@ -27,3 +27,15 @@ Characteristics of orally-based thought and expression:
1. Additive rather than subordinative
* e.g. the creation narrative in Genesis 1:1-5 - in the Douay version (1610) there is a distinct repetition of "and"
* in the New American Bible (1970) this "and" is translated into a variety of other conjunctions, e.g. "while", "thus", "then", "when".
2. Aggregative rather than analytic
* Oral folk prefer the "brave soldier" over the "soldier", and "the beautiful princess" over "the princess". Collocation is a mnemonic assistant. High literacy rejects this as overly cumbersome use of language.
3. Redundant or 'copious'
* "Sparsely linear or analytic thought and speech are artificial creations, structured by the technology of writing" (pg 40)
* "The public speaker’s need to keep going while he is running through his mind what to say next also encourages redundancy. In oral delivery, though a pause may be effective, hesitation is always disabling. Hence it is better to repeat something, artfully if possible, rather than simply to stop speaking while fishing for the next idea." (pg 40)
4. Conservative or traditionalist
* Repeating knowledge over and over again is a form of conservation - what is not said can be lost.
