Papers by Andrew Bannister
A sample chapter of my new book. If you enjoy this and want to read the whole thing: http://bit.l... more A sample chapter of my new book. If you enjoy this and want to read the whole thing: http://bit.ly/theatheistwhodidntexist
In the last decade, atheism has leapt from obscurity to the front pages: producing best-selling books, making movies, and plastering adverts on the side of buses. There's an energy and a confidence to contemporary atheism: many people now assume that a godless scepticism is the default position, indeed the only position for anybody wishing to appear educated, contemporary and urbane. Atheism is hip, religion is boring.
Yet when one pokes at popular atheism, many of the arguments used to prop it up quickly unravel. The Atheist Who Didn't Exist is designed to expose some of the loose threads on the cardigan of atheism, tug a little, and see what happens. Blending humour with serious thought, Andy Bannister helps the reader question everything, assume nothing and, above all, recognise lazy scepticism and bad arguments. Be an atheist by all means: but do be a thought-through one.
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Is the Qur’an a thoroughly oral document, not merely transmitted orally but composed orally? The ... more Is the Qur’an a thoroughly oral document, not merely transmitted orally but composed orally? The classic work exploring oral composition was that of Parry and Lord, who demonstrated that formulaic diction is one key indicator of creation-in-performance. Their theories have been applied to hundreds of traditions and in 2003, folklorist Alan Dundes suggested that their model of oral-formulaic composition might apply to the Qur’an, which is replete with formulaic phraseology. His work was much criticized, chiefly because he worked from an English concordance.
But was Dundes’ work dismissed too quickly? Historically, the Qur’an is certainly located in an oral strata. Immediately before, much of pre-Islamic poetry appears to have been composed in performance. Whilst after the Qur’an, oral preachers, the quṣṣās, played a formative role in shaping the Islamic tradition.
So what about the Qur’an itself? This paper explores how computerized analysis of the Qur’an, made possible by deploying a morphologically tagged database of qur’anic Arabic, enables us to conduct a systematic formulaic analysis of the qur’anic text for the first time. Computerized analysis demonstrates the Qur’an’s formulaic density to lie between 23% and 53% (depending on the length of formulaic phrase that we search for). We also highlight some further fascinating features that computerized formulaic analysis can reveal, such as the fact that those surahs traditionally considered ‘Medinan’ are considerably more formulaic than those considered ‘Meccan’. We will also demonstrate how computerized analysis can detect not just repetitions, but entire ‘formulaic systems’ throughout the Qur’an, an even greater indicator of oral generation.
Recognizing the Qur’an as being (at least partially) orally composed relocates it back in the strata from which it is often removed, the oral milieu that both preceded and succeeded the composition of the Qur’an—whilst also demonstrating the potential of computerized linguistic analysis of the qur’anic text.
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Books by Andrew Bannister
A sample from first chapter from my 2021 book on this crucial contemporary topic.
Are Islam and ... more A sample from first chapter from my 2021 book on this crucial contemporary topic.
Are Islam and Christianity essentially the same? Should we try to overcome divisions and build unity by seeing Muslims and Christians as part of one happy family of "Abrahamic Faiths"?
In this important book, Andy Bannister argues that if we want to understand the heart of what the world's two largest religions actually teach, we need to let them speak for themselves — and be willing to acknowledge the differences as well as the similarities.
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A sample chapter from my new book, "The Atheist Who Didn't Exist". Read more at: http://bit.ly/th... more A sample chapter from my new book, "The Atheist Who Didn't Exist". Read more at: http://bit.ly/theatheistwhodidntexist
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
>> https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739183571
>> http://www.amazon.com/Oral-Formulaic-Study-Quran-Andr... more >> https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780739183571
>> http://www.amazon.com/Oral-Formulaic-Study-Quran-Andrew-Bannister/dp/0739183575
The Qur’an makes extensive use of older religious material, stories, and traditions that predate the origins of Islam, and there has long been a fierce debate about how this material found its way into the Qur’an. This unique book argues that this debate has largely been characterized by a failure to fully appreciate the Qur’an as a predominately oral product.
