Orality and Textuality (With an Appendix on the Byzantine Conceptions)

The chapter proposes that one cannot approach Byzantine literature—preserved in either medieval and early modern manuscript books or in the form of inscriptions—without an appreciation of its textual modes of production and circulation, its possible origins in oral creation, and its likely orientation toward oral performance and auditory reception. It thus introduces and surveys three types of texts: (i) texts that reflect conditions of primary orality (songs, sayings, and short or long “stories”); (ii) texts that entail secondary orality (primarily rhetorical and liturgical texts); and (iii) a middle type of texts (texts of fictive orality and rhetoricized liturgical literature). The chapter is rounded off by an examination of Byzantine conceptions of oral vs. written discourse.

Słowo jako medium tradycji: szkic z teorii oralności

Word as Medium of Tradition. Essay on Theory of OralityThe goal of the paper is to outline the concept of word as medium of intergenerational transfer of tradition in cultures of primary orality as formulated in the theory of orality since the 1960s. According to the classic anthropological approach, it emphasizes the orientation on tradition and stability of oral cultures. It also focuses on mechanisms of preserving fidelity and persistence of cultural patterns in the utterances/messages despite the lack of the written form. The basic mechanism here is to grasp messages in the form of epic poetry. Information (technical instruction and moral norms) is depicted in the narrative context, that is, descriptions of heroes’ activities as only by that the listeners’ emotions and – consequently – actions were stimulated. Combining poetry with music, singing, gestures and dancing were also used as mnemotechnical tools – messages affected listeners by rhyme, rhythm, and melody. On the verbal level, shaping messages according to mnemotechnical mechanisms have led to the origins of preservative language (elevated speech) that differed from flexible language used for everyday communication. Its main constitutive trait was dominance of formulas (formulative style) aimed at preserving those messages from critical analysis and being reshaped by the recipients. On the structural level of stories, formulas’ equivalent were typescenes and story-patterns. They were used to secure high fidelity of several performances (repetitions) of particular pieces. Other inherent traits of oral messages are: paratactic composition, redundancy, and Homeric epithets for descriptions of heroes.

From Primary Orality to Secondary Orality

There are two sides to the phenomenon of globalization: the positive and the negative. On the negative side, it is apparent that indigenous cultures and performances are being dangerously diluted and annihilated due to the unprecedented proliferation of globalized values and norms. On the positive however, globalization has opened up many cultures to the world by removing physical distances and space, creating a phenomenon of cultural syncretism evident in information and communication technologies. In this paper, the researcher tries to examine the possibility of internationalizing Nyum Onzho and some aspects of the theatre in order to promote, showcase and project its theatricality across the world through the instrumentality of the variables of globalization such as the television, video-film format and internet sources.Among the Eggon, a story is called Onzho and the art of the storytelling itself is called Nyum Onzho. Hence, Nyum Onzho is the art of storytelling. The aim of this performance is to produce an individual who is transparent, honest, respectful, skilful, and cooperative and one who could conform to the social order of the society. This art of storytelling is central to the life of every Eggon person. It is largely secular and the most eclectic and dynamic in form and content.This paper also explores the proposition for a paradigm shift from primary orality to secondary orality. That is, from its original face-to-face format into the digital format.It also examines how Nyum Onzho performance and the indices of globalisation could be adapted to each other and harnessed in the service of development objectives of the Eggon people. This paper concludes that, despite the challenges, losses and treat inherent in globalization, there are also significant gains,opportunities and benefits the advent of globalization has offered. It therefore becomes imperative for the Eggon people to key into these numerous benefits and opportunities globalization has provided to internationalize, promote and showcase their culture and cultural performance to the global community.

