This document explores the role of writing and orality in medieval learned culture, highlighting their impact on knowledge transmission.
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[...] In the Middle Ages, the 'wise' or 'learned' man is the one who has learned Latin and knows how to speak and write it. This learned man is embodied from the 13th century by the ideal of the Humanist, a current of thought that takes root in the Middle Ages with the rediscovery of Aristotle's texts and their translation by Averroès. This current will reach its peak at the Renaissance. From the 11th century, society undergoes profound transformations, particularly in education and the dissemination of knowledge, which persist until the 15th century. Several factors have enabled these cultural transformations. [...]
[...] This art is considered the founding base of speeches and teaching. In addition, the pedagogy of medieval teaching always takes the form of dialogues between the teacher and the students. The transmission of knowledge and thoughts is therefore essentially conveyed orally. In conclusion, writing experienced a significant growth during the Middle Ages. Books allowed for the circulation and diffusion of knowledge through the creation of different literary genres. Written language remained predominantly Latin despite the increasingly important development of vernacular language. [...]
[...] The written as a material support of orality One of the first roles of the written is to allow the transcription of orality, materially, on paper. In the production of books, the oral does not disappear since copyists transcribe the memories of the texts. In addition, books are often intended to be read aloud. B. Oratory eloquence: foundation of learning and knowledge Scholars have an oral culture based on listening, memory, and the acquisition of knowledge by heart. In the academic environment, school exercises and exams were all oral. [...]
[...] The dissemination of knowledge through various literary genres Several literary genres appear and participate in the dissemination of knowledge. Among these genres, we find: the mirrors or speculum which guide the reader on various moral questions, the treatises, the summaries that develop a subject in detail and finally the encyclopedias that bring together all existing knowledge. B. The language of knowledge: from Latin to vernacular language In learned culture, the dominant written language is Latin since the scholar is one who masters Latin. It is the language widely used in learned writings of the Middle Ages. [...]
[...] Indeed, the culture of writing was considered the dominant culture due to its dominant place in our contemporary society. Since the work of Paul Zumthor, we know that in the Middle Ages, the hierarchy between oral and written is not as precise as it is in our contemporary societies. His work has shown that orality still has an important place in society in the Middle Ages, particularly in learned culture. We can then ask ourselves what the place of writing and orality is in the learned culture of the Middle Ages and how they allow the transmission of knowledge. [...]