Using innovative computerized linguistic analysis, this study demonstrates that the Qur’an displays many of the signs of oral composition that have been found in other traditional literature. When one then combines these computerized results with other clues to the Qur’an’s origins (such as the demonstrably oral culture that both predated and preceded the Qur’an, as well as the “folk memory” in the Islamic tradition that Muhammad was an oral performer) these multiple lines of evidence converge and point to the conclusion that large portions of the Qur’an need to be understood as being constructed live, in oral performance.
Combining historical, linguistic, and statistical analysis, much of it made possible for the first time due to new computerized tools developed specifically for this book, Bannister argues that the implications of orality have long been overlooked in studies of the Qur’an. By relocating the Islamic scripture firmly back into an oral context, one gains both a fresh appreciation of the Qur’an on its own terms, as well as a fresh understanding of how Muhammad used early religious traditions, retelling old tales afresh for a new audience.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
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Papers by Andrew Bannister
In the last decade, atheism has leapt from obscurity to the front pages: producing best-selling books, making movies, and plastering adverts on the side of buses. There's an energy and a confidence to contemporary atheism: many people now assume that a godless scepticism is the default position, indeed the only position for anybody wishing to appear educated, contemporary and urbane. Atheism is hip, religion is boring.
Yet when one pokes at popular atheism, many of the arguments used to prop it up quickly unravel. The Atheist Who Didn't Exist is designed to expose some of the loose threads on the cardigan of atheism, tug a little, and see what happens. Blending humour with serious thought, Andy Bannister helps the reader question everything, assume nothing and, above all, recognise lazy scepticism and bad arguments. Be an atheist by all means: but do be a thought-through one.
==================================================
But was Dundes’ work dismissed too quickly? Historically, the Qur’an is certainly located in an oral strata. Immediately before, much of pre-Islamic poetry appears to have been composed in performance. Whilst after the Qur’an, oral preachers, the quṣṣās, played a formative role in shaping the Islamic tradition.
So what about the Qur’an itself? This paper explores how computerized analysis of the Qur’an, made possible by deploying a morphologically tagged database of qur’anic Arabic, enables us to conduct a systematic formulaic analysis of the qur’anic text for the first time. Computerized analysis demonstrates the Qur’an’s formulaic density to lie between 23% and 53% (depending on the length of formulaic phrase that we search for). We also highlight some further fascinating features that computerized formulaic analysis can reveal, such as the fact that those surahs traditionally considered ‘Medinan’ are considerably more formulaic than those considered ‘Meccan’. We will also demonstrate how computerized analysis can detect not just repetitions, but entire ‘formulaic systems’ throughout the Qur’an, an even greater indicator of oral generation.
Recognizing the Qur’an as being (at least partially) orally composed relocates it back in the strata from which it is often removed, the oral milieu that both preceded and succeeded the composition of the Qur’an—whilst also demonstrating the potential of computerized linguistic analysis of the qur’anic text.
Books by Andrew Bannister
Are Islam and Christianity essentially the same? Should we try to overcome divisions and build unity by seeing Muslims and Christians as part of one happy family of "Abrahamic Faiths"?
In this important book, Andy Bannister argues that if we want to understand the heart of what the world's two largest religions actually teach, we need to let them speak for themselves — and be willing to acknowledge the differences as well as the similarities.
>> http://www.amazon.com/Oral-Formulaic-Study-Quran-Andrew-Bannister/dp/0739183575
The Qur’an makes extensive use of older religious material, stories, and traditions that predate the origins of Islam, and there has long been a fierce debate about how this material found its way into the Qur’an. This unique book argues that this debate has largely been characterized by a failure to fully appreciate the Qur’an as a predominately oral product.
Using innovative computerized linguistic analysis, this study demonstrates that the Qur’an displays many of the signs of oral composition that have been found in other traditional literature. When one then combines these computerized results with other clues to the Qur’an’s origins (such as the demonstrably oral culture that both predated and preceded the Qur’an, as well as the “folk memory” in the Islamic tradition that Muhammad was an oral performer) these multiple lines of evidence converge and point to the conclusion that large portions of the Qur’an need to be understood as being constructed live, in oral performance.
