Comparison of Folktale Storytellers' Styles Based on the Distribution/Sequence of Narrative Elements

Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare storytellers' styles by employing informatics analysis of narrative texts, specifically by analyzing sound resources, transcription texts, and videos. Accordingly, creole folktales narrated by professional storytellers from Réunion Island in the Western Indian Ocean were collected. First, the narrative elements of the text were classified into two groups: the elements that directly concern a story and those that encompass expressions related to storytelling. The distribution of these elements is portrayed diagrammatically. Second, the elements of expressions related to storytelling were further classified into categories, including local idiomatic expressions and rhetorical expressions. Finally, the entire narrative text was represented as an elements sequence structure. The feedback of the narrative structure, thus visualized, to storytellers will contribute to their performance in future fieldwork.