GLOSSARY OF TERMS
ENGLISH
BALLAD
(BAL-uhd)
CHANT
FILIPINO
tula o awit; balada,
kurido;
tugtuging
inilipat sa tula ;
sentimental o
malungkot na awit
PRONOUNCIATION
Ba’lad
awit ; salmo ; sabaysabay na sigaw ng mga
tao ; tagulaylay
chant
DEFINITION
a narrative folk song. The ballad
is traced back to the Middle
Ages. Ballads were usually
created by common people and
passed orally due to the illiteracy
of the time. Subjects for ballads
include killings, feuds, important
historical events, and rebellion.
For example, in the international
ballad “Lord Randall,” the young
man is poisoned by his
sweetheart, and in “Edward.” The
son commits patricide. A common
stylistic element of the ballad is
repetition. “Lord Randall”
illustrates this well with the phrase
at the end of each verse:
“…mother, mak my bed soon, for
I’m sick at the heart and I fain wad
lie down. “A Handbook to
Literature notes the ballad occurs
to understand a given culture by
showing us what values or norms
that culture deemed important.
See A Handbook to Literature,
Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia,
Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia
of Literature, The Book of Ballads.
Monica Horne, Student,
University of Norfth Carolina at
Pembroke
A short, simple
series of
syllables or words that are sung
on or intoned to the same note or a
limited range of notes; a canticle or
prayer sung or intoned in his
manner; a song or melody.
The rhythmic speaking or singing
of words or sounds, either on a
single pitch or with a simple
melody involving a limited set of
notes and often including a great
deal of repetition or statis. Chant
may be considered speech, music,
or a heightened or stylized form of
speech which some people may
consider
more
effective
in
conveying emotion or expressing,
or getting in touch with, one’s
spiritual side.
Chants are used in a variety of
settings from ritual to recreation.
DIRGE.
punebre ; tugtog-patay ;
sambitan, panambitan ;
umbayi
derdz
A
somber
song
expressing
mourning or grief, such as would
be appropriate for performance at
a funeral.
The English word
“dirge” is derived from the Latin
Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in
conspectus tuo viam meam (“direct
my way in your sight, O Lord my
God”), the first words of the first
antiphon in the Matins of the Office
for the Dead.
The original
meaning of “dirge” in English
referred to this office.
ELEGY
(El-e-je)
tula o awit ng
kalungkutan o
pangungulila sa nasawi
o namatay
e’le dzi
A type of literature defined as a
song or poem, written in elegiac
couplets, that expresses sorrow or
lamentation, usually for one who
has died.
This type of work
stemmed out of a Greek work
known as a “elegus,” a song of
mourning or lamentation that is
accompanied
by
the
flute.
Beginning in the 16th century,
elegies took the form we know
today.
Two famous elegies
include Thomas Gray’s “Elegy
Written in a Country Churchyard”
and Walt Whitman’s “When Lilacs
Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”.
Gray’s elegy is notable in that it
mourned the loss of a way of life
rather than the loss of an
individual. His work, which some
consider to be almost political,
showed extreme discontent for
strife and tyranny set upon
England by Oliver Cromwell. This
work also acted as an outlet for
Gray’s dissatisfaction with those
poets who wrote in accordance
with the thoughts and beliefs of the
upper class. In his elegy, Gray
mourned for his country and
mourned for its citizens. Whitman,
inspired by the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln, wrote his elegy
in its classic form, showing sorrow
for the loss of an individual. See A
Reader’s Companion to World
Literature, and dictionary of World
iterature.
EPIC
(ep-ik)
EPIGRAM
(ep-e-gram)
dalit ; epiko ; tulaing
pangkabayanihan ;
makasaysayang
pangyayari
ep’ik
EPIC
An extended narrative
poem in elevated or dignified
language,
Celebrating the feats of
a legendary or traditional hero. A
literary or dramatic
composition that
resembles an extended narrative
poem celebrating heroic feats.
kasabihan, kawikaan,
salawikain ;maigsing
tulang
may
aral
; matalas o
matalinong mensahe ;
pananalitang nanguuyam
e’pi gram
A short poem or verse that
seeks to ridicule a thought event,
usually with witticism or sarcasm.
These literary works were very
popular during the Renaissance in
Europe in the late 14th century and
the Neoclassical period, which
began after the Restoration in
1660. They were most commonly
found in classic Latin literature,
European and English literature.
