Seems we’re in the midst of a lot of holidays \u2014 we’ve celebrated several birthdays in the past week or so, including Claire’s yesterday. Today is Flag Day and one of the more important holidays is coming up on Saturday \u2014 National Hollerin’ Contest Day.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, hollerin has just about become a lost art. That’s too bad because hollerin’ is really the earliest form of communication between humans. Before the days of telecommunications, it was the traditional form of communication used in rural areas to convey long-distance messages.
\nFortunately, hollerin’ still exists among some peoples of the world and is still practiced in certain societies. In the US, the art is practiced mostly in the south.
\nHollerin’ usually falls into one of these groups:<\/p>\n
Distress hollers \u2014 these hollers were essential in rural communities. They notified others within hearing range of imminent danger\u2026<\/p>\n
Functional hollers \u2014 these hollers were\/are used in day-to-day life on the farm or in the field. Each farmer had his own distinctive hollers to bring in his hogs, cattle, sheep, dogs, etc.<\/p>\n
Communicative hollers \u2014 the main purpose of these cries were to express the greeting, “howdy neighbor.” Women frequently used this form of holler.<\/p>\n
Expressive hollers \u2014 some hollers are voiced purely for pleasure’s sake; often this is a hollered version of a popular tune of melody and serves no purpose other than of entertainment.<\/p>\n
So there you have it, in case you were wondering. Next time you hear a holler, see if you can categorize it – expressive, functional, distress, communicative. Why would you want to do that? The answer to that question is beyond the scope of this blog. I suggest we just all be quite and listen for the hollerin’ on Saturday.
\n\u201430\u2014<\/p>\n
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Seems we’re in the midst of a lot of holidays \u2014 we’ve celebrated several birthdays in the past week or so, including Claire’s yesterday. Today is Flag Day and one of the more important holidays is coming up on Saturday … Continue reading