MANAGEMENT TRAINING AND ADVISORY CENTER (MTAC)

Building Capacity for Enterprise Development

DIPLOMA IN RECORDS KEEPING AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

PALEOGRAPHY

BY
MR. MUKASA GEOFRY

ARINAITWE KENETH

RIM/06.15/023D

COURSE WORK ASSIGNMENT

QUESTION:
1. Compare and contrast sound recording and interviews used in oral history and written

documents used to day?

ANSWERS
Definitions
Oral history
Oral history is a sound recording of historical information, obtained through an interview that
preserves a persons life history or eyewitness account of a past experience.

Recorded history or written history

Recorded history or written history is a historical narrative based on a written record or other
documented communication. Recorded history can be contrasted with other narratives of the
past, such as mythological, orals or archeological traditions.

Sound recording
Sound recording is an electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of
sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main
classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording.

Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where
questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee. The types of
interviews include Face-To-Face Interview, Behavioral Interview, Phone Interview, Panel
Interview, Exit interview. Stress Interview, Technical Interview

Differences between Oral history and written documents

When Written Documents or other written sources talk about the events or apparent facts,
oral history talks about the meaning of the event and show facts which are not visible or
sometimes even deleted from written sources. Thats why oral sources are necessary for a
history of non-hegemonic classes. Often editors of some kind of newspaper or magazine say
to journalists what should be written in their article, according to political or other reasons.
Making the interview of oral history, you cannot say your informant what he should tell.
 One more difference is that oral history gives us a unique insight in the subjectivity of the
speaker, while the most seeking aim for the writer is objectivity. This is one of the main
thing, why some historians are skeptical about oral history.
Also, important aspect, talking about differences between oral and written history, is stability.
When you are making an interview about events in the past, you can get information based
on the current set of values of the narrator. This information may be different than those at
that time of the event. For example political opinions or family circumstances have changed.
Written sources are always stable. Moreover, oral history is never the same twice because
informants can remember new things or new viewpoints can come out. In the written history
dominate accuracy and completeness.
Also, important aspect, talking about differences between oral and written history, is stability.
When you are making an interview about events in the past, you can get information based
on the current set of values of the narrator. This information may be different than those at
that time of the event. For example political opinions or family circumstances have changed.
Written sources are always stable. Moreover, oral history is never the same twice because
informants can remember new things or new viewpoints can come out. In the written history
dominate accuracy and completeness.

Similarities between oral history and written history

Both oral history interviews and written interviews might be similar in the material they
record but written documents perhaps less comprehensive than a deep oral history. It can be
because of newspapers or magazines editors, who think in terms of column inches rather than
about story preservation and if journalists, who do the interviewing know this, they don't
think of the big work. Conclusively, though most people throughout history have learned
about the past through the spoken word, both oral history and written documents have a
certain value.
Both provide only traces of what happened in the past; not the whole picture of the past.
Both provide information at varying levels of elaboration, accuracy and truth, depending on
the circumstances around their creation and transmission.
Both Oral history and written history are communicating in nature
References

Baylor University Institute for Oral History. http://www.baylor.edu/oralhistory/ Introductory and

advanced instruction in the Workshop on the Web

Oral History Association. http://www.oralhistory.org

News on annual conferences, resources on best practices, information on digital technology,

links to the online Oral History Review and to oral history centers and collections

Oral History in the Digital Age. http://ohda.matrix.msu.edu/What you need to know about digital
technology for oral history from experts in audio and video recording and preservation