Reanimating orality : the morality play Everyman / Elkerlijk in Southern Sotho
A meagre supply of religious literature is available in Southern Sotho: elementary commentaries and lectionaries, books of religious stories for children, and catechisms do exist, but in limited numbers. This is an insufficient foundation for realising the moral aspect of the Southern Sotho communit...
| Authors: | ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2004
|
| In: |
Journal for semitics
Year: 2004, Volume: 13, Issue: 2, Pages: 159-185 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | A meagre supply of religious literature is available in Southern Sotho: elementary commentaries and lectionaries, books of religious stories for children, and catechisms do exist, but in limited numbers. This is an insufficient foundation for realising the moral aspect of the Southern Sotho community's religious identity. Most members of the Southern Sotho religious community are at present illiterate. This is a trait they share with the audiences of the medieval morality plays as well as with the original audiences of biblical literature. This state of affairs prompted the authors to suggest other agents for the transfer of religious thought. One such agent is the drama. This paper illustrates how the morality play Everyman / Elkerlijk was translated into Southern Sotho to address the need for the transfer of ancient Near Eastern religious texts. Central to this article are the issues of translation and translation strategy as they pertains to this particular audience. In lieu of a new bible translation into Southern Sotho or additional religious literature in the traditional mode with little to no effect on the present state of affairs, this paper argues for other means to give voice to and convey religious ideas, means far closer in many respects to the illiterate audience from whence the Hebrew Bible originated. |
|---|---|
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for semitics
|
| Persistent identifiers: | HDL: 10520/EJC101033 |
