orality
oralityCoined as the opposite of literacy, to denote the phenomenon of extensive reliance on oral communication rather than the written word, it is a useful concept for the ancient world, where writing was often used less than modern readers would assume. Various forms of orality are not incompatible with some use of writing, and it can be helpfully subdivided into
(1) oral composition,
(2) oral communication,
(3) oral transmission
Oral composition, entirely without the help of writing, is best known in relation to the Homeric poems (see Homer) and the long tradition of oral poetry through the Greek Dark Ages. The influential work of Parry and Lord sought to show how an oral poet could compose in performance. Spontaneous oral composition can also be found, however, in later symposiastic poetry, and oratory. The importance of oral communication can be seen e.g. in the political...
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