1. Introduction to a Comparative Corpus of Oral Literature

This chapter provides detailed information about the corpus of oral literature found in the second volume of this book. The classifications of the respective Aramaic and Kurdish dialects are discussed as well as the adaptation of the transcription practices to the respective language variety, including prosody. The Aramaic dialects are subdivided according to the religious affiliation of the speakers (Christian vs. Jewish), and Kurdish dialects according to dialectology (Northern vs. Central). The stories have been catalogued across seven main themes and belong to distinct genres, including fable, legend, etiology, ep-ic, anecdotes etc. Several stories come in multiple versions from Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. The chapter also offers notes on the metadata of the texts in this collection.