What are the 3 types of oral literature?

There are several modern works on oral literature, but they do not distinguish one from the others among three forms of oral literature: the everyday orality (a), orality in the folklore (b), and the professional orality (c) (where official historic narratives, sacred texts or literature exist, from the time before the …

Why is classification important in the study of oral literature?

General classification enables us to break oral literature into major categories. For example, oral literature can be divided into oral narratives, oral poetry and short forms. As a scholar of oral literature, l know you are familiar with these categories.

What are the characteristics of oral literature?

Some of these characteristics are: verbal variability; performance; audience and dynamism. Let us look at them one by one. Oral literature as a composition rendered verbally is highly fluid. You will notice that each oral artist performs a common text in an individual way.

What are the components of oral literature?

Oral literature is a performed art which in most cases uses spoken words as a medium of communication. Performance plays a vital role in oral literature. Forms of oral literature include songs, oral narratives, oral poetry, riddles and tongue twisters. Myths are a key genre of oral literature.

What are the functions of oral literature?

Let us now look at some of the functions that oral literature is supposed to fulfil in the society. They are: education, cultural identity, entertainment, cultural dialogue and tolerance, preservation of cultural heritage and humanism.

What is the meaning of oral literature?

Oral literature or folk literature is a literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as folklorists have varying descriptions for oral literature or folk literature.

How many oral literature are there?

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, tongue-twisters, word games, recitations, life histories or historical narratives.

What are the short forms of oral literature?

Proverbs, riddles, tongue twisters, and puns are short forms of oral literature.
…
These genres include:
  • Oral narratives.
  • Oral Poems/Songs.
  • Proverbs.
  • Riddles.
  • Tongue-twisters.
  • Puns.

What is the different forms of literature?

We’ll begin at the roots with the four major literary forms: nonfiction prose, fiction prose, poetry, and drama.

Who is the author of oral literature?

Ruth Finnegan’s Oral Literature in Africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field.

How oral literature is created?

Oral literature is expressed in sayings and narrations, stories, lyrical texts, ballads and songs, performed and passed down over several generations through recited or sung narratives – often involving an incredible memory.

What are the differences between oral literature and written literature?

Oral literature is done through words and speaking, whereas written is through the written word. Written literature can be in the form of short stories, novels and prose whereas oral literature can be described as poems and bards.

What are the six types of oral literature?

Beyond the epic, the main oral genres include the folktale; song, including laments, praise songs, and work songs; folk drama; myth; and, closely related, legend and historical recitation. There are also the minor genres of the proverb and the riddle.

What are the elements of oral performance?

Performance encompasses the modulation of voice and tone, facial expressions, movements, gestures, emotional situation, humour form the aesthetic elements which are artifacts that accentuate the full actualization of a poem, a drama or a narrative prose.

What are the three Characteristics of oral poetry?

Features of Oral Poetry

(a) It is composed and delivered by word of mouth. (b) Linguistic aspects such as tone and pitch are crucial in oral poetry in varying the meaning and the mood . (c) There is often solo and chorus pattern especially in sung poetry. (d) Accompanied with movement and dance.

What are the Characteristics of literature?

Main Characteristics:

usually fiction that displays a sense of reality. tension or conflict. artistic unity (a main idea is conveyed) figurative language (similes, metaphors, irony, symbolism, analogy)

What is the importance of literature?

Literature allows a person to step back in time and learn about life on Earth from the ones who walked before us. We can gather a better understanding of culture and have a greater appreciation of them. We learn through the ways history is recorded, in the forms of manuscripts and through speech itself.

What are oral forms?

Anything you write or read can be considered a written form; anything you hear or say can be considered an oral form. Think about all of the different print materials that are common to you every day. All of these can be considered written forms, from the newspaper, to the grocery coupons, to book covers.