>       Hamid, there was a National Public Radio "All Things Considered"
 sequence
> during the past 30 days that looked at the use of audio cassettes as a means
 of
> continuing an "oral tradition" in North African Arab culture.  I vaguely
> remember the content as having something to do either with poetry, or with a
> religious "talk" that was passed from person to person, with each adding their
> own commentary or interpretation of the original "talk."  What word do we use
> to refer to a "text" of spoken, not written, language.
>     If you come up with many responses to this, I'd be interested in a copy.
 
Robert, thanks for your lead.  My limited time and a deadly deadline made
it impossible for me to contact NPR.  At any rate, I had to write a piece
on the use of audiocassettes in propagating Islamic ideology and politics.
The piece should appear in 1995-6 in the Encylopedia of Modern Islamic World
published by Oxford Univ. press.  Screen-l proved a dismal route to tracking
down any source on this topic.  Perhaps there are other electronic
data bases more suitable for this topic--I don't know!.
All the best.
Hamid. [log in to unmask]
 
 
 >                                               Regards,
>                                                       Robert
>
> Robert Withers
> Film Department              That was zen, this is tao . . .
> Brooklyn College
> Brooklyn, New York 11210     Bitnet:   [log in to unmask]
> (718) 951-5664               Internet: [log in to unmask]
>