In Ancient Greek, an epigram
originally meant a short inscription,
but its meaning was later
broadened to include any very
short poems. Poems that are
meditative or satiric all fall into this
category. These short poems
formulated from the light verse
species, which concentrated on
the tone of voice and the attitude
of the lyric or narrative speaker
toward the subject. With a relaxed
manner, lyricists would recite
poems to their subjects that were
comical or whimsical. Samuel
Taylor Coleridge (1771-1834), an
English poet, essayist and critic,
constructed an epigram to show
humor in Romanticism. His
thoughts, “On a Volunteer Singer”,
compares and contrasts the death
of swans with that of humans:
Swans sing before they die ;twere no bad thing
Should certain people die before
they sing
The
ballad,
“Lord
Randall”
illustrates a young man who set off
to meet his one true love and ends
up becoming “sick at heart” with
what he finds. The young man
later arrives home to his family
about to die and to each family
member he leaves something
sentimental. When asked what he
leaves to his true love, he
responds:
I leave her hell and fire…
This epigram tried to depict what
happens to love gone sour.
Epigrams
have
been
used
throughout the centuries not only
to criticize but also to promote
improvement.
See Benet’s
Reader’s Encyclopedia, Webster’s
Third New International Dictionary
(unabridged), and A Glossary of
Literary Terms.
Melanie P.
Stephens, Student, University of
North Carolina at Pembroke.
FABLE.
pabula ; parabola,
maalamat na kuwento ;
kasinungalingan ;
kabulaanan
fey’bol
FOLK SPEECH
Ang pananalita ng
karaniwang tao kung
ihahambing sa mga
taong may pinag-aralan
fowk is pich’
FOLKLORE
mga alamat,
paniniwala,
pamamaraan o
kaugalian ng mga
karaniwang tao ; pagaaral o pagsusuri
hinggil sa mga
kaalaman at paniniwala
ng iba’t-ibang mga tao
fok’lor
FOLKTALE.
kuwentong bayan ;
katutubong kuwento ;
kuwento sa una
fok’teyl
A short narrative making a
moral
point, traditionally by
means of animal
characters who speak and act like
human beings.
The speech of the common
people, as distinguished from that
of the
educated class.
The body of verbal expressive
culture, including tales, legends,
oral
history, proverbs, jokes, popular
beliefs current among a particular
population, comprising the oral
tradition of that culture, subculture,
or group.
The academic and
usually ethnographic study of
folklore is known as folkloristics.
. A story or legend forming part of
an oral tradition. General term for
any
of numerous varieties of traditional
narrative. The telling of stories
appears to be a cultural universal,
common to primitive and complex
societies alike. Even the forms
folktales take are demonstrably
similar from culture to culture.
Folklorists
make
distinctions
among the categories of folktales.
Legends
and
traditions
are
narratives of an explanatory nature
concerning creation and tribal
beginnings, supernatural beings,
and quasi-historical figures (e.g.,
King Arthur, Lady Godiva). These
stories are related as fact and
concern a specific time and place.
Fairy tales are entirely fictional and
often begin with such formulas as
“Once upon a time …” and “In a
certain country there lived …
“Popular examples recount the
supernatural
adventures
and
mishaps of youngest daughters,
transformed princes, mermaids,
and wood fairies and elves (e.g.
Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin, snow
White, Sleeping Beauty, and
Hansel and Gretel). Animal tales
abound in every culture; most of
them are clearly anthropomorphic,
the animals assuming human
personalities.
Such tales are
classified according to three
subdivision : the etiological tale, or
tale concerning origins (e.g. Great
Hare of the Native North
Americans); the fable pointing to a
moral (Aesop’s fables); and the
beast epic (e.g., Reynard the Fox;
see bestiary). Myths, which are
more
difficult
to
define
satisfactorily, treat happenings of a
long-ago time; they generally
concern the adventures of gods,
giants, heroes, nymphs, satyrs,
and villains, as well as etiological
themes.
See also mythology;
monsters and imaginary beasts in
folklore; elf; fairy; goblin; gremlin;
troll.
LEGEND
alamat ; popular na
paniniwala o akala
le ‘dzend
LOCAL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
listahan ng mga aklat at
iba
pang mga tala kaugnay
ng isang lunan na mas
maliit sa isan bansa.
Halimbawa nito ang
mga aklat ng ginagawa
at ukol sa mga taong
naisilang o naninirahan
sa isang lugar o dili
kaya ay mga aklat ukol
sa kasaysayan,
panitikan, at iba pa ng
isang lugar
kalipunan ng mga
aklat, mapa, lathalain,
mga larawan at mga iba
pang materyales na
low ‘kal bib li ya ‘gre fi
LOCAL
COLLECTION
low ‘kal ko lek’syon
An unverified story
handed
down
from
earlier
times,
especially one
popularly believed to be historical.
