The ability of folk singers to master and perform a large repertoire of ballads fundamentally relies on oral formulas.Taking Shoubo Zhang,a folk singer from Shanxi Province,as a case study,this research applies oral f...The ability of folk singers to master and perform a large repertoire of ballads fundamentally relies on oral formulas.Taking Shoubo Zhang,a folk singer from Shanxi Province,as a case study,this research applies oral formula theory to analyzehis oral performances.The analysis shows that his performances depend on a system of formulas composed of metrical units andnarrative elements.Furthermore,the study finds that the singer’s performance ability manifests as a dynamic generativecapability,enabling flexible transitions within individual ballads as well as between different ballads through the use of formulas.Based on this,the paper extends this mechanism to the phenomenon of poetry generation in the Book of Songs,arguing for theuniversality of formulaic transitions as an intrinsic law of oral tradition.展开更多
基金supported by the following projects:Teaching Reform Project,Northwest Minzu University:Exploring the Practical Teaching Reform of“Great Ideological and Political Courses”on Strengthening the Awareness of the Chinese National Community—A Study of the Concept of the Chinese National Community,Key Graduate Education and Teaching Reform Project,Northwest Minzu University:Exploring Practical Approaches for Strengthening Graduate Students’Awareness of the Chinese National Community,Dialogue of Civilizations:Lessons from the Mutual Learning of Civilizations in the Chinese Edition of“Introduction to World Ethnic Groups”,(2025-GMJ-197)。
文摘The ability of folk singers to master and perform a large repertoire of ballads fundamentally relies on oral formulas.Taking Shoubo Zhang,a folk singer from Shanxi Province,as a case study,this research applies oral formula theory to analyzehis oral performances.The analysis shows that his performances depend on a system of formulas composed of metrical units andnarrative elements.Furthermore,the study finds that the singer’s performance ability manifests as a dynamic generativecapability,enabling flexible transitions within individual ballads as well as between different ballads through the use of formulas.Based on this,the paper extends this mechanism to the phenomenon of poetry generation in the Book of Songs,arguing for theuniversality of formulaic transitions as an intrinsic law of oral tradition.
