Dagáj dålåv ja darvvá : Histåvrålasj presens julevsáme narratijvajn

Sammanfattning

The purpose of this essay is to investigate the use of the historical present tense in Lule Sámi narratives. The questions asked are when and how the historical present is used, whether there are any similarities with the use in English narratives, and whether there is anything that distinguishes the use in Lule Sámi narratives. Five Lule Sámi narratives performed by renowned storyteller Lars Pirak have been analysed. William Labov's narrative theory has been employed to structure the data, which has then been analysed using some of Deborah Schiffrin's conclusions regarding the use of historical present in English narratives. Previous research has shown that the historical present is a tool for making the past more vivid, by switching from past to present tense, creating the illusion of events happening simultaneously with the telling of the story. Schiffrin states that in English narratives the historical present is almost exclusively used in complicating action clauses, that it is common in verbs of saying before quotations, and that it can be used as an evaluation device to let the events themselves highlight their meaning instead of the narrator having to explicitly explain it. This essay points out that in Lule Sámi narratives the historical present is often used in complicating action clauses, but even more often in orientation clauses. It also shows that the historical present is used in all verbs of saying, before as well as after quotations. Finally, it shows that historical present is used as an evaluation device in such a way that the key events through an entire narrative are illuminated with the help of historical present. These findings are important because the use of historical present in Lule Sámi narratives has never before been analysed. By pointing out how the historical present is used by an experienced storyteller, the knowledge about it can be saved for future generations of storytellers, writers, translators and other people with interest in traditional Lule Sámi language and culture.