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Article published In:
Narrative Inquiry
Vol. 29:1 (2019) ► pp.1–28

Generational styles in oral storytelling

What can be learned from narrative priming?

| University of Potsdam

When it comes to autobiographical narratives, the most spontaneous and natural manner is preferable. But neither individually told narratives nor those grounded in the communicative repertoire of a social group are easily comparable. A clearly identifiable tertium comparationis is mandatory. We present the results of an experimental ‘Narrative Priming’ setting with French students. A potentially underlying model of narrating from personal experience was activated via a narrative prime, and in a second step, the participants were asked to tell a narrative of their own. The analysis focuses on similarities and differences between the primes and the students’ narratives. The results give evidence for the possibility to elicit a set of comparable narratives via a prime, and to activate an underlying narrative template. Meaningful differences are discussed as generational and age related styles. The transcriptions from the participants that authorized the publication are available online.

Keywords: generational styles, priming, sociolinguistics, experimental, positioning, narrative templates, French, doing storytelling, narratives from personal experience, spoken language
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Models of narratives: Levels of analysis
    • Narratives as plots
    • Narratives in interaction: Narrativity, functions, and positioning
    • What can (not) be primed in narrative priming?
  • The narrative priming experiment
    • The primes
    • Participants and setting
  • Analysis
    • Priming effects
      • Length
      • Structure
      • Content
    • “Here you go”: Doing storytelling in an experimental setting
    • Experiencing punishment: Positioning
  • Discussion
  • Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Bibliography
Published online: 2 July 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.18042.ger
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