A body or collection of such stories
and a romanticized or popularized
myth of modern times.
A
traditional story or tale that has no
proven factual basis : fable, myth.
See belief/unbelief, real/imaginary,
religion. A body of traditional
beliefs and notions accumulated
about a particular subject : folklore,
lore, myth, mythology, mythos,
tradition.
See
knowledge/ignorance
A bibliography of books and other
forms of written record relating to a
geographical area smaller than a
county. It normally includes books
by and about people born in, or
who have resided in, the area, as
well as books relating strictly to the
geography,
natural
history,
architecture and social history of
the area (Harrod’s. 6th ed., c
1987)
A collection of books, maps,
prints, illustrations and
other
material relating to a specific
locality, usually that in which the
may kaugnayan sa
isang lunan na
karaniwang
matatagpuan sa aklatan
ng naturang lugar
library housing the collection is
situated.
(Harrod’s. 6th ed.
C1987)
LOCAL LIST
karagdagang listahan
sa Expressive
Classification na
naglalaman ng
impormasyong pangheyograpiya
at
pulitikal na may
kasamang bilang, na
siyang ginagamit sa
pagsasaayos ng
koleksyon ayon sa
heyograpiyang
pagkakasunod-sunod o
dili kaya’y upang ipakita
ang relasyon nito sa
bawa’t isa ; listahan ng
mga lugar na maaaring
gamitin sa paghahatihati nito alinsunod sa
natatanging
pagkakabukod ; listahan
ng mga aklat
patungkolsa isang lunan
low ′kal list
A list
prepared
by W.P.
Cutter
and
appended
to
his
Expansive classification, giving
geographical
and
political
divisions, with numbers, for use in
arranging material geographically
or to indicate relationship; a list of
places which may be used to
permit sub-division by place in a
scheme or classification; a list of
books relating to a particular
th
locality. (Harrod’s. 6 ed. c 1987)
LOCAL
STUDIES
COLLECTIONS
mga aklat at iba pang
uri ng koleksyon
patungkol sa isang
lunan at lahat ng pisikal
na aspeto nito, kasama
rin ang heyolohiya
o pag-aaral hinggil
sa pinagmulan, mga
pangyayari at
balangkas ng daigdig
o anumang bahagi o
lugar ng daigdig,
paleolohiya o pagaaral hinggil sa mga
“fossils” (mga
natabunang labi o
bakas ng mga
sinaunang hayop at
halaman na kung saan
nakikita ang mga anyo
ng mga nabubuhay
na bagay noong
kauna-unahang
panahon, “climatology”
o ang pag-aaral hinggil
sa klima, natural na
kasaysayan at lahat ng
kaganapang
pangnakaraan,
pangkasalukuyan at
low ′kal is ta′ dis ko
lek′ syon
Local studies collections contain
accumulations of books and other
material in all formats ‘covering the
local environment in all its physical
aspects,
including
geology,
palaeontology, climatology and
natural history, and in terms of all
human
activity
within
that
environment, past, present and
future’
(Library
Association
nd
ed.
Local Studies Group 2
2002).
panghinaharap na
gawain sa lugar na iyon
MEMORATE
pagsasalaysay ng isang
taong personal na
nakaranas at nakasaksi
ng himala o
kababalaghan
me ‘ mo reyt
MYTH
(mith)
kuwento ; mito ;
kahanga-hangang
kuwento
mith
NARRATIVE
(na-RAH-tiv)
dalit ; kuwento,
salaysay
na ‘re tiv
A narrative of a supernatural
experience as told by the person
who the
Experience happened to.
For
example, there are thousands,
perhaps
even hundreds
of
thousands, of
stories about
supernatural experiences with
Quija Boards When these stories
are told by the person of person’s
who they happened to,
they
become memoates. Our Bruvand
text goes on to explain that there
can also be secular memorates,
in which
extraordinary
nonsupernatural personal experiences
have occurred,
and protomemorates, that may provide
background
information
for
legends. Memorates, in general
then, are first-hand descriptions of
personal experiences with the
supernatural.
Any story that attempts to explain
how the world was created or why
the
world is the way that it is. Myths
are stories that are passed on from
generation to generation and
normally involve religion.
M.H.
Abram refers to myths as a
“religion in which we no longer
believe.” Most myths were first
spread by oral tradition and then
were written down in some literary
form. Many ancient literary works
are, in fact, myths as myths appear
in every ancient culture of the
planet. For example you can find
them in ethnological tales, fairy
tales as well as epics. A good
example of a myth is The Book of
Genesis, which recounts tales of
the creation of the universe, the
Earth and mankind.
