oral history

noun

1. information of historical or sociological importance obtained usually by tape-recorded interviews with persons whose experiences and memories are representative or whose lives have been of special significance.

2. a book, article, recording, or transcription of such information.

oral history

noun

1. the memories of living people about events or social conditions which they experienced in their earlier lives taped and preserved as historical evidence

Other Word Forms

• oral historian noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of oral history¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

There are oral history accounts of inhumane punishment of parents who taught their children indigenous languages, he said.

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Filmmaker Alexis Aggrey employs Marshall’s voice to guide the film, taken from a Feb. 15, 1977, recording by Ed Edwin meant to serve as an oral history.

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“I think government’s there to help the people who can’t help themselves. And there’s a lot of people that can’t help themselves,” Burton said, describing his view of a politician’s job in an oral history interview by Open California.

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Filmmaker and Oscar nominee Noisecat combines powerful journalism and oral history in showing the complexity of modern Indigenous life.

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Some will accuse Spinal Tap of going for a cynical cash grab with this new film, which will be accompanied by a new album and a written oral history, “A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap.”

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