Literacy in Traditional SocietiesJack Goody The importance of writing as a means of communication in a society formerly without it, or where writing has been confined to particular groups, is enormous. It objectifies speech, provides language with a material correlative, and in this material form speech can be transmitted over space and preserved over time. In this book the contributors discuss cultures at different levels of sophistication and literacy and examine the importance of writing on the development of these societies. All the articles except the first were specially written for this book and the extensive introduction unites and synthesizes the material. |
Contents
The Consequences of Literacy | 25 |
Implications of Literacy in Traditional China and India | 69 |
Literacy in a Buddhist Village in NorthEast Thailand | 85 |
Literacy in Kerala | 132 |
The Transmission of Islamic Learning in the Western Sudan | 161 |
Restricted Literacy in Northern Ghana | 198 |
the Somali Case | 265 |
Astrology and Writing in Madagascar | 277 |
Uses of Literacy in New Guinea and Melanesia | 298 |
The Measurement of Literacy in PreIndustrial England | 310 |
Bibliography | 326 |
Index | 339 |
Common terms and phrases
Abū Bakr Africa al-Hajj alphabet Antaimoro Arabic Asantehene Ashanti astrological Bakr Bobo-Dioulasso Bonduku Brahmans Buddhist castes centres ceremony chants China Chinese communication cults cultural tradition Dagomba Dyula early European example fact genealogies Gonja Goody Greek groups Hausa Hindu imām important India Islam isnāds karamoko Kerala kind kingdom knowledge Kong Kumasi language learning letters lineage literate culture literate societies literature London Madagascar magical Malagasy Malam Malayalam marriage Marty mau lum Merina modern Muḥammad Muslim myth Nambūdiris Nayar nineteenth century northern Ghana novices and monks oral pagan Pali Phran Muan political Qur'an reading and writing recited records religion religious rites ritual Sa'id Saghanughu Salaga Sālim Sanskrit scholars script secular social Somali specialists Ta'rikh Tafsir taught teacher temple texts Thai Thai scripts Thailand Tham Timitay tion town trade ulama Umar Uthman village widespread literacy words written