NARRATIVEANALYSIS.docx

NARRATIVEANALYSIS.docx

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NARRATIVEANALYSIS

NARRATIVEANALYSIS

ORALVERSIONSOFPERSONALEXPERIENCE

WilliamLabov

ColumbiaUniversity

and

JoshuaWaletzky

HarvardUniversity

Mostattemptstoanalyzenarrativehavetakenastheirsubjectmatterthemorecomplexproductsoflong-standingliteraryororaltraditions.Myths,folktales,legends,histories,epics,toastsandsagasseemtobetheresultofthecombinationandevolutionofsimplerelements;theycontainmanycyclesandre-cyclesofbasicnarrativestructures;inmanycases,theevolutionofaparticularnarrativehasremoveditsofarfromitsoriginatingfunctionthatitisdifficulttosaywhatitspresentfunctionis.

Inouropinion,itwillnotbepossibletomakeverymuchprogressintheanalysisandunderstandingofthesecomplexnarrativesuntilthesimplestandmostfundamentalnarrativestructuresareanalyzedindirectconnectionwiththeiroriginatingfunctions.Wesuggestthatsuchfundamentalstructuresaretobefoundinoralversionsofpersonalexperiences:

nottheproductsofexpertstorytellersthathavebeenretoldmanytimes,buttheoriginalproductionofarepresentativesampleofthepopulation.Byexaminingtheactualnarrativesoflargenumbersofunsophisticatedspeakers,itwillbepossibletorelatetheformalpropertiesofnarrativetotheirfunctions.Bystudyingthedevelopmentofnarrativetechniquefromchildrentoadults,andtherangeofnarrativetechniquesfromlowerclasstomiddleclassspeakers,itwillbepossibletoisolatetheelementsofnarrative

Inthepresentpaper,wewillpresentananalyticalframeworkfortheanalysisoforalversionsofpersonalexperienceinEnglish.Wewillfirstintroducedefinitionsofthebasicunitsofnarrative,andthenoutlinethenormalstructureofthenarrativeasawhole.Finally,wewillpresentsomegeneralpropositionsabouttherelationofformalpropertiestonarrativefunctions,basedonourexaminationofamoderatebodyofdata.Theanalysiswillbeformal,baseduponrecurrentpatternscharacteristicofnarrative

fromtheclauseleveltothecompletesimplenarrative.Wewillberelyinguponthebasictechniquesoflinguisticanalysis,isolatingtheinvariantstructuralunitswhicharerepresentedbyavarietyofsuperficialforms.FromthisanalysisitispossibletoderiveaconsiderableamountofinformationonthesyntaxandsemanticsofEnglishbelowthesentencelevel;butthisdirectionofresearchwillnotbeexploitedhere.Wewillbeconcernedprimarilywiththecharacteristicsofthenarrativeitself.

Theanalysiswillbefunctional:

narrativewillbeconsideredasoneofconstructing

narrativeunitswhichmatchthetemporalsequenceofthatexperience,inparticular,atechniqueofconstructingnarrativeunitswhichmatchthetemporalsequenceofthat

experience.Furthermore,wewillfindthatnarrativewhichservesthisfunctionaloneisabnormal:

itmaybeconsideredemptyorpointlessnarrative.Normally,narrativeservesanadditionalfunctionorpersonalinterestdeterminedbyastimulusinthesocialcontextinwhichthenarrativeoccurs.Wethereforedistinguishtwofunctionsofnarrative:

（1）referentialand

（2）evaluative.

Inmostpreviousstudiesoffolknarrative,thebasicunitforanalysishasbeenasubstantialpieceofthematicmaterial,definedatvariouslevelsofabstractionbythetypeofactionreferredto.ThustheworkofPropp（1958）wasdevotedtotheformalstructureofsuchlargesemanticunits.Thepresentstudyhasassumedasabasictasktheanalysisofnarrativeswhichmightappearasfundamental,unanalyzableunitsinPropp=sscheme.Wewillbeconcernedwiththesmallestunitoflinguisticexpressionwhichdefinesthefunctionswherephrasesandwordsarerelevanttoevaluativefunction.Colby=swork（1996）takesasdatathefrequenciesofindividualwordsaccordingtoasemanticsubcategorization;alinguisticapproachisquiteoppositeindirection,focusinguponthesyntagmaticstructureofwordsandphrasesoperatinginclausesandhigherlevelsoforganization.SchatzmanandStrauss（1955）studiedclassdifferencesinnarrativetechniquebyinformalmeans;itishopedthatthemethodsdevelopedinthepresentdiscussionwillpermitamorereliableandobjectiveapproachtostudiesofthistype.

Wewillbedealingwithtape-recordednarrativestakenfromtwodistinctsocialcontexts.Oneisaface-to-faceinterviewwherethenarratorisspeakingonlytotheinterviewer,apersonnotamemberofanarrator=sprimarygroup.Inthesecondsituation,the

narratorsrecordedininteractionwithhisprimarygroup;heisspeakinginmarginsofthegroupwhoprovidesonlyapartofthestimulusforthenarrative.

