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Treatments of human communication mostly draw on cognitive and
word-centred models to present it as predominantly a matter of
words. This, Finnegan argues, seriously underestimates the
far-reaching multi-modal qualities of human interconnecting and the
senses of touch, olfaction and, above all, audition and vision that
we draw on. In an authoritative and readable account, Ruth Finnegan
brings together research from linguistic and sensory anthropology,
material culture, non-verbal communication, computer-mediated
communication, and, strikingly, research on animal communication
such as the remarkable gesture systems of great apes. She draws on
her background in classical studies and her long anthropological
experience, to present illuminating examples from throughout the
world, past and present. The result is to uncover an amazing array
of sounds, sights, smells, gestures, looks, movements, touches and
material objects used by humans to interconnect both nearby and
across space and time She goes on to explore, first, the
extra-sensory modes of communication now being revealed in the
extraordinary ‘new science’ research, and, then, in an
incendiary conclusion, to deny the long-prevailing story of human
history by questioning whether orality really came before literacy;
whether it was really through ‘the acquisition of language’
that our prehistoric cave painting ancestors made a sudden leap
into being ‘true humans’; and finally, astonishingly, to ask
whether human communicating had its first roots not, after all, in
verbal language but - something else. Not to be missed, this highly
original book brings a fresh perspective on, among other things,
that central topic of interest today - the dawn of human history -
and on what being homo sapiens really means. This revised and
updated edition has additional illustrations, updated chapters, and
a new concluding chapter. A provocative and controversial account
that will stir worldwide debate, this book is an essential
transdisciplinary overview for researchers and advanced students in
language and communication, anthropology and cultural studies.
Treatments of human communication mostly draw on cognitive and
word-centred models to present it as predominantly a matter of
words. This, Finnegan argues, seriously underestimates the
far-reaching multi-modal qualities of human interconnecting and the
senses of touch, olfaction and, above all, audition and vision that
we draw on. In an authoritative and readable account, Ruth Finnegan
brings together research from linguistic and sensory anthropology,
material culture, non-verbal communication, computer-mediated
communication, and, strikingly, research on animal communication
such as the remarkable gesture systems of great apes. She draws on
her background in classical studies and her long anthropological
experience, to present illuminating examples from throughout the
world, past and present. The result is to uncover an amazing array
of sounds, sights, smells, gestures, looks, movements, touches and
material objects used by humans to interconnect both nearby and
across space and time She goes on to explore, first, the
extra-sensory modes of communication now being revealed in the
extraordinary ‘new science’ research, and, then, in an
incendiary conclusion, to deny the long-prevailing story of human
history by questioning whether orality really came before literacy;
whether it was really through ‘the acquisition of language’
that our prehistoric cave painting ancestors made a sudden leap
into being ‘true humans’; and finally, astonishingly, to ask
whether human communicating had its first roots not, after all, in
verbal language but - something else. Not to be missed, this highly
original book brings a fresh perspective on, among other things,
that central topic of interest today - the dawn of human history -
and on what being homo sapiens really means. This revised and
updated edition has additional illustrations, updated chapters, and
a new concluding chapter. A provocative and controversial account
that will stir worldwide debate, this book is an essential
transdisciplinary overview for researchers and advanced students in
language and communication, anthropology and cultural studies.
The study of oral traditions and verbal arts leads into an area of
human culture to which anthropologists are increasingly turning
their attention. Oral Traditions and the Verbal Arts provides
up-to-date guidance on how to approach the study of oral form and
their performances, treating both the practicalities of fieldwork
and the methods by which oral texts and performances can be
observed, collected or analysed. It also relates to those current
controversies about the nature of performance and of 'text'.
Designed as a practical and systematic introduction to the
processes and problems of researching in this area, this is an
invaluable guide for students, and lecturers of anthropology and
cultural studies and also for general readers who are interested in
enjoying oral literature for its own sake.
