Ong undertakes a psychodynamic analysis of the differences between orality and literacy. Wright sussex are coediting orality and literacy, a special issue of 19. The book was republished in 2002 and again on its 30 th anniversary in 2012, showing enduring interest in ong s scholarship and ideas. In walter ong s article, orality, literacy, and modern media, we learn about the difference between the oral culture and the written culture. John hartley is an educator, author, researcher and commentator on the history and cultural. The first volume appeared at a time when people were. It is possible to somewhat generalize the psychology of the main oral cultures, that is, oral cultures are not affected by writing.
Orality and literacy biblical studies oxford bibliographies. According to these authors, the advent of literacy has radically transformed the societies that have adopted it. Ong published in 1982, ong s orality and literacy created a discussion that cracked the dichotomy of orality and literacy introducing a fluctuating continuum with three main groupings. The book appeared in methuen presss new accents series, under the general editorship of terence hawkes, along with titles on literature, literary criticism, and popular culture. Walter ong investigates the differences between a culture based on oral tradition and those based on the written word.
While hedging his argument in his introduction to orality and literacy, ong states that there are correlations between thought processes changing and the advent of writing. Full text of ong walter, orality and literacy internet archive. However, while the contrastive procedure in orality and literacy etched in stark relief some of what ong considered fundamental differences between the oral and written, some markedly similar submissions had been made by him in his earlier works, notably the presence of the word 1967 and interfaces of the word 1977. He notes the benefits of literacy, but his foundational point is that writing and subsequent print culture came from something from a rich and welldeveloped culture of speech speech orality is more basic to humanity than literacy. Ong, a member of the society of jesus professor of. I had read walter ong s 1982 orality and literacy only a year earlier, but the ideas seemed so distantstories of cultures long assimilated into the literate mindset. His work has been cited in studies of orality and literacy in african culture and the implications of modern literacy theory for library science. Dec 10, 2012 ong does not waste ink in praise of reading and writing. It is useful to approach orality and literacy synchronically, by comparing oral cultures. Ong i style the orality of a culture totally untouched by any knowledge or writing or print, primary orality. Ong s conclusions in orality and literacy 1982 are generally regarded as accurate depictions, and serve as the foundation for development of theories, strategies, and methodologies. Orality and literacy professor walter ong s book explores some of the profound changes in our thought processes, personality and social structures which are the result, at various stages of our history, of the development of speech, writing and print. Ong, who acknowledges ivins in orality and literacy, was concerned with the evolution of human consciousness effected by the invention of written language as an extension of oral communication.
Orality and literacy in the commedia dellarte and the. It will explore how the cultural shift in human consciousness from orality to literacy can inform the current transition from literacy to a virtuality culture. Walter ong 19122003 studied and compared societies that do not have a system of writing with societies that. The technologizing of the word in 1982, synthesizing his careerlong concern with the impact of the. Ong on the differences between orality and literacy new learning. Chapter 3 orality and literacy revisited by gilles gravelle. Interdisciplinary studies in the long nineteenth century, which will appear in spring 2014. According to these authors, the advent of literacy has radically transformed the. The book appeared in methuen presss new accents series, under the general editorship of terence hawkes, along with titles on literature, literary criticism, and.
Walter ong also foregrounds the importance of new communications. The technologizing of the word in 1982, synthesizing his. Published in 1982, ong s orality and literacy created a discussion that cracked the dichotomy of orality and literacy introducing a fluctuating continuum with three main groupings. Walter ong and the willard preacher brett lunceford. Walter ong oral cultures and early writingorality, literacy, communication, and media module 2 5 excerpts from walter ongs book orality and literacy module 2 4 excerpts from. Thirtythree years ago walter ong published his lifes work in orality and literacy. Oral traditions of storytelling are found in several civilisations they predate the printed and online press storytelling was used to explain natural phenomena. Ong, orality and literacy 1982 public culture duke. The technologizing of the word 2002, he discussed the difference between primary oral cultures and literacy cultures, and how these two can be related at the same time. The technologizing of the word 1982, he attempts to identify the distinguishing characteristics of orality by examining thought and its verbal expression in societies where the technologies of literacy especially writing and print are unfamiliar to most of the population. As the theoretical underpinning, this dissertation will explore walter ong s conceptions of primary orality and literacy cultures ong, 19822002. That realization has brett lunceford is assistant professor of communication at the university of south alabama. Aug 15, 2019 ong on primary orality and secondary orality. Orality, literacy, and medieval textualization authors.
