Narrative styles of Palestinian Bedouin adults and children

This paper contrasts natural oral narratives of Bedouin adults and children (ages 8- 11) in the Negev Desert (South Israel). The analysis showed some striking stylistic differences, on both developmental genre-related grounds. Adults, narrating tribal legends a stylized, performed idiom. used distinct styles for textual levels orientation, plotline, direct speech; told folktales anecdotes relatively undifferentiated, near-conversational style. Adults set out from concrete, non-past stage shifted to past plotline; whereas childrens folkloristic openings, distant past, drifted relived present. There were significant differences rhetorical means perspectivizing, information packaging. connectivity, tempo control. children's narrative style was found be much "flatter" less evaluative than adults, keeping with findings. However, older displayed global text organization, using diverse cohesive typical folktale. may show these more sensitive genre structure local means.