From: relvkr@learnlink.emory.edu (Vernon K. Robbins)
To: crosstalk@info.harpercollins.com
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 21:04:07 -0400
Subject: Re: oral traditions

Phil, perhaps you will see some partial
answers to your questions in my answers
to these by Ian.  In short, I do agree with
the other respondents that
people in a rhetorical culture learn to
imitate speaking in their writing, just as
people often imitate writing in their
speaking.
	Vernon

Ian at mc2499@mclink.it,Internet writes:
>What if the writer had problems in the language?

	I do not understand this one.  Usually
problems in the language show up as problems
in the language.

> What if the writer was
>attempting to be poetic?

	Yes, this is fine.  It is not unusual for
poetic style to be an oral style.

> Written forms will very often mimic spoken forms.

	This is very true, and it is especially true of
a "rhetorical culture," which "features comprehensive
interaction between spoken and written statement." 
Semeia 65 (1994): 80.  The Progymnasmata show us
the procedure by which students were taught to
write in forms that were like speech.
It was a very difficult thing for them to achieve, 
because writing started with copying short
portions of written text from an earlier period
(after they learned to write the letters, syllables,
and words). 

>Why do poets these days still write in metre paying careful attention to
>rhythm when it was clearly put on a written page?

	I give up.  Why do they?  :-)

>I can agree that it seems that there is a primacy issue in that the
>GThom
>seems to be more primitive language (and perhaps therefore earlier). It
>doesn't mean that you can assume why GThom's is in the state it is
>without
>having any precedents from the epoch.

	Quite right.  I would not make that assumption.

>Paul perhaps had a better education, was more versed in ancient literary
>forms, had different goals to fulfill.

	Quite right.  I agree with this also.

	Vernon

-- 
Vernon K. Robbins, Department and Graduate Division of Religion
537 Kilgo Circle, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
(H) 404-982-0174; (O) 404-727-6466; Fax 404-727-7597
relvkr@learnlink.emory.edu