open discussion

Here is a recent correspondance between Mi Ryoung and I. fyi:

Thank you Mi Ryoung - these are good points. Yes, we may be overgeneralizing, but that shows our need to get more specific. You make a good observation about social distance. The formal event very likely will involve more anonymous participants. How does that change the social transaction? Consider the event from a larger perspective: various unrelated individuals have selected to attend an event, perhaps purchased tickets, arriving with certain expectations of the event in terms of entertainment, use of time, and so on. The storyteller likewise arrives with certain expectations for the event: allotment of time for speaking, presumed interest of the listeners, and so on. Note how this compares with Bauman's observations on the changes in Ed Bell's storytelling as his storytelling persona moved from informal to formal storyteller, to a setting that allowed for more time and elaboration for an increasingly diverse and anonymous group of listeners.

Note Bell's own remarks about his choices as the context changed.
pg. 104:
"Above all, Bell considers it crucially necessary to maintain a keen awareness of the audience as he performs:
'When I add it there I look and watch people, how they receive it. You know, it doesn;t take long when you're talkin' for someone to tell how they receive what you're sayin', and, uh, I can almost all the time tell if that was good, better, or worse.' "

David


On Apr 12, 2009, at 10:39:59 PM, Marian wrote:
From: Marian
Subject: [READ 5190] New comment on The terms "Grooming" and "stroking" revisited by M....
Date: April 12, 2009 10:39:59 PM EDT
To: novateller@aol.com
Marian has left a new comment on your post "The terms "Grooming" and "stroking" revisited by M...":

Thanks Mary and David for your comments!!

It was ok when I used these terms for the analysis of conversational storytelling. while I am trying to use these terms in the storytelling event, i have a trouble in using the terms because of the following reasons. First, participants in the storytelling event are anonymous ("not known") and different from those in conversational storytelling. We don't know who they are. The terms "Grooming and stroking" should be used where the social distance is very close. Second, there are very few grooming and stroking behaviors from audience such as clapping and laughing. I wonder whether we can include audience verbal replies as grooming behaviors. To me, the terms are being used as "overgeneralization" in our classroom.

etymology: meta- in metanarration

meta-
prefix meaning 1. "after, behind," 2. "changed, altered," 3. "higher, beyond," from Gk. meta (prep.) "in the midst of, among, with, after," from PIE *me- "in the middle" (cf. Goth. miþ, O.E. mið "with, together with, among," see mid). Notion of "changing places with" probably led to senses "change of place, order, or nature," which was the principal meaning of the Gk. word when used as a prefix. Third sense, "higher, beyond," is due to misinterpretation of metaphysics (q.v.) as "transcending physical science."

metanarration (Bauman p98)
"By metanarration, I mean those devices that index or comment on the narrative itself (such as message, generic form and function, and discourse) or on the components or conduct of the storytelling event (including participants, organization, and action" (Babcock 1977).

metalanguage
In logic and linguistics, a metalanguage is a language used to make statements about statements in another language which is called the object language. Formal syntactic models for the description of grammar, e.g. generative grammar, are a type of metalanguage. More broadly, it can refer to any terminology or language used to discuss language itself—a written grammar, for example, or a discussion about language use.

Bauman's Formal devices (94-106pp)

David,

I think it would be good to cover Bauman's formal devices to analyze the storytelling event. The following terms are used;

Direct discourse
Syntactic parallelism
Thematic parallelism
Metanarration

Would it be possible to discuss these terms briefly in class? I am very interested in using "metanarration" in the analysis of the storytelling event. I am not sure I understand it well.

And what is the difference between narrated event vs. narrative texts vs. narrative events Bauman used? What is the difference between oral traditional performance and oral interpretative performance? (Sobol’s article_innterversion and inntertext)

Rubric for paper

Here are some ideas: In addition to Del Hymes, I have many things under interpretation and fewer under evaluation. 

