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Long studied by anthropologists, historians, and linguists, oral traditions have provided a wealth of fascinating insights into unique cultural customs that span the history of humankind. In this groundbreaking work, cognitive psychologist David C. Rubin offers for the first time an accessible, comprehensive examination of what such traditions can tell us about the complex inner workings of human memory. Focusing in particular on their three major forms of organization--theme, imagery, and sound pattern--Rubin proposes a model of recall, and uses it to uncover the mechanisms of memory that underlie genres such as counting-out rhymes, ballads, and epics. The book concludes with an engaging discussion of how conversions from oral to written communication modes can predict how cutting-edge computer technologies will affect the conventions of future transmissions. Throughout, Rubin presents the results of important original research as well as new perspectives on classical subjects. Splendidly written and farsighted, Memory in Oral Traditions will be eagerly read by students and researchers in areas as diverse as cognitive psychology, literary studies, classics, and cultural anthropology.
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Memory in Oral Traditions
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MEMORY IN ORAL TRADITIONS The Cognitive Psychology of Epic, Ballads, and Counting-out Rhymes DAVID C. RUBIN
New York Oxford OXFORD U N I V E R S I T Y PRESS 1995
Oxford University Press Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bombay Calcutta Cape Town Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madras Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi Paris Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1995 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rubin, David C. Memory in oral traditions : the cognitive psychology of epic, ballads, and counting-out rhymes / David C. Rubin, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-508211-7 1. Oral tradition. 2. Memory. 3. Counting-out rhymes—History and criticism. 4. Ballads—North Carolina—History and criticism. 5. Epic literature—History and criticism. I. Title. GR67.R83 1995 153.1'33~-dc20 94-8997 Page v constitutes an extension of the copyright page.
135798642 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
Ablex Publishing Corporation. For permission to reprint Figures 2.1, 4.1, and 4.2, from D. C. Rubin, "Directed graphs as memory representations: The case of rhyme," in R. W. Schvaneveldt, ed., Pathfinder associative networks: Studies in knowledge organization. Copyright © 1990 by Ablex Publishing Corporation. Figure 11.4, from D. C. Rubin, W. T. Wallace, and B. C. Houston, "The beginnings of expertise for ballads," Cognitive Science, 17, 435-462. Copyright © 1990 by Ablex Publishing Corporation. Reprinted with permission from Ablex Publishing Corporation. Academic Press. For permission to reprint Figure 3.3, from L. A. Cooper and R. N. Shepard, "Chronometric studies of the rotation of mental images," in W. G. Chase, ed., Visual information processing. Copyright© 1973 by Academic Press. Figure 6.5, from J. D. Bransford and J. J. Franks, "The abstraction of linguistic ideas," Cognitive Psychology, 2, 331-350. Copyright © 1971 by Academic Press. Figure 7.2, from J. M. Gardiner, F. I. M. Craik, and J. Birtwistle, "Retrieval cues and release from proa