See A
Glossary to Literary Terms,
Webster’s
Encylopedia
of
Literature. Becky Davis, Student,
University of North Carolina at
Pembroke.
A collection of events that tells a
story, which maybe true
or not, placed in a particular order
NARRATIVE
POEM
(nar-RAH-tiv poEM)
tulang pasalaysay ;
tulang salaysay
nar-RAH-tiv po-EM
and recounted through either
telling or writing. One example is
Edgar Allen Poe’s “the Tell-Tale
Heart.” In this story a madman
resolves to kills his landlord
because he fears the man’s
horrible eye.
One night he
suffocates the landlord and hides
the body beneath the floorboards
of the bedroom. While fielding
questions from the police in the
bedroom where the body is
hidden, the madman thinks he
hears the heart of the victim
beating beneath the floorboards.
Scared that the police hear the
heartbeat too, the madman
confesses.
This is a narrative
because of two things, it has a
sequence in which the events are
told, beginning with murder and
ending with the confession, and it
has a narrator, who is the
madman, telling the story.
By
understanding the term “narrative,”
one begins to understand the most
literary works have a simple outline
: the story, the plot, and the
storyteller.
By studying more
closely, most novels and short
stories are placed into the
categories of first-person and thirdperson narratives, which are based
on who is telling the story and from
what perspective. Other important
terms that relate to the term
“narrative,” are “narrative poetry,”
poetry that tells a story, and
“narrative technique” which means
how one tells a story.
A poem that tells a story. A
narrative
poem can come in many forms
and styles, both complex and
simple, short or long, as long as it
tells a story. A few examples of a
narrative poem are epics, ballads,
and metrical romances. In western
literature, narrative poetry dates
back to the Babylonian epic of
Gilgamesh and Homer’s epics the
Iliad and the Odyssey. In England
and Scotland, storytelling poems
have long been popular; in the late
Middle ages, ballads or storytelling
songs circulated widely. The art of
narrative poetry is difficult in that it
requires the author to posses the
skills of a writer of fiction, the
ability to draw characters and
settings
briefly,
to
engage
attention, and to shape a plot,
while calling for all the skills of a
poet besides. See A Handbook of
Literature and Literature : An
Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and
Drama.
Melissa Houghton,
Student, University of North
Carolina at Pembroke.
NARRATOR
(nar-RAY-ter)
ang tagapagsalaysay,
ang nagsasalaysay
na ‘ rey tor
(). One who tells a story, the
speaker or the “voice” of an
oral or written work. Although it
can be, the narrator is not usually
the same person as the author.
The narrator is one of three types
of characters in a given work, (1)
participant
(protagonist
or
participant in any action that may
take place in the story), (2)
observer
(someone
who
is
indirectly involved in the action of a
story), or (3) non participant (one
who is not at all involved in any
action of the story). The narrator is
the direct window into a piece of
work. Depending on the part of
the character of the narrator plays
in the story, the narrator may
demonstrate bias when presenting
a piece of work. In the Book of
Matthew, the narrator Matthew,
probably presented some bias
when giving his accounts of the
events that took place during that
time.
See Introduction to
Literature,
A
Handbook
to
Literature.
Heather Cameron,
Student, University of North
Carolina at Pembroke.
PARABLE
(PAIR-uhbuhl)
PROVERB
kuwentong may aral na
hango sa Bibliya ;
talinhaga ; parabola
pa ‘re bol
kasabihan ; bagay o
taong kadalasang
ginagawang halimbawa
; kawikaan, salawikain
pro ‘verb
A brief and often simple narrative
that illustrates a moral or
religious lesson.
Some of the
best-known parables are in the
Bible, where Jesus uses them to
teach his disciples. For example,
in “The Parable of the Good Seed,”
a farmer plants a garden. As the
farmer sleeps, someone sows
weeds in his field to destroy the
farmer’s crops. However, when he
learns of his misfortune, he does
not demolish his entire garden just
to remove the weeds. The farmer
waits patiently until harvest time
and gathers his wheat after the
weeds have first been collected
and destroyed. The lesson to be
learned in this parable is to not be
quick to annihilate evil; it will in
deserving
time
receive
its
punishment. Some other parables
in the Bible are “The Parable of the
Prodigal Son” and “The Parable of
the Mustard Seed,”
See The
Encyclopedia of Literature, A
Handbook to Literature. Starlet
Chavis, Student, University of
North Carolina at Pembroke.
