The first half of Orality and Literacy, while daunting, provided me with a plethora of new insight. Although it's a bit slow for my taste, I was extremely impressed with how Ong managed to successfully integrate an immense amount of complex information into the first three chapters. While I frequently struggled to grasp concepts Ong mentioned, I found immediate interest with a few points.
The idea that because we are not part of a primary oral society, we can never fully understand or would never be able to live life without literacy is a concept that makes perfect sense but is an idea I've never even considered. While I believe I hold a partial mindset of primary orality, particularly due to the sounds in my head spilling out as I type this, my daily habits and actions constantly intertwine with literature. And as a student, this literary dependance impacts how I learn, interact with others and overall, my progression through life.
I also found it interesting that there is an overwhelming amount of languages spoken but only a small handful that have literature. Luckily Ong covered characteristics of orally based thought and expression and my understanding significantly increased. This portion of the book is where I learned that aural language in itself is a phenomenon we must naturally pick up through experience. Once we have accumulated enough knowledge of this basic form of language, we are then are we able to "study" literature.
Although I believe that writing has enhanced orality in many ways, like by giving it structure and freedom from a constant dependance on patterns, my original ignorance of primary oral cultures will no longer go unnoticed. As a result, I look forward to increasing my knowledge and awareness of this topic as I continue to venture into the second half of this book.
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