A CONTEMPORARY MANASCHI IN ORAL PERFORMANCE AND IN PRINT

Abstract

This study examines the vocabulary density and the frequency of unique and repeated lines of a contemporary manaschi in oral performance and in print. Transcriptions of audiovisual recordings of Talantaaly Bakchiev (b. 1971) performing are compared with two volumes of Manas narratives that he published. The research reveals that the published versions have a higher vocabulary density than the oral performance, have a greater percentage of unique lines and less repetitions. This suggests that the medium in which the metrical narrative is presented is reflected in the language, and indications of orality are absent from written variants.