SINTREN DARI SUDUT PANDANG SECONDARY ORALITY

Penelitian ini bertujuan mengungkapkan sintren, sebuah tradisi lisan sebagai primary orality yang bertransformasi dalam bentuk secondary orality. Masalah yang dibahas adalah bagaimana sintren dalam bentuk secondary orality? Apakah benar-benar berubah atau ke luar dari bentuk asalnya? Teori yang digunakan dalam penganalisisan data adalah pendekatan modern dan sudut pandang secondary orality. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode modern dengan teknik perbandingan dan penyimakan. Hasil penelitian menggambarkan bahwa sintren dalam bentuk secondary orality lebih variatif, fungsional, dan lebih menarik, baik dari aspek bentuk maupun tampilannya. Simpulan penelitian ini adalah bahwa secondary orality merupakan satu bentuk penerobosan baru agar sintren sebagai tradisi lisan lebih bertahan, lebih diketahui generasi masa kini, dan lebih bisa menembus zamannya

Orality, Germanic Literacy and Runic Inscriptions in Anglo-Saxon England

The presence of runic writing before the influx of Latinate literacy in Anglo-Saxon England is often neglected when investigating the transitional nature of orality and literacy in vernacular Anglo-Saxon writing. The presence of runes in Anglo-Saxon society and Old English manuscripts supports the theory that Old English poetry operated within a transitional period between orality and literacy (as argued by O'Keeffe (1990), Pasternack (1995), Amodio (2005)). However runic symbols problematize the definition of orality within Old English oral-formulaic studies because runic writing practices predate Latinate literacy in England. This article explores the possibility that the orality contained within Old English poetry is a form of secondary orality due to the pre-existence of runic writing in Anglo-Saxon England. This form of secondary orality occurs within the wider social cultural shift between primary orality and modern hyper-literate states as runes act as a literary representation of change within the construction of thought and literature in the English language. This article suggests that runes can be understood as a type of ‘transitional literacy’ between primary orality and Latinate derived literary practices. They act as a way of composing and recording thought as text while still maintaining elements strongly associated with the construction of a primary oral culture in how the texts are interpreted by a culture familiar with writing. Therefore clarification must be made when understanding Old English as a transitional poetic form, namely that the nature and degree of transition contained within Old English poetry builds upon runic inscriptions as it represents a transition between a Germanic and Latinate forms of textuality and literacy.

Visualisasi dan Transformasi Kebertubuhan Dalam Film Animasi Planes (Ke Arah Pembentukan Mitos Baru)

ABSTRACTThis research is entitled “Visualization and Transformation of Embodiment in the Film of Planes Animation”. As an animation film, Planes is interesting because it is using inanimate objects, in this case the planes, as characters. This fact indicates that the character transformation is done by an animator, from the character of inanimate objects in to live character. By using the methods of structural and semiotic analysis, found that the transformation is done not only for personification (it is made as if the inanimate objects becomes alive). In the Planes, “the living things” not only exist in the mind as imagination, but it is exist out of the mind, as an autonomous reality. Based on that, Planes is the animation film which opens space for creating a new myth in the history of culture. Like the fable as a myth in the tradition of primary orality, Planes allows the formation of myth in digital oral tradition.Key Words: Transformation, visualization, embodiment, personification, metaphor, tradition, myth ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertajuk “Visualisasi dan Transformasi Kebertubuhan dalam Film Animasi Planes”.Sebagai film animasi, Planes menarik karena menggunakan benda-benda mati, dalam hal ini pesawat, sebagai tokoh cerita. Fakta ini mengindikasikan dilakukannya transformasi karakte r ole h animator, yakni dari karakte r “yang mati” ke “yang hidup”.Dengan menggunakan metode analisis structural dan semiotik, ditemukan bahwa transformasi tersebut dilakukan melampaui sarana retorika personifikasi (membuatseolah- olah yang mati menjadi hidup).Di dalam Planes, “yang hidup” itu tidak berada di dalam pikiran dan imajinasi apresiator sebagai yang seolah-olah, melainkan hadir di luar pikiran, berdiri sendiri sebagai realita sotonom. Berdasarkan hal itu, Planes merupakan film animasi yang membuka ruang bagi terciptanya mitos baru dalam sejarah cerita. Jika fable merupakan mitos dalam tradisi kelisanan primer, Planes memungkinkan terbentuknya mitos dalam tradisi lisan digital.Kata kunci: transformasi, visualisasi, kebertubuhan, personifikasi, metafora, tradisi, mitos.