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This is a study of vocal expressions in the borderland between speech and song, based on performances from cultural contexts where oral transmission dominates. Approaches drawn from perspectives belonging to both ethnomusicology and linguistics are integrated in the analysis. As the idea of the performance template is employed as an analytical tool, the focus is on those techniques that make performance possible. The result is an increased understanding of what performers actually do when they employ variation or improvisation, and sometimes composition as well. The transmission of these culture-specific techniques is essential for the continuation of this form of human communication and interaction with the spirit world. By comparative study of other research, the result of the analysis is viewed in relation to ongoing processes in society.
An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.
1 The borderland: singing or speaking or both? – Håkan Lundström and Jan-Olof Svantesson
2 Kammu vocal genres (Laos) – Anastasia Karlsson, Håkan Lundström, and Jan-Olof Svantesson
3 Athabascan vocal genres in interior Alaska – Siri G. Tuttle and Håkan Lundström
4 Seediq canonic imitation (Taiwan) – Arthur Holmer and Håkan Lundström
5 An Akha shaman performance (Thailand) – Inga-Lill Hansson and Håkan Lundström
6 Waka and Ryu¯ka performances (Japan/Ryukyu) – Yasuko Nagano-Madsen and Håkan Lundström
7 Performance templates: method, results, and implications – Håkan Lundström and Jan-Olof Svantesson
Index