Thefollowingpagesprovidefourteenexamplesofthedataonhanddrawnfromabout2600interviewsgatheredinthecourseoffourlinguisticstudies.Thenarratorsinclude

speakersfromNegroandwhitecommunities,ruralandurbanareas,andtheyrangeinagefrom10to72yearsold.Inonerespecttherangeislimited:

therearenohighlyeducatedspeakersrepresentedhere;infact,noneofthenarratorsfinishedhighschool.Theultimateaimsofourworkwillrequireclosecorrelationsofthenarrator=ssocial

characteristicswiththestructureoftheirnarratives,sinceweareconcernedwithproblemsofeffectivecommunicationandclassandethnicdifferencesinverbal3behavior.Inthispaper,however,weareconcernedwiththenarrativesthemselves,andsoexample1-14appearasanonymousnarrations,arrangedindescendingorderofthespeakers=ages.

[1]

（Wereyoueverinasituationwhereyouthoughtyouwereinseriousdangerofgettingkilled?

）Italkedamanoutof-OldDocSimonItalkedhimoutofpullingthetrigger.（Whathappened?

）

Well,inthebusinessIwasassociatedatthattime,theDocwasanoldman...Hehadkilledoneman,or-haddonetime.Buthehada-youngwife,andthosedaysIdressedwell.Andseeminglyshewastryingtomakeme.

Inevernoticedit.Factis,Ididn=tlikeherverywell,becauseshehad--shewasanice

lookinggirluntilyousawherfeet.Shehadbigfeet.Jesus,God,shehadbigfeet!

Thensheleftanoteonedayshewasgoingtocommitsuicidebecausehewasalwaysraisinghellaboutme.Hecametomyhotel.Nicebigblue44,too.

Italkedhimoutofit;andsays,AWell,we=llgolookforher,andifwecan=tfindher,

wellyoucan--goahead,pullthetriggerifyouwantto.@Iwasmaneuvering.

Sohetookmeuponit.Andwewenttowheretheyfoundherhandkerchief-theedge

tfindanything.Andofacreek-andwefolloweddownalittlemore,andwecouldn=

gotback-itwasatentshow-shewaslayingonacotwithanicebagonherhead.Shehadn=tcommittedsuicide.

But-however-thatsettleditfortheday.Butthatnightthemanager,FloydAdams,saidAYoubetterpackupandgetoutbecausethatsonofabitchneverforgivesanythingoncehegetsitinhishead.@

AndIdid.Ipackedupandgotout.Thatwastwo.

Thatwastwo.

AfterIcameoutfromNewYork...

[2]

Ihaddogsthatcoulddoeverythingbuttalk.Andbygorry,sir,Ineverlicked>em.

（Whenyouhavesmallkids,they=realwaysaskingforonemorething,likeadrinkof

water,tokeepfromgoingtobedatnight.Iwonderifyouhadthatproblem,andwhatyoudidaboutit?

）Yeah,but-alotofthechildrenI=veseen,thattheirexcusethey=ve

gottogotothebathroom,andtheydon=thavetogoatall.（Howdoyoucopewithit.

Youcan=t--youneverknow...）No.Idon=trememberhowwecopedwithit.Inever

believedawholelotinlicking.Iwasnever-withmychildren,andInever-whenitwaswithmyanimals,dogs;Ineverlickedadog,Ineverhadto.AdogknewwhatImeant;whenIholleredatadog,heknewthe-whatImeant.Icould--Ihaddogsthatcoulddoeverythingbuttalk.Andbygorry,sir,Ineverlicked>em.

Inevercomenearerbootin=adoginmylife.Ihadadog--hewasawonderfulretriever,butasIsayhecoulddoeverythingbuttalk.Icouldwaifhimthatway,Icouldwaifhimon,Icouldwaifhimanywhere.IfIshotacrippledduckhewentoutafterit;hedidn=t

seeitinthewater,he=dalwaysturnaroundlookatme,andI=dwaifhimoverthere,if

theduckwasthere,orifitwasontheothersideofwherewe=reon,Icouldwaifhim

straightahead,andhe=dturnandhe=dgo.Ifhedidn=tseeme,he=dturnaround,he=d

lookatme,andI=dkeepa-waifin=himon.Andhe=dfinallycatchsightofhim,and

theminutehedid,youknow,hewouldbee-lineandgetthatduck.

Iwasgunnin=onenightwiththatdog-wehadtouselivedecoysinthosedays-afellownamedJackBumpuswaswithme;IwasoverataplacecalledDeepBottom,

darkerthanpitch.And-uh-heardaquackin=offshore.And,IsaidtoJack,AKeep

quiet.There=sonecomin=in.@And-uh-finallyJacksaidtome,AIthinkIsee>im.@

Isaid,AGive>imagun.Give>imagun.Tryit.@

Soheshot,andthisduckwentfortheshorewithhiswingsa-goin=likethatforthe

shore.Wentupontheshore.Wellthisdogneverlostacrippledduckonshore,he=d

takeatrackjustthesameasahoundwouldtakearabbittrack.AndIsenthimover.Isaid,AGoahead.@

Sohewentoverthere.And-goneawhileandcomebackandhedidn=thavetheduck.

Andthatwasunusual--Isaid,AYougitbackthereandgetthatduck!

@Andhewent

backthere;andhestayedalittlewhilelonger,longerthanhedidthefirsttime,andhecomebackandhedidn=thavethatduck.

AndInevercomenearershootinÕadog.Bygorry,Icomeprettynear.ÒYougitbackthereandgetthatduck!

@Andthatdogwentbackthere,andhedidn=tcomeback.And

hedidn=tcomeback.Bygorry,wewentoverthere-Iwalkedoverthere,andherehewas;oneofmyt