Knowra Oral tradition Oral tradition Oral tradition is the transmission of stories, knowledge, customs, and cultural memory through speech and performance across generations. It changes through retelling while preserving material communities consider worth remembering.
Oral-formulaic theory : A theory that oral poetry uses recurring formulas and themes to support composition and performance. Explains how performers can create and recall long works without memorizing fixed texts.
Folklore : The traditional beliefs, customs, narratives, and expressive practices of a community. Oral tradition is a major means by which folklore is transmitted.
Homeric epics : The ancient Greek poems the Iliad and Odyssey, associated with the poet Homer. Their composition and transmission are central evidence in debates about oral poetry.
Oral history methodology : Methods for collecting, interpreting, and preserving recorded testimony about the past. Oral tradition informs how historians assess spoken accounts and their changing forms.
Oral poetry : Poetry composed, transmitted, or performed primarily through speech rather than writing. Shows how rhythm, formula, and performance carry tradition across generations.
Folktale : A traditional story passed among people, often changing through repeated retellings. Folktales are a familiar narrative form carried by oral tradition.
West African griot : A West African hereditary or professional performer who preserves and presents history, genealogy, and praise poetry. Griots exemplify specialized roles in maintaining spoken histories and cultural memory.
Historical linguistics : The study of how languages change and relate over time. Oral transmission can preserve linguistic features and reveal change across generations.
Collective memory : The shared representations of the past maintained by a group. Oral retellings sustain group memories while adapting them to present concerns.
Myth : A traditional narrative that explains a people's origins, world, or sacred order. Myths often persist through spoken performance before or alongside written versions.
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