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orality

American  
[aw-ral-i-tee, oh-ral-] / ɔˈræl ɪ ti, oʊˈræl- /

noun

Psychoanalysis.
  1. the condition or quality of being oral; collectively, the personality traits characteristic of the oral phase of psychosexual development.


orality British  
/ ɔːˈrælɪtɪ /

noun

  1. the quality of being oral

  2. a tendency to favour the spoken rather than the written form of language

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of orality

First recorded in 1660–70; oral + -ity

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We sense this disequilibrium in the cultural prominence of 24-hour cable news, streaming television and podcasts, an expansion of what in 1982 the cultural historian Walter J. Ong dubbed the age of “secondary orality.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Together they hope that this new tool will also pave the way for the production of language materials in a naturalistic learning environment away from the classroom, but based instead around everyday use, orality, and community.

From Science Daily

“For me storytelling is inextricable with orality. ... I read all of my work aloud until I get a rhythm, I think about that almost as a musical composition.”

From Los Angeles Times

“My Jim” has proved the perfect companion to Twain’s brilliant but problematic classic, and the audio production captures the inspired orality of Rawles’ writing.

From Seattle Times

Her melodic poems, which embrace the orality of poetry and language, often touch on the natural world, which she uses as much more than just a setting.

From New York Times