Combining historical, linguistic, and statistical analysis, much of it made possible for the first time due to new computerized tools developed specifically for this book, Bannister argues that the implications of orality have long been overlooked in studies of the Qur’an. By relocating the Islamic scripture firmly back into an oral context, one gains both a fresh appreciation of the Qur’an on its own terms, as well as a fresh understanding of how Muhammad used early religious traditions, retelling old tales afresh for a new audience.
In the last decade, atheism has leapt from obscurity to the front pages: producing best-selling books, making movies, and plastering adverts on the side of buses. There's an energy and a confidence to contemporary atheism: many people now assume that a godless scepticism is the default position, indeed the only position for anybody wishing to appear educated, contemporary and urbane. Atheism is hip, religion is boring.
Yet when one pokes at popular atheism, many of the arguments used to prop it up quickly unravel. The Atheist Who Didn't Exist is designed to expose some of the loose threads on the cardigan of atheism, tug a little, and see what happens. Blending humour with serious thought, Andy Bannister helps the reader question everything, assume nothing and, above all, recognise lazy scepticism and bad arguments. Be an atheist by all means: but do be a thought-through one.
==================================================
But was Dundes’ work dismissed too quickly? Historically, the Qur’an is certainly located in an oral strata. Immediately before, much of pre-Islamic poetry appears to have been composed in performance. Whilst after the Qur’an, oral preachers, the quṣṣās, played a formative role in shaping the Islamic tradition.
So what about the Qur’an itself? This paper explores how computerized analysis of the Qur’an, made possible by deploying a morphologically tagged database of qur’anic Arabic, enables us to conduct a systematic formulaic analysis of the qur’anic text for the first time. Computerized analysis demonstrates the Qur’an’s formulaic density to lie between 23% and 53% (depending on the length of formulaic phrase that we search for). We also highlight some further fascinating features that computerized formulaic analysis can reveal, such as the fact that those surahs traditionally considered ‘Medinan’ are considerably more formulaic than those considered ‘Meccan’. We will also demonstrate how computerized analysis can detect not just repetitions, but entire ‘formulaic systems’ throughout the Qur’an, an even greater indicator of oral generation.
Recognizing the Qur’an as being (at least partially) orally composed relocates it back in the strata from which it is often removed, the oral milieu that both preceded and succeeded the composition of the Qur’an—whilst also demonstrating the potential of computerized linguistic analysis of the qur’anic text.
Are Islam and Christianity essentially the same? Should we try to overcome divisions and build unity by seeing Muslims and Christians as part of one happy family of "Abrahamic Faiths"?
In this important book, Andy Bannister argues that if we want to understand the heart of what the world's two largest religions actually teach, we need to let them speak for themselves — and be willing to acknowledge the differences as well as the similarities.
>> http://www.amazon.com/Oral-Formulaic-Study-Quran-Andrew-Bannister/dp/0739183575
The Qur’an makes extensive use of older religious material, stories, and traditions that predate the origins of Islam, and there has long been a fierce debate about how this material found its way into the Qur’an. This unique book argues that this debate has largely been characterized by a failure to fully appreciate the Qur’an as a predominately oral product.
Using innovative computerized linguistic analysis, this study demonstrates that the Qur’an displays many of the signs of oral composition that have been found in other traditional literature. When one then combines these computerized results with other clues to the Qur’an’s origins (such as the demonstrably oral culture that both predated and preceded the Qur’an, as well as the “folk memory” in the Islamic tradition that Muhammad was an oral performer) these multiple lines of evidence converge and point to the conclusion that large portions of the Qur’an need to be understood as being constructed live, in oral performance.
Combining historical, linguistic, and statistical analysis, much of it made possible for the first time due to new computerized tools developed specifically for this book, Bannister argues that the implications of orality have long been overlooked in studies of the Qur’an. By relocating the Islamic scripture firmly back into an oral context, one gains both a fresh appreciation of the Qur’an on its own terms, as well as a fresh understanding of how Muhammad used early religious traditions, retelling old tales afresh for a new audience.