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Welcome to the World of Orality A Look at Oral Cultures

Welcome to the World of Orality A Look at Oral Cultures. Steve Evans . Revised Feb ‘06. Getting Into the Mind of the Oral Communicator. Name These. Oral Communicators name geometric patterns by what they resemble: plate, box, house, etc…

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Welcome to the World of Orality A Look at Oral Cultures

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  1. Welcome to the World of Orality A Look at Oral Cultures Steve Evans . Revised Feb ‘06

  2. Getting Into the Mind of the Oral Communicator

  3. Name These

  4. Oral Communicators name geometric patterns by what they resemble: plate, box, house, etc… Those with even a small amount of education, though, name them as circle, square, triangle: all learned conceptual ideas!

  5. Which does not belong?

  6. Both a saw and an axe will ‘work the log’, but a hammer won’t. An oral communicator wouldn’t include the hammer as part of the grouping. A ‘group of tools’ is conceptual thinking!

  7. Which does not belong?

  8. Some oral communicators who associated with literates were aware that others think differently. One replied: A wise man will say the cup doesn’t belong. When asked what a foolish man would say, he replied: A foolish man would say the orange doesn’t belong.

  9. We are used to logical thinking. We grow up that way. It is our default!

  10. A A = = = = C C B B = =

  11. You have ten seconds to read the following list, tell me which three places you need to visit and what you need to buy from each place...

  12. In table #1 you saw a list as an oral communicator sees our lists -- nothing but a bunch of incomprehensible symbols!

  13. Poetry is an oral art form -- at least it was meant to be! Somebody read for us the following poem by e e cummings...

  14. grasshopper who, as we look, now gathering up into THE LEAP arriving as to rearrangingly become grasshopper

  15. This poem, No. 276, takes literacy to its ultimate. Read as we would normally write it doesn’t make sense. It has to be SEEN AND READ to be appreciated!

  16. We are used to conceptual / abstract thinking. We say things like: He’s acting like a round peg in a square hole. What are your circles of influence? He or she is really square!

  17. We are also used to logical / propositional / deductive thinking or reasoning. Again, we grow up that way; it is our default! We say things like: God is a God of love. God loves all people. Does God love you? (Of course, we think!)

  18. We also say things like: After God created Adam and Eve, they disobeyed God and sinned. Because of Adam's sin, all people are sinners. Are you a sinner? (Again, we think, of course! )

  19. However, some people think or process information differently than we do. Let’s look at a survey done with oral peoples of Russia…

  20. In a formal survey, one oral communicator was told: Precious metals do not rust. Gold is a precious metal. Does gold rust? He responded: Do precious metals rust or not? Does gold rust or not? Precious metals rust. Precious gold rusts.

  21. Another was asked: In the far North, where there is snow, all bears are white. Novaya Sembla is in the North and there is snow there. What color are the bears? He responded: I don’t know. I’ve seen a black bear. I’ve never seen any others...

  22. When asked the same question the second time, he responded: To go by your words, they should all be white.

  23. One oral communicator was asked: Try to explain to me what a tree is. He responded: Why should I? Everyone know what a tree is. How would you define a tree in two words? Apple tree, elm, tree, poplar tree...

  24. One oral communicator was asked: Try to explain to me what a tree is. He responded: Why should I? Everyone know what a tree is. How would you define a tree in two words? Apple tree, elm, tree, poplar tree...

  25. One oral communicator was asked: Try to explain to me what a tree is. He responded: Why should I? Everyone know what a tree is. How would you define a tree in two words? Apple tree, elm, tree, poplar tree...

  26. One oral communicator was asked: Try to explain to me what a tree is. He responded: Why should I? Everyone know what a tree is. How would you define a tree in two words? Apple tree, elm, tree, poplar tree...

  27. One oral communicator was asked: Try to explain to me what a tree is. He responded: Why should I? Everyone know what a tree is. How would you define a tree in two words? Apple tree, elm tree, poplar tree...

  28. Question: What would you tell people a car is? Answer: Buses have four legs, chairs in front for people sit sit on, a roof for shade, and an engine. But… when you get right down to it, I’d say -- If you get in a car and go for a ride, you’ll find out!

  29. Question: What would you tell people a car is? Answer: Buses have four legs, chairs in front for people to sit on, a roof for shade, and an engine. But… when you get right down to it, I’d say -- If you get in a car and go for a ride, you’ll find out!

  30. Question: What sort of person are you, what’s your character like, what are your good qualities and shortcomings? Answer: I came here from Uch-Kurgan, I was very poor, and now I’m married and have children.

  31. Question: Are you satisfied with yourself or would you like to be different? Answer: It would be good if I had a little more land and could sow some more wheat.

  32. Question: And what are your shortcomings? Answer: This year I sowed one acre of wheat, and we’re gradually fixing the shortcomings.

  33. Question: Well, people are different -- calm, hot-tempered, or sometimes their memory is poor. What do you think of yourself? Answer: We behave well. If we were bad people, no one would respect us.

  34. Another responded to that same question: What can I say about my own heart? How can I talk about my character? Ask others, they can tell you about me. I myself can’t say anything.

  35. When asked what he thought about a new village school headmaster, a Central African man replied: Let’s watch how he dances.

  36. When we require oral communicators respond to our literate-based teaching styles, we think they just don’t measure up!

  37. The fact is, in a world of oral communicators, we are the learning disabled.

  38. Will those we work with, serve, and minister to say – To go by YOUR words: God loves me. To go by YOUR words: I am a sinner. To go by YOUR words: Jesus paid for my sin. ?

  39. Is that the kind of Christianity we want ?!? Are those the kind of Christians we want !?! NO ! We want transformed lives !

  40. Matters of the Heart!

  41. THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF STORIES! Some approaches try to change behavior by saying, “Do this and don’t do that!” What is not changed? …WORLDVIEW! How do I act? What is good or best? What is true? What is real? Worldview Some approaches, such as a propositional approach, can provide knowledge or change beliefs, but what is not changed? …WORLDVIEW! Beliefs Stories Change …WORLDVIEW! Stories Change …LIVES! Values Behavior

  42. Get this! This is important! Our worldview, our lives, the very core of who we are, is made up of the events that surround us and the stories that are implanted within us. Stories change worldview! (This is true for all people of all cultures, anywhere, anytime!)

  43. The use of the narrative or stories addresses the very core of who we are... How do I act? What is good or best? What is true? What is real? Worldview Beliefs Values Behavior

  44. The use of the narrative or stories addresses the very core of who we are... How do I act? What is good or best? What is true? What is real? Worldview Beliefs Values Behavior

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