November 21st, 2007
“Thought requires some sort of continuity. Writing establishes in the text a ‘line’ of continuity outside the mind. If distraction confuses or obliterates from the mind the context out of which emerges the material I am now reading, the context can be retrieved by glancing back over the text selectively. …. In oral discourse, the situation is different. There is nothing to backloop into outside the mind, for the oral utterance has vanished as soon as it is uttered.” (Orality and Literacy, 39).
Ong’s point in this passage is certainly true. The written passage allows readers to backloop to reread any section if they did not understand it or even if their minds wandered while reading. Such an ability to retrieve or re-experience the content is not possible in a live setting, short of requesting the speaker repeat the seemingly lost statement or section (a condition rarely possible in a public setting).
However, the communication methods in digital orality replace this downfall. Read the rest of this entry »
November 19th, 2007
Another aspect of digital orality style takes into consideration how meaning is established and to what extent grammar and syntax play into that.
“Chirographic structures look more to syntactics (organization of the discourse itself)…. Written discourse develops more elaborate and fixed grammar than oral discourse does because to provide meaning it is more dependant upon linguistic structure, since it lacks the normal full existential contexts which surround oral discourse and help determine meaning in oral discourse somewhat independently of grammar.” (Orality and Literacy. 38).
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November 18th, 2007
This is sort of a continuation of yesterday’s discussion on residual styles following the transition from oral to literary and then on to (not back to) a new orality. When considering the ways in which we organize our speeches, podcasts, etc., are there identifiable styles and inspirations? There are various types of podcasts, so there is no set or even general style. However, one of the most common is the radio show format. The organization and arrangement of the recording is based on this radio show format. The podcaster, whether fully intended or not, takes on the common, perhaps cliché, persona of the type of DJ he or she associates with that format. Read the rest of this entry »
November 17th, 2007
Writing was initially affected by orality. That is, it was formulaic and worked to convey the story or message through such formulas as rhythm, repetition, structured organization, etc. This is a sort of residual orality that manifested in the literary style. Eventually, writing became more flowing prose and literature as we realized the freedom of writing since it enhanced (killed?) memory. By this I mean it was no longer necessary to organize content in such an structured, formulaic manner for the sake of recalling it. Then, we became oral again with the advent of TV, radio, electronic orality, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
