Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
5.Thedevelopmentoforal-formulaicstudiesfromthe1970s
19
theAmericancontinent.Hereonemaymentiontheworksofsuchscholars
asI.Okpewho(1979),J.C.Miller(1980)orB.Rosenberg(1970).9
Theimportanceofthesenewdevelopmentsandstudiesliesinthefact
thattheypreparedthewayfortheimportantworkdoneinthe1980son
forgingacomprehensiveneworal-formulaictheorywhichwouldprovide
amethodologicalframeworkforanyanalysisoforalliteratureinany
chosenhistoricalperiodorculture.Althoughnosuchmethodologyhas
beendevelopedasyetalotofcriticalefforthasbeenspentonthetopic
inthelastquarterofacenturyandthemostimportantnametobe
mentionedinthecontextofthefoundationsofthisworkdoneinthelate
sixtiesandtheseventieswouldbethatofWalterJ.Ong.
TheimmensevalueofOng’smanypublicationsonthequestionoforal
andliteratecultureistheresultofhisbringingasolidphilosophicalback-
groundtooral-formulaicstudies,whichenabledhim,instudiessuchas
ThePresenceoftheWord(1967),Rhetoric,RomanceandTechnology(1971),
orOralityandLiteracy(1982,1995),todevelopatheoreticalmodelfor
discussingthedifferencesbetweentheoralandliteratemodesofthinking
bothonthelevelofindividualpsychologyandintheglobalcultural
context.AnotherimportantassetofOng’sworkwastorelatetheLord
andParrytheorytotherealmoflinguistics,theresultofwhichwashis
re-evaluationofbothdeSaussure’sclassicstudiesoforalspeechandthe
recentdevelopmentsinsomebranchesoflinguisticsinthelightofthe
studiesoforalliterature.
InthewakeofOng’sresearch,theformulaicmodesofcommunication
andliteraryactivityexistinginthepredominantlyoralcultureswerethus
linkedwithsomeunderlyingfeaturesofhumanpsychologyseenagainst
thebackgroundoftheevolutionofhumansocietiesandformsofsocial
interaction,andalsowithsomeofthefindingsfromthefieldofsociolin-
guistics.WhatOngwasmostinterestedinasfarasoralformulaewere
concernedwastheirmnemonicfunctionofpreservinginformationand
reflectingtheworldviewoforalcultures.10Thusitmaybearguedthat
fromthepointofviewofliterarystudiesaclearandprecisedemarcation
betweenverbalandconceptualphenomenawassometimesnotdefinitely
delineatedintheargument.11
ThusthemostlastingvaluewhichOng’sresearchbringstooral-formu-
laicstudiesisawideningoftheirscopetoembracethepsychologicalaspect
9SeealsotheargumentinOng(1995:27-29).
10SeeforinstanceOng(1995:33-77).
11SeeespeciallyOng’sdiscussionofLuria’sfindingsinOng(1995:49-57).
