MMEDIA 3MU3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Orality, Gregorian Chant, Sensorium
2 Mar 2020
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Document Summary
Clear association with actual presence of indicated object. Signalic vs symbolic (both communicate meaning but differently) Early hominids are capable of mimicking things in the environment and. Direct transfer of energy through signaling, music, art and ritual. Break between mimetic and oral culture the emerging dominance of symbolic thought in speech. Chant - repeated short phrases - rhythm naturally circular - ritual and cycles of life. Ritualized myth expressed in music, dance, and art become mythological story. Pristine - no contact with a writing system. The power of naming - language and communication. 20th century anthropologists have not made a difference b/w themselves and who they study. Memories of individuals in oral culture (verbal formulas as mnemonic devices - memory devices) Rhythm aids recall - alliteration, assonance, repetition, balanced patterns. Centrality of musical features and techniques within patterns of oral discourse - rhythm, pitch, tempo. Pitch, rhythm, tempo, accent, phrasing, etc. influences semantic content of language.
