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: priming, positioning, narrative templates, sociolinguistics, experimental, spoken language, French, doing storytelling, narratives from personal experience, generational styles
Published online: 02 July 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.18042.ger
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