Style and Language in oral Literature.
ABSTRACT
Analyses of oral literature have for long concentrated on function and form, with little or no attention paid to the aesthetic and linguistic aspects. This work applies linguistic principles to the analysis of oral literature.
The purpose is to arrive at an interpretation of the tales, based on the structure, to enable us study some of the lexical and grammatical categories isolated from the tales, and to attempt constructing a tentative theory of the linguistic properties of oral tale.
After the introduction, the work is divided into four chapters. Chapter one is an introduction to the text. Chapter two presents a literature review of related works, chapter three is our research method while chapter four analyses a selection from our corpus, while five concludes the thesis.
While analyzing lexical and grammatical categories in the tales, this thesis further argues that to understand the meaning of oral literature, one has to understand its distinctive language and style and concludes that narrators use words deliberately to achieve the reaction they desire from the audience.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page – – – – – – – – i
Approval Page – – – – – – – – ii
Certification – – – – – – – iii
Dedication – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgements – – – – – – v
Table of Contents – – – – – – – vi
Abstract – – – – – – – – viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study – – – – – – 1
1.2 Objectives of the Study – – – – – – 6
1.3 Research Problem – – – – – – – 7
1.4 Relevance of Study – – – – – – – 8
1.5 Scope of the Study – – – – – – – 10
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Conceptual Framework – – – – – – 11
2.1.1 The concept of Oral Literature – – – – – 11
2.2 Theoretical Framework – – – – – – 18
2.3 Empirical Concept – – – – – – – 21
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOLODGY
3.1 Research Design – – – – – – – 28
3.2 Population of the Research – – – – – – 29
3.3 Sample – – – – – – – – – 30
3.4 Instrument of Data Collection – – – – – 30
3.5 Data Collation and Analysis- – – – – – 30
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 32
CHAPTER FIVE : CONCLUSION – – – – – 63
Works Cited – – – – – – – – 66
Appendix – – – – – – – – – 68
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Traditional Africa was a basically oral society. Our history, science, medicine, technology, philosophy and literary forms were passed through the words of mouth in myths, folktales, legends, proverbs,praise poetry and ritual performances.
Our biological ancestors did not cease to be a mere species of animal and become mankind until the capacity for rhythmic language and narration had evolved in them.
In myth the world over, these mental powers are said to be god-given and divine. So for long ages the only way any knowledge could survive from one generation to another was through oral literature.
Oral literature began so long ago in prehistoric time that no one can scientifically even guess how or when they originated. It has certain stylistic aspect which is peculiar to it.
It is specific and less ambiguous way of communication, because the speaker reinforces his or her specificity of meaning with gesture, expression, intonation, and so on, and various self-correcting mechanisms of which written literature is incapable of doing. It also ratify the meaning of each word in a succession of concrete situations.
Oral literature is a broad term which may include ritual performance, curative chants, epic poems,ballad and songs, musical genres, folk tales, creation tales, songs, myths, spells, legends, proverbs, riddles, tongue-twisters, word games, recitations, life histories or historical narratives.
These forms constitute in a real and significant sense, the literary traditions and achievement of indigenous African societies.
REFERENCES
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Chapman Raymond. Linguistic and Literature: An Introduction to literary Stylistic. Ed. Edward Arnold. London: long man group.1973. 76-89 Print.
Crystal, David and Davey Derek. Investigating English Style. London: longman group 1976. Print
Dorson, Richard. “Standard for Collecting and Publishing American Folktale.” Journal of American folklore. 23(1-9) 1957. 42-58 print
Emenajo, Nolue. What is Creative Literature? The case of the Igbo. Oxford: Finnegan, Ruth. Oral Literature in Africa. Nairobi: Oxford university press, 1976. Print .
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