(From the Latin proverbium) is a
saying popularly known and
repeated,
usually
expressing
simply and concretely,
though
often metaphorically, a truth based
on common sense or the practical
experience of mankind. Ex: ‘A
stitch in time saves nine.’ A
proverb which describes a basic
rule of conduct may also be known
as a maxim.
If a proverb is
distinguished by particularly good
style, it may be known as an
aphorism.
A proverb is a short, generally
known sentence of the folk of
which contains wisdom, truth,
morals, and traditional views in a
metaphorical,
fixed
and
memorizable form and which is
handed down from generation to
generation.” (Mieder 1985 : 119,
also in Mieder 1993 : 24)
Proverb, adage, saw, byword, a
condensed but memorable saying
embodying some important fact of
experience that is taken as true by
many people.
A short pithy saying in frequent
and
widespread
use
that
expresses a basic truth or practical
precept. See synonyms at saying
Short statement of wisdom or
advice that has passed into
general use. More homely than
aphorisms, proverbs generally
refer to common experience and
are often expressed in metaphor,
alliteration, or rhyme, e.g., “ A bird
in the hand is worth two in the
bush,” When the cat’s away, the
mice will play.”
A proverb (from the Latin
proverbium) is a pithy saying which
gained
credence
through
widespread or frequent use. Most
proverbs express some basic truth
or practical precept. A proverb
which describes a basic rule of
conduct may also be known as a
“maxim”.
If a proverb is
distinguished by particularly good
style, it may be known as an
aphorism.
RIDDLE
tanong, palaisipan,
bugtong, enigma
ri ‘del
A mystifying, misleading, or
puzzling question posed as a
problem to be solved or guessed :
conundrum, enigma; something or
someone difficult to undestand.
A riddle is a form of word puzzle
designed to test someone’s
ingenuity in arriving at its solution.
SAYING
kasabihan, kawikaan,
salawikain
se ‘ ying
Something, such as an adage or
maxim, that is said
SYNONYMS:
saying,
maxim,
adage, saw, motto, epigram,
proverb, aphorism. These nouns
refer to concise verbal expressions
setting forth wisdom or a truth. A
saying is an often repeated and
familiar expression : a collection of
philosophical sayings.
Maxim
denotes particularly an expression
of a general truth or a rule of
conduct : “For a wise man, he
seemed to me – to be governed
too much by general maxims”
(Edmund Burke). Adage applies to
a saying that has gained credit
through long use : a gift that gave
no credence to the adage, “Good
things come in small packages.”
Saw often refers to a familiar
saying that has become trite
through frequent repitition : old
saws that gave little comfort to the
losing team. A motto expresses
the aims, character, or guiding
principles of a person, group, or
institution : “Exuberance over
taste” is my motto. An epigram is
a
witty
expression,
often
paradoxical or satirical and neatly
or brilliantly phrased : In his
epigram Samuel Johnson called
remarriage a “triumph of hope over
experience.” Proverb refers to an
old and popular saying that
illustrates something such as a
basic truth or a practical precept :
“Slow and steady wins the race” is
a proverb to live by. Aphorism,
denoting a concise expression of a
truth or principle, implies depth of
content and stylistic distinction :
Few writers have coined more
aphorisms than Benjamin Franklin.
SIMILE
(sim-EH-lee)
pigura ng pananalita
(figure of speech) na
kung saan may
dalawang magkaibang
bagay na
pinaghahalintulad,
halimbawa: kasinglaya
ng ibon (fre as a bird)
si mi ‘ le
A simile is a type of figurative
language, language that does not
mean exactly what it says, that
makes a comparison between two
otherwise unalike objects or ideas
by connecting them with the words
“like” or “as.” The reader can see
a similar connection with the verbs
resemble, compare and liken.
Similes allow an author to
emphasize a certain characteristic
of an object by comparing that
object to an unrelated object that is
an example of that characteristic.
An example of a simile can be
seen in the poem “Robin Hood and
Allin a Dale”:
With that came in a wealthy knight
Which was both grave
and old,
And after him a
finikin lass,
Did
shine
like
glistening gold.
In this poem, the lass did not
literally glisten like gold, but by
comparing the lass to the gold the
author emphasizes her beauty,
radiance and purity, all things
associated with gold. Similarly, in
N. Scott Momaday’s simple poem,
“simile,” he says that the two
characters in the poem are like
deer who walk in a single line with
their heads high with their ears
forward and their eyes watchful.
By comparing the walkers to the
nervous
deer,
Momaday
emphasizes their care and caution.
See A Handbook to Literature of
Literature : An Introduction to
Fiction, Poetry and Drama.
Crystal
Burnette,
Student,
University of North Carolina at
Pembroke.