Description
Book SynopsisIn this series of essays Jack Goody examines the complex relationship between oral and literate modes of communication. A substantial corpus of anthropological, historical and linguistic evidence is produced in support of his findings, which complement his recently published study The Logic of Writings and the Organization of Society.
Table of ContentsList of figures and tables; Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. Writing and the Alphabet: 1. The historical development of writing; Part II. The Influence of Early Forms of Writing: 2. Literacy and achievement in the Ancient World; 3. Africa, Greece and oral poetry; 4. Oral composition and oral transmission: the case of the Vedas; Part III. Written and Oral Cultures in West Africa: 5. The impact of Islamic writing on oral cultures; 6. Literacy and the non-literate: the impact of European schooling; 7. Alternative paths to knowledge in oral and literate cultures; 8. Memory and learning in oral and literate cultures: the reproduction of the Bagre; 9. Writing and formal operations: a case study among the Vai; Part IV. Writing and its Impact on Individuals in Society: 10. The interface between the sociological and psychological analysis of literacy; 11. Language and writing; 12. Recapitulations; Notes; Bibliography; Index.
