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Orature

Concept
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Traditional literature transmitted orally rather than in writing, including myths, songs, proverbs, and epic narratives.

Detailed Definition
Orature refers to spoken, performed, or sung verbal art in non-literate or pre-literate cultures, encompassing epic, lyric, and ritual forms transmitted orally across generations; it emphasizes communal memory, rhythmic formulae, and performative context over written text.
Example
Example in poetry:
Orature in West African griot epics like Sundiata; Native American oral traditions (e.g., Navajo Night Chant); Aboriginal songlines; contemporary orature in Kamau Brathwaite’s “Nation Language” performances
Additional Notes
Orature is oral literature; performed rather than written poetry. Emphasizes sound, memory, communal transmission. Distinct from written literature. Study African griot tradition, Indigenous storytelling. Performance integral to meaning; transcription loses dimension.
Also Known As
Oral literature spoken poetry performance verse verbal art
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