Interpretation:

grooming, strokes, status

paralanguage

involvement strategies: 

(sound)

rhythm, tempo, pace, drawing out sounds

repetition, repeating figures of speech

phonemes, morphemes

verbal plumage

tools of discourse (alliteration, assonance, rhythm, ellipse, tropes, dialogue

sounds of speech

colloquial language, dialect

making special

emotional range

(meaning)

open-ended discourse

narrative

surprise / break expectations

involvement behavior:

laughter

  listening

body language

Evaluation:

Grice's maxisms and the flouting of

place , reveal, relate

there must be other things for evaluation......  

etymology

myth:  1830 from Greek mythos, "speech, story, myth," of unknown origin.  Myths are "stories about divine beings, generally arranged in a coherent system; they are revered as true and sacred; they are endorsed by rulers and priests; and closely linked to religion.  Once the link is broken, and the actors in the story are not regarded as gods but as human heros, giants, fairies, it is no longer a myth but a folktale.  Where the central central actor is divine but the story is trivial...the result is religious legend, not myth. (J. Simpson & S Roud, Dict. of Eng. Folklore. 2000.

etymology

legend :O. Fr. legende (12c), from M.L. legenda, "legend, story" lit. "things to be read" on certain days in church, etc., L. legere "to read, gather, select.  Originally used of saints' lives, extended sense of nonhistoric or mythical story, first recorded in 1613.  Meaning "writing or inscription" (on coin or medal) is from 1611, on a map, illustration, etc. is from 1903.

Blog Journal Entry

Etymologies
emotion
1579, "a (physical) moving, stirring, agitation," from M.Fr. emotion, from O.Fr. emouvoir "stir up," from L. emovere "move out, remove, agitate," from ex- "out" + movere "to move" (see move). Sense of "strong feeling" is first recorded 1660; extended to "any feeling" 1808. Emote is a 1917 back-formation. Emotional "liable to emotion" is from 1857.
The original meaning for this word surprises me. I thought that feeling would come first.
refine
1582, of metals, 1588 of manners, from re-, intensive prefix + obs. fine (v.) "make fine," from fine (adj.) "delicate" (q.v.). Cf. Fr. raffiner, It. raffinare, Sp. refinar. General and fig. sense is recorded from 1596; of sugar, from 1613. Refinery in various senses is first recorded 1727. Refinement "act or process of refining" is from 1611; meaning "fineness of feeling" is from 1708.
When considering the terms for this assignment, this word didnt come to mind initially. When I thought about it, what great storytellers, or professionals in any field for that matter, are trying to do is make their stories better. Refining is a part of the process for anyone who is truly good at something
reaction
1611, from re- "again, anew" + action (q.v.). Modeled on Fr. réaction, older It. reattione, from M.L. reactionem (nom. reactio), from L.L. react-, pp. stem of reagere "react," from re- "back" + agere "to do, act" (see act). Originally scientific; physiological sense is attested from 1805; psychological sense first recorded 1887; general sense of "action or feeling in response" (to a statement, event, etc.) is recorded from 1914. The verb react is attested from 1644.
feel (v.)
To get a reaction from the audience is what the teller strives for . Whether it be anger, laughter, tears, etc...
The sense in O.E. was "to perceive through senses which are not referred to any special organ." Sense of "be conscious of a sensation or emotion" developed by c.1290; that of "to have sympathy or compassion" is from 1605; feeling (n.) "emotion" is first recorded 1369; feelings "tender or sensitive side of one's nature" is 1771
Both the noun and the verb form are used in storytelling. using the senses a teller can experience their audience all different ways.

Neologisms
clutch-a small purse that can be carried in one's hand, fake- referring to a person who isnt truthful, eco-friendly-referring to a product that is good for the environment and earth

Odd terms
Emotalk about a weird word I see people like this all the time, guys with their hair cut at a slant, flipped to the side, girls jeans and tight black shirts on, aite- a friend of mine uses this term, which means alright i laugh like crazy when he says this its so great, tween- the area of age between 10 and 13 when the little girls are crazy about hanna montana and the jonas brothers, meh- yet another term from my really good friend what a wonderful vocabulary he has, You little peckerwood-my granny used to joke around with me all the time and call me this. its so southern. barista-the people who wait on you at starbucks. honestly i think this sounds like bastile, like theyre prison guards or something, quarter of a century club-a term i use to describe being 25 at last. i used this term to annoy my friends when they turned 25