[obol] Re: OBOL -- years from now
- From: Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 11:30:45 -0700
P.S. This is pretty far off-topic, but regarding Rich's comment about
the development of the written word and its impact on oral
traditions ...
This is the first time I've ever heard the claim that illiterate people
raised this complaint at the time that various societies developed
written languages, centuries ago, even though I once took a class in Old
English poetry (which dealt with precisely that period in the
development of the English language).
You can certainly find modern scholars of oral traditions who are
willing to point out what we've lost.
When you look at the lasting cultural influence of oral-formulaic
compositions such as The Iliad, The Odyssey, Beowulf, or even of the
West African griot who informed Alex Haley about his ancestors' roots --
compared with say, any of the thousands of actuarial lists of X shekels
of wheat that were recorded on clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia --
you can see that they have a point.
Good birding,
Joel
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