Orality and Literacy

The Technologizing of the Word

This classic study explores the profound transitions in human thought, consciousness, and social structures caused by the shift from primary oral cultures to literate and electronic technologies. Walter J. Ong analyzes how writing and print restructure human mental processes, narrative forms, and conceptual frameworks. The work draws on extensive cross-cultural research to examine the enduring differences between oral expression and written discourse.

by Walter J. Ong

Routledge · First published 1982 · 216 pages