Whale Of A Tale To Tell Ya Lad

In class, there has been frequent use of the word "story". It begged me to question, where exactly did that word come from. Oddly enough, the most basic definition of the word refers to an oral recounting of events."Myth" coming from the Greek "mythos" means, delivered by word of mouth. "Tale" coming from the Latin "talo" means, speech or language. Why do all these definitions focus so closely on the act of speaking? Does a story have any different meaning if read from a book?

It is important to acknowledge the significance of telling a story by word of mouth from a contemporary point of view. With widespread illiteracy, in ancient times and now, the spoken word has a power that reading cannot convey. Even when pitching an idea to creatives and/or producers, it is preferred that the idea be presented in person rather than strictly through the written word. An important goal for me is to break down what are the powerful qualities of great public speakers and focus on emphasizing similar qualities in my written work.