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Literature vocabulary · Core Concepts

Oral tradition

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounCommon term

In literature, oral tradition means: Stories and poems passed between generations through speaking and performance.

In Turkish: sözlü gelenek

How it is used

Use for performed and remembered literature. Variations between tellings can be part of the tradition.

Example sentences

  1. The epic survived in oral tradition before anyone wrote down a complete version.

    The poem was preserved through repeated telling rather than a fixed written text.

  2. The class compared two village stories to see how oral tradition changes local details.

    Different details show how storytellers adapt inherited material.

Common collocations

  • preserve oral tradition
  • a rich oral tradition
  • epicA long narrative poem about the heroic deeds of legendary figures, often involving gods, wars and journeys and telling the story of a people.
  • narrativeA story or account of connected events, and the way it is told; also used as an adjective for anything that tells a story.

More terms: Core Concepts

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