Tales From Before Long, Long Ago: A Study of Tuvan Ethnopoetics
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2011
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Swarthmore College. Dept. of Linguistics
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Thesis (B.A.)
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Abstract
Tuvan oral epics are a source of fascinating poetic devices and unique folk
motifs, and the popular epic BoktuKirish,
BoraSheelei
is no exception. The first part
of this paper explores the folk motifs – both those common to other cultures and
those unique to Tuvan epics – that appear in BoktuKirish.
Propp’s work on the
structure of folktales and Thompson’s MotifIndex
of Folk Literature prove valuable
in this work, with Propp’s analysis defining the structure of the tale and Thompson’s
exhaustive catalogue of folk motifs identifying uniquely Tuvan motifs.
The second section explores Tuvan poetic structures using work done by
Hymes in his studies of Native American ethnopoetics. His framework is used to
identify poetic devices and connect them to meanings in the text. The two primary
areas of focus are sound symbolism and the structural use of the emphatic suffix
[daa]. The final section of this paper suggests that the connection between sound
and meaning in Tuvan could have applications to the cognitive study of orality.
My hope is that the analysis in this paper will demonstrate not only the
artistic value of Tuvan tales, but also the importance of analyzing the folklore of
less‐studied languages. Without knowledge of similar traditions, the study of oral
literature would be limited indeed.