Renowned as the scholar who has made a whole generation of
Africanists realise the singular importance of oral literature,
Ruth Finnegan asks whether Africa can still be considered 'the oral
continent'. Africa has long been known as the oral continent, at
once the home of oral literature, orature and orality, the oral
background to the postcolonial literatures of today, and the
inspirer of the voiced traditions of the diaspora. But does this
image of Africa and orality still stand up to scrutiny? In this new
synthesis of her earlier and most recent work Ruth Finnegan
illustrates the continuing interest of African verbal arts and
performances and reflects on the related development of 'orality'
studies through the decades since the 1960s. Her provocative
conclusion is that it is time to abandon the long-entrenched image
of Africa as 'the oral continent' and to adopt a more critical
comparative perspective on 'the oral'. RUTH FINNEGAN, FBA is
Visiting Research Professor and Emeritus Professor in the Faculty
of Social Sciences at the Open University and is the author of the
classic study Oral Literature in Africa North America: University
of Chicago Press; South Africa: University of KwaZulu-Natal Press
Language is central to human experience and our understanding of
who we are, whether written or unwritten, sung or spoken. But what
is language and how do we record it? Where does it reside? Does it
exist and evolve within written sources, in performance, in the
mind or in speech? For too long, ethnographic, aesthetic and
sociolinguistic studies of language have remained apart from
analyses emerging from traditions such as literature and
performance. Where is Language? argues for a more complex and
contextualized understanding of language across this range of
disciplines, engaging with key issues, including orality, literacy,
narrative, ideology, performance and the human communities in which
these take place. Eminent anthropologist Ruth Finnegan draws
together a lifetime of ethnographic case studies, reading and
personal commentary to explore the roles and nature of language in
cultures across the world, from West Africa to the South Pacific.
By combining research and reflections, Finnegan discusses the
multi-modality of language to provide an account not simply of
vocabulary and grammar, but one which questions the importance of
cultural settings and the essence of human communication itself.
Language is central to human experience and our understanding of
who we are, whether written or unwritten, sung or spoken. But what
is language and how do we record it? Where does it reside? Does it
exist and evolve within written sources, in performance, in the
mind or in speech? For too long, ethnographic, aesthetic and
sociolinguistic studies of language have remained apart from
analyses emerging from traditions such as literature and
performance. Where is Language? argues for a more complex and
contextualized understanding of language across this range of
disciplines, engaging with key issues, including orality, literacy,
narrative, ideology, performance and the human communities in which
these take place. Eminent anthropologist Ruth Finnegan draws
together a lifetime of ethnographic case studies, reading and
personal commentary to explore the roles and nature of language in
cultures across the world, from West Africa to the South Pacific.
By combining research and reflections, Finnegan discusses the
multi-modality of language to provide an account not simply of
vocabulary and grammar, but one which questions the importance of
cultural settings and the essence of human communication itself.
The study of oral traditions and verbal arts leads into an area of human culture to which anthropologists are increasingly turning their attention. Oral Traditions and the Verbal Arts provides up-to-date guidance on how to approach the study of oral form and their performances, treating both the practicalities of fieldwork and the methods by which oral texts and performances can be observed, collected or analysed. It also relates to those current controversies about the nature of performance and of 'text'. Designed as a practical and systematic introduction to the processes and problems of researching in this area, this is an invaluable guide for students, and lecturers of anthropology and cultural studies and also for general readers who are interested in enjoying oral literature for its own sake. eBook available with sample pages: 020339321X
A stunning account of how things that seem just part of everyday
life, are in fact extraordinary once we notice them. As
anthropologists do when they stop to listen. As poets do when they
see the world in a grain of sand. When we see how things that are
not normally defined as special, perhaps because studied or
practised by 'amateurs' rather than 'specialists', are often truly
special. How as we go through our daily round our lives are
surrounded by splendour. After you read this then world will never
look the same.
A companion story to Ruth Finnegan's multi-award inspirational
novel 'Black Inked Pearl', this time, unusually, told from the
perspective of the ever-sounding sea A volume in the unique
'Kate-Pearl' series
A landmark in the study of music and culture, this acclaimed volume
documents the remarkable scope of amateur music-making in the
English town of Milton Keynes. It presents in vivid detail the
contrasting yet overlapping worlds of classical orchestras, church
choirs, brass bands, amateur operatic societies, and amateur bands
playing jazz, rock, folk, and country. Notable for its contribution
to wider theoretical debates and its influential challenge to
long-held assumptions about music and how to study it, the book
focuses on the practices rather than the texts or theory of music,
rejecting the idea that only selected musical traditions, "great
names," or professional musicians are worth studying. This opens
the door to the invisible work put in by thousands of local people
of diverse backgrounds, and how the pathways creatively trodden by
amateur musicians have something to tell us about both urban living
and what it is to be human. Now with a new preface by the author,
this long-awaited reissue of The Hidden Musicians will bring its
insights and innovations to a new generation of students and
scholars.
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