Verbal Art

Verbal Art as Performance

Bauman suggested communication can be accomplished through a couple frameworks--insinuation, joking, imitation, translation, and quotation. I thought insinuation was an interesting one, in that the speaker expresses a message, but also simultaneously attempts to relay a covert message to the listener. The dual meaning in the message is certainly a kind of art on its own. Joking appeals to a sense of humor, and words become comical. Translation, too, can result in varying interpretations and meaning will change. The frameworks just mentioned, however,  are just a few of many.  

He also later mentions folktale, legends, myths, riddles, proverbs, "special codes", figurative language, and gossip as domains of speech activity where verbal art can be analyzed.

It also seems verbal art and performance is culture-specific. Verbal art becomes associated with societal conventions, and meaning is determined by what is commonly agreed upon. Jokes don't have the same meaning across cultures; certain words used in one culture simply don't exist in the culture of another. Even story-telling sometimes requires a certain style of artistic, aesthetic, and descriptive speech. And an excellent story-teller not only demonstrates his ability to entertain a crowd and hold them in rapt attention, but also shows his competence and prestige as a skill-full orator. 

Bauman also notes "ordinary speech" that is stylistically unmarked; there's nothing special or extraordinary about it. Yet in the realm of story-telling, speech AND performance go hand-in-hand; there is something much more enriching and enthralling about this genre of speech activity. 

Bauman also distinguished between the Malagasy's informal speech and "Kabary talk", or a kind of ceremonial, oratory way of speaking . On the same note, I can't help but notice a kind of parallel between Malagasy speech and American speech; we, in a way, have a vaguely similar system. Amongst friends, we find ourselves speaking very informally; our word choice is very lax and casual. Amongst figures of higher status, however, we may change our speech and select words that sound more sophisticated, intelligent, and respectful. Image, reputation, and face become a priority, and we may feel as if we have to leave a good impression. 

 

"Emergent culture" was mentioned, where new meanings and values, new experiences and practices are being created. There is a power inherent in performance that allows the performer to transform his social structure, to gain control over his social world. 

Critique of a Comedy 

Something can certainly be said about humor. It's oftentimes said that laughter is the remedy to any situation. Yet it's easy to overlook the fact that laughter is only made possible through words--very funny words. In the genre of jokes, words are critical. WHAT is said and HOW it's said will most likely determine if a crowd roars in laughter, or if they awkwardly sit there just dazed, confused, and utterly clueless. The other day, I was watching a stand-up comedy show by a rather novice comedian--his name was Omid Djalili and barely started doing stand-up comedy. He had the reputation of a class-clown during his younger years, and even in the work-place he was still entertaining all his colleagues with his witty sense of humor. It wasn't until one of his friends suggested he try out for stand-up gigs that he achieved a little fame in the comedy world. As an Iranian, Omid based most of his comedy acts on stereotypes of Middle Easterners and misinterpretations of them. The skit I was watching began with him joking, in a very thick Middle Eastern accent, about Iranians and, according to him, their "odd habits". Later on, he revealed he was English and began talking in his normal English voice, which also belied a thick English accent. The audience was shocked at the revelation, especially because he seemed like a real, legitimate Iranian; he was so convincing, he truly had the audience fooled. The remainder of the skit, Omid would poke fun at his ethnic background and tell stories of how everyone always mistook him as an Iranian, and how he was always misjudged as a possible terrorist. This comedy act was a great illustration of speech performance and verbal art. Though he was great at telling jokes (how he worded it and what he said), Omid was also skilled at impersonating various accents, and that, in part, contributed to what a huge hit he was. Though the actual words were important, there was also much more involved in this performance--voice tone, pitch, inflection, pauses, facial expressions, body language--all this works in conjunction with WORDS to ultimately create a very entertaining comedy performance. It also showed Omid's control over the performance, as well as his competence as a performer. It's also interesting to note that joking can be an easy way to gain acceptance, to turn the tides and transform something different and feared into something that everyone can appreciate. Through humor and comedy, many comedians like Omid are able to turn misunderstandings, ill-informed notions, and stereotypes into something that's funny, something that people can share, learn from, and value. Omid's self-mockery became a powerful tool to break down stereotypes and debunk myths about his ethnic background. Though the jokes were at his expense, he was able to shed light on and raise awareness about misconceptions regarding his heritage. In this situation, humor became a disguise for his motive to reveal truth about his culture. At the end of his skit, Omid himself admitted that he appealed to his background and certain stereotypes in order to entertain his audience; however, he also imparted an important message--by mocking himself, he hoped to share with the audience an appreciation for cultural diversity.