SOURCE, VARIANT, EDITING, AND TRANSLATION ISSUES IN THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH FOLK TALES

Abstract

One of the main problems in comparative folkloristics is determining the scholarly status of the texts involved in the analysis. A fairy tale in one collection may have been recorded directly from a performer; another text may have been copied from an earlier publication; a third may have been translated; and a fourth may have been abridged for children. If these differences are not taken into account, comparative analysis may be based on sources that are not methodologically equivalent.