ABSTRACT
In an oral culture where… authority is prized above originality, the crucial issue is not saying something new by saying something first, but in embracing the paradoxical practice of developing one's voice by trying on someone else's voice, and thus learning by comparison to identify one's own gift. If imitation and emulation are the first fruits of… an oral culture, its mature benefits include the projection of a unique style—a new style—that borrows from cultural precedents but finds its own place within their amplifications.
