Il-ktieb Oral Tradition as History ta’ Jan Vansina, L-Università ta’ Wisconsin

Astratt: Il-meravilja tat-tradizzjoni orali, xi wħud jgħidu s-saħta tagħha, hija din: messaġġi mill-passat jeżistu, huma reali, u madankollu mhumiex aċċessibbli kontinwament għas-sensi. It-tradizzjonijiet orali jidhru biss meta jingħadu. F’xi mumenti jistgħu jinstemgħu, imma ħafna drabi joqogħdu biss fl-imħuħ tan-nies. Il-kelma hija tranżitorja, iżda l-memorji mhumiex. Ħadd fis-soċjetajiet orali ma jiddubita li l-memorji jistgħu jkunu repożitorji fidili li fihom is-somma totali tal-esperjenza umana tal-passat u jispjegaw kif u għaliex tal-kundizzjonijiet tal-lum. Tete are nene: “L-affarijiet tal-qedem huma llum” jew “L-istorja tirrepeti ruħha.” Kemm jekk il-memorja tinbidel kif ukoll jekk le, il-kultura hija riprodotta bit-tifkira mpoġġija fi kliem u għemil. Il-moħħ permezz tal-memorja jġorr il-kultura minn ġenerazzjoni għal oħra. Kif huwa possibbli għal moħħ li jiftakar u minn xejn idawwar ideat kumplessi, messaġġi u struzzjonijiet għall-għajxien, li juru kontinwità matul iż-żmien, hija waħda mill-akbar għeġubijiet li wieħed jista ’jistudja, komparabbli biss għall-intelliġenza u l-ħsieb tal-bniedem innifsu. Minħabba li l-meravilja hija kbira, hija wkoll kumplessa ħafna. It-tradizzjoni orali għandha tkun ċentrali għall-istudenti tal-kultura, tal-ideoloġija, tas-soċjetà, tal-psikoloġija, tal-arti, u, fl-aħħar, tal-istorja. (Dan it-test huwa disponibbli fuq il-website: https://www.pdfdrive.com/oral-tradition-as-history-d184939056.html)

Abstract:  The marvel of oral tradition, some will say its curse, is this: messages from the past exist, are real, and yet are not continuously accessible to the senses. Oral traditions make an appearance only when they are told. For fleeting moments they can be heard, but most of the time they dwell only in the minds of people. The utterance is transitory, but the memories are not. No one in oral societies doubts that memories can be faithful repositories which contain the sum total of past human experience and explain the how and why of present day conditions. Tete are ne nne: “Ancient things are today” or “History repeats itself.” Whether memory changes or not, culture is reproduced by remembrance put into words and deeds. The mind through memory carries culture from generation to generation. How it is possible for a mind to remember and out of nothing to spin complex ideas, messages, and instructions for living, which manifest continuity over time, is one of the greatest wonders one can study, comparable only to human intelligence and thought itself. Because the wonder is so great, it is also very complex. Oral tradition should be central to students of culture, of ideology, of society, of psychology, of art, and, finally, of history. It is with this last aspect that we are concerned in this book. (This text was made available at the following website: https://www.pdfdrive.com/oral-tradition-as-history-d184939056.html)

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Id-drittijiet ta’ dan ix-xogħol huma tal-awtur(i)/tal-pubblikatur kif definiti fil-Leġiżlazzjoni xierqa dwar id-Drittijiet tal-Awtur jew kif emendati b’kull leġiżlazzjoni suċċessiva. L-utenti jistgħu jaċċessaw dan ix-xogħol u jistgħu jużaw l-informazzjoni li fih, skont il-Leġiżlazzjoni dwar id-Drittijiet tal-Awtur u dment li l-awtur jiġi rikonoxxut kif xieraq. Huma pprojbiti d-distribuzzjoni jew ir-riproduzzjoni ulterjuri fi kwalunkwe format mingħajr il-permess minn qabel tad-detentur tad-drittijiet tal-awtur. 

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