In this article I contend that particular characteristics of communication found in oral contexts are sufficiently different from those in literate ones to merit special consideration when ministering to oral audiences. My conclusions are based on my description, presented here, of the key features of narrative performance among the Digo people of Kenya's south coast. This description is derived from the application of two theoretical perspectives to a body of traditional Digo stories: Performance Theory and Semantic Structural Analysis. From my research I demonstrate how these features express aspects of orality and enhance the communicational impact of the narrative material.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdagalaKavestsaKabiraWanjiku Mukabi, eds. 1985Kenyan Oral Narratives: A Selection. Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya East African Educational.
2.
BartschCarla1989“The SSA Approach to Understanding Discourse.”Notes on Translation3 (4): 55–58.
3.
BaumanRichard1977Verbal Art as Performance. Prospect Heights, NY: Waveland Press.
4.
BeekmanJohnCallowJohnKopesecMichael1981The Semantic Structure of Written Communication. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
5.
CallowKathleenCallowJohn C.1992“Text as Purposive Communication: A Meaning-Based Analysis.” In Discourse Description, Diverse Linguistic Analyses of a Fund-Raising Text. MannW. C., ed. Pp 5–37. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins.
6.
FernandezJames1980“Edification by Puzzlement.” In Explorations in African Systems of Thought. KarpIvanBirdCharles S., eds. Pp. 44–59. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
7.
FineElizabeth1984The Folklore Text: From Performance to Print. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
8.
FinneganRuth1970Oral Literature in Africa. Nairobi, Kenya: Oxford University Press.
9.
HartnellMalcolm1996“Strategic Considerations for Church Planting among the Digo of Kenya.” ThM thesis, Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, CA.
10.
HymesDell1986“Models of the Interaction of Language and Social Life.” In Directions in Sociolinguistics. GumperzJohn J.HymesDell, eds. Pp 35–71. New York: Basil Blackwell.
11.
International Orality Network2005Making Disciples of Oral Learners. Lima, NY: Elim.
12.
KlemHerbert V.1982Oral Communication of the Scripture. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.
13.
LarsonMildred L.1998Meaning-Based Translation. 2nd ed.Lanham, PA: University Press of America.
14.
McIlwainTrevor1987Building on Firm Foundations. Vol. 1. Sanford, FL: New Tribes Mission.
15.
OkpewhoIsidore1992African Oral Literature. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
16.
OngWalter J.1982Orality and Literacy. London: Routledge.
17.
SchiffrinDeborah1994Approaches to Discourse. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
18.
TuggyJohn C.1992“Semantic Paragraph Patterns: A Fundamental Communication Concept and Interpretive Tool.” In Linguistics and New Testament Interpretation; Essays on Discourse Analysis. BlackD. A., ed. Pp 45–67. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman.
