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Volume 4 October 1989 Number 3 ______
Editor Editorial Assistants John Miles Foley Gregory Bouman Sarah J. Feeny Managing Editor Richard Glejzer Lee Edgar Tyler Nancy Hadfield Kendy Hess Book Review Editor Adam Brooke Davis
Slavica Publishers, Inc. Slavica Publishers, Inc.
For a complete catalog of books from Slavica, with prices and ordering information, write to: Slavica Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 14388 Columbus, Ohio 43214
ISSN: 0883-5365
Each contribution copyright (c) 1989 by its author. All rights reserved.
The editor and the publisher assume no responsibility for statements of fact or opinion by the authors.
Oral Tradition seeks to provide a comparative and interdisciplinary focus for studies in oral literature and related fields by publishing research and scholarship on the creation, transmission, and interpretation of all forms of oral traditional expression. As well as essays treating certifiably oral traditions, OT presents investigations of the relationships between oral and written traditions, as well as brief accounts of important fieldwork, a Symposium section (in which scholars may reply at some length to prior essays), review articles, occasional transcriptions and translations of oral texts, a digest of work in progress, and a regular column for notices of conferences and other matters of interest. In addition, occasional issues will include an ongoing annotated bibliography of relevant research and the annual Albert Lord and Milman Parry Lectures on Oral Tradition. OT welcomes contributions on all oral literatures, on all literatures directly influenced by oral traditions, and on non-literary oral traditions. Submissions must follow the list-of reference format (style sheet available on request) and must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope for return or for mailing of proofs; all quotations of primary materials must be made in the original language(s) with following English translations. Authors should submit two copies of all manuscripts. Most contributions will be reviewed by at least one specialist reader and one member of the editorial board before a final decision is reached. Review essays, announcements, and contributions to the Symposium section will be evaluated by the editor in consultation with the board.
Oral Tradition will appear three times per year, in January, May, and October. Annual subscription charges are $20 for individuals and $35 for libraries and other institutions.
All manuscripts, books for review, items for the annual bibliography, and editorial correspondence should be directed to the editor, John Miles Foley, Center for Studies in Oral Tradition, 301 Read Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.
Printed in the United States of America. EDITORIAL BOARD
Patricia Arant Joseph J. Duggan Brown University Univ. of Cal./Berkeley Russian French, Spanish, comparative
Samuel Armistead Alan Dundes University of California/Davis Univ. of Cal./Berkeley Hispanic, comparative Folklore
Ilhan Bașgöz Mark W. Edwards Indiana University Stanford University Turkish Ancient Greek
Franz H. Bäuml Ruth Finnegan Univ. of Cal./Los Angeles Open University Middle High German African, South Pacific
Roderick Beaton Donald K. Fry King’s College, London Poynter Institute Modern Greek Old English
Dan Ben-Amos Joseph Harris University of Pennsylvania Harvard University Folklore Old Norse
Daniel Biebuyck Melissa Heckler University of Delaware New York Storytelling Center African Storytelling
Issa J. Boullata Elizabeth Jeffreys McGill University University of Sydney Arabic Byzantine Greek
David E. Bynum Michael Jeffreys Cleveland State University University of Sydney East European, comparative Byzantine Greek
Robert P. Creed Minna Skafte Jensen Univ. of Mass./Amherst University of Copenhagen Old English, comparative Ancient Greek, Latin
Robert Culley Werner Kelber McGill University Rice University Biblical Studies Biblical Studies EDITORIAL BOARD
Robert Kellogg Felix J. Oinas University of Virginia Indiana University Old Germanic, comparative Finnish, Russian
Eleanor Long Isidore Okpewho Univ. of Cal./Los Angeles University of Ibadan Folk Ballad African, Ancient Greek
Albert B. Lord Walter J. Ong Harvard University (Emeritus) St. Louis University (Emeritus) Slavic, comparative Hermeneutics of orality and literacy
Victor Mair Jeff Opland University of Pennsylvania Vassar College Chinese African, Old English
John S. Miletich Svetozar Petrović Las Vegas, Nevada University of Novi Sad Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, Serbo-Croatian, Critical theory comparative Burton Raffel D. Gary Miller Univ. of Southwestern University of Florida Louisiana Linguistics, Ancient Greek Translation
Alain Renoir Nada Milošević-Djordjević Univ. of Cal./Berkeley University of Belgrade (Emeritus) Serbo-Croatian Old Germanic, Old French, comparative
Bruce A. Rosenberg Michael Nagler Brown University Univ. of Cal./Berkeley Folk narrative, Medieval Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, literature comparative Geoffrey R. Russom Gregory Nagy Brown University Harvard University Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Old English, Old Norse, comparative Old Irish
Joseph Falaky Nagy Deborah Tannen Univ. of Cal./Los Angeles Old Irish Georgetown University Linguistics, Discourse theory Jacob Neusner Dennis Tedlock Brown University Hebrew, Biblical StudiesFelix SUNY/Buffalo Native American EDITORIAL BOARD
Jeff Todd Titon Ruth Webber Brown University University of Chicago Music (Emerita) Spanish, comparative J. Barre Toelken Utah State University D.K. Wilgus Folklore, Native American Univ. of Cal./Los Angeles (Emeritus) Folk Ballad Leo Treitler SUNY/Stony Brook Michael Zwettler Music Ohio State University Arabic Ronald J. Turner Univ. of Missouri/Columbia Storytelling
Contents
Editor’s Column...... 271
Wayne Kraft Improvisation in Hungarian Ethnic Dancing: An Analog to Oral Verse Composition ...... 273
Michael D. Cherniss “Beowulf Was Not There”: Compositional Aspects of Beowulf, Lines 1299b-1301 ...... 316
Charles Segal Song, Ritual, and Commemoration in Early Greek Poetry and Tragedy...... 330
Karl Reichl Formulaic Diction in Kazakh Epic Poetry ...... 360
William C. Scott Oral Verse-Making in Homer’s Odyssey (The Milman Parry Lectures for 1989) ...... 382
Book Reviews ...... 413
About the Authors ...... 423
Index to Volume 4 ...... 425