remember,
and instead, it is more efficient to pare it down to the essential information, which is why oral storytellers use
very simple and concise expressions. The language is basic, and therefore doesn?셳 impede the listener?셲
ability to understand what the story means.

4 A third characteristic of the oral tradition is that, inevitably, the stories show inconsistencies in different
versions of the same tale. As the story progresses through the generations, certain material gets left out,
added in, or changed. This can be true of some of the more vital parts of the story as well, which eventually
changes the entire story, particularly when the story is finally recorded and the medium varies. Changes in
meaning due to spelling or other concerns can completely alter the original intent of the word, phrase, or
even the entire story. Consider the difference in the words ?쐊now??and ?쐍o.??They sound the same, but on
paper they look completely different.

5 The oral tradition is an important way of passing down information, but it is not infallible. Errors can (and
do) occur along the way. However, many familiar stories the people of the world commonly know and continue
to share today owe their existence to the oral tradition, making this an important means of communication
and of recording history.

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