He was a professor at the university of toronto and was active in the canadian socialist movement during the 1930s. Thats the way it is walter cronkites television signature comes from the. Ongs work on orality and literacy that to look up the word orality in the oxford english dictionary is. Interdisciplinary studies in the long nineteenth century forthcoming 2014. Ong s classic work provides a fascinating insight into the social effects of oral, written, printed and electronic technologies, and their impact on philosophical, theological, scientific and literary thought. Ong noted, writing from the beginning did not reduce orality but enhanced it 9. Ong 30 november 1912 12 august 2003 was university professor emeritus at saint louis university, usa, where he was previously professor of english and professor of humanities in psychiatry. The notion of secondary orality is to be understood with reference to the literacy orality distinction as developed by authors such as jack goody and ian watt 1968, marshall mcluhan, 1962 and ong himself. His major interest was in exploring how the transition from orality to literacy influenced. In the 1960s and 1970s, he served as chair of the classics departments at both harvard and yale.
Ong and the concept of orality paula mcdowell it is a testimony to the influence of walter j. Walter ong characterises the main differences between the languages of oral and literate cultures in these terms. In ong s most widely known work, orality and literacy. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this orality and literacy study guide. Most books written on the subject of orality and literacy are constructed upon an edifice of binary oppositions between the oral and the written traditions a typology of supposed differences between the primitive or preliterate and civilized or. Oral speech is fully natural to human beings in the sense. There is no school of orality and literacy, nothing that would be the equivalent of. On the theoretical foundations of orality and literacy. It will explore how the cultural shift in human consciousness from orality to literacy can inform the current transition from literacy. Orality, literacy, and modern media walter oug walter ong was, until his recent retirement, professorofhumanities atsaint ljuis university. His many publications have been highly influential for studies in the evolution of consciousness. By contrast with natural, oral speech, writing is completely artificial.
Some psychodynamics of orality in the book orality and literacy, walter ong examines primary oral cultures. As the paradoxical relationships of orality and literacy in rhetoric and learned latin suggest, the transition from orality to literacy was slow ong 1967b, pp. Ongs classic work provides a fascinating insight into the social effects of oral, written, printed and electronic technologies, and their impact on. Jan 23, 2007 professor mindy mcadamss presentation about some of the key ideas from walter j. Orality, literacy, modern media, by walter ong the voice. Ong, 9780415538381, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. However, while the contrastive procedure in orality and literacy etched in stark.
It is primary by contrast with the secondary orality of presentday hightechnology culture, in which a new orality is sustained by telephone, radio, television, and other electronic devices that depend for their existence. Walter jackson ong sj november 30, 1912 august 12, 2003 was an american jesuit priest, professor of english literature, cultural and religious historian, and philosopher. The issue draws on contributions to a series of events on the theme that took place in london. If the alphabetic revolution and the spread of literacy did not immediately eradicate orality in classical greece, neither did the printing 2 eric havelock 1982 has stressed the persistence of orality in classical athens. Youll get access to all of the orality and literacy content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides. This thirtieth anniversary edition coinciding with ong s centenary year reproduces his bestknown and most influential book in full and brings it up to date with.
Ong 19122003 is highly regarded within the universal view camp. Read or download orality and literacy new accents book by walter j. For oral cultures, words are only represented as sounds. Orality and literacy walter ong pdf walter ong describes the main differences between the languages of oral cultures and literacy in these terms. Professor walter ongs book explores some of the profound changes in. Preface to plato has remained continuously in print since its initial publication. Ong s work on orality and literacy that to look up the word orality in the oxford english dictionary is now a defamiiiarizing act. This thirtieth anniversary edition coinciding with ong s centenary year reproduces his bestknown and most influential book in full and brings it up. As human beings, we have a tendency to ponder new ideas and concepts on a regular basis. Ong s influential orality and literacy other than ong himself.
Ong says that the problem with sound is that it is evanescent. In his memorably strange coinage, literate peoples inhabit th i discovered walter ong s orality and literacy 1982 only recently. The issues of distance and separation implicit in this project are analysed using the theoretical framework of walter ong, especially in his book orality and literacy and lecture writing is a. And he projects his analysis further into the age of mass electronic communications. The technologizing of the word in 1982, synthesizing his careerlong concern with the impact of the shift from orality to literacy on various cultures. Professor walter ongs book explores some of the profound changes in our. It is useful to approach orality and literacy synchronically, by comparing oral. The technologizing of the word25 years ago, in 1982.
The technologizing of the word new accents read online by walter j. Orality and literacy 25 years later scholar commons. Avaliable format in pdf, epub, mobi, kindle, ebook and audiobook. Pdf on the theoretical foundations of orality and literacy.
Such curiosity notes back to the days of primary orality. Writing establishes what has been called context free language hirsch 1977, pp. Naucnik, predavac na univerzitetu u sent luisu i katolicki svestenik, volter dzekson ong 1912 2003, jedinstven je po svom interdisciplinarnom. His chapter entitled some psychodynamics of orality has been particularly. May 01, 2020 walter ong published orality and literacy. Orality, literacy, and modern media in davdcrowlyanaul heyer, communication in history.
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