The Storyteller, the Scribe, and a Missing Man: Hidden Influences from Printed Sources in the Gaelic Tales of Duncan and Neil MacDonald

William Lamb

doi:10.1353/ort.2012.0009

The Storyteller, the Scribe, and a Missing Man: Hidden Influences from Printed Sources in the Gaelic Tales of Duncan and Neil MacDonald

William Lamb

School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

This article concerns the well-known case of storytelling brothers Neil and Duncan MacDonald from South Uist, Scotland. The impressive verbal consistency of their hero tales has been taken to indicate that some Gaelic storytellers could acquire, recite, and transmit their repertoire in a near verbatim fashion. However, by deploying plagiarism detection techniques across an electronic corpus of texts, the author reveals that previous observations about the brothers’ verbal conservativeness have been skewed by corrupt evidence.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	109-160
Number of pages	59
Journal	Oral Tradition
Volume	27
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1353/ort.2012.0009
Publication status	Published - 5 Jan 2013

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10.1353/ort.2012.0009

Storyteller_scribe_and_missing_man_Final_WL_070212
http://journal.oraltradition.org/issues/27i/lamb Published under a CC-BY licence in an open journal: Oral Tradition Lamb, W. (2013). The Storyteller, the Scribe, and a Missing Man: Hidden Influences from Printed Sources in the Gaelic Tales of Duncan and Neil MacDonald. Oral Tradition, 27(1), 109-160. 10.1353/ort.2012.0009
Final published version, 1.86 MB
The Storyteller, the Scribe, and a Missing Man: Hidden Influences from Printed Sources in the Gaelic Tales of Duncan and Neil MacDonald
© Lamb, W. (2013). The Storyteller, the Scribe, and a Missing Man: Hidden Influences from Printed Sources in the Gaelic Tales of Duncan and Neil MacDonald. Oral Tradition, 27(1), 109-160. 10.1353/ort.2012.0009
Final published version, 4.9 MB

http://journal.oraltradition.org/issues/27i/lamb

1 Chapter
1 Chapter (peer-reviewed)

Verbal formulas in Gaelic traditional narrative: Some aspects of their form and function
Lamb, W., 3 Dec 2015, Registers of Communication. Agha, A. & Frog (eds.). Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society (SKS), p. 225-246 22 p. ( Studia Fennica Linguistica; vol. 18).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Open Access
Recitation or Re-creation? A Reconsideration: Verbal Consistency in the Gaelic Storytelling of Duncan MacDonald
Lamb, W., Dec 2013, 'A Guid Hairst': Collecting and Archiving Scottish Tradition: Essays in Honour of Dr Margaret Mackay. Campbell, K., Lamb, W., Martin, N. & West, G. (eds.). Shaker Publishing, p. 171-184 16 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Open Access
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Cite this

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The Storyteller, the Scribe, and a Missing Man: Hidden Influences from Printed Sources in the Gaelic Tales of Duncan and Neil MacDonald

Abstract / Description of output

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Research output

Verbal formulas in Gaelic traditional narrative: Some aspects of their form and function

Recitation or Re-creation? A Reconsideration: Verbal Consistency in the Gaelic Storytelling of Duncan MacDonald

Cite this