Intergenerational Language and Cultural Memory: An Anthropological Discourse Analysis of Grandparent-Grandchild Storytelling In Algeria
Intergenerational Language and Cultural Memory: An Anthropological Discourse Analysis of Grandparent-Grandchild Storytelling In Algeria

Summary/Abstract: This paper investigates how intergenerational storytelling serves as a medium for transmitting cultural memory, moral values, and collective identity in Algerian families. It explores the role of grandparents as narrative agents who shape younger generations’ understanding of history, ethics, and belonging through everyday oral practices. The research draws on cultural memory theory and anthropological discourse analysis. Data were collected from 30 families across five Algerian cities (Batna, Biskra, Khenchela, Béjaïa, and Bouira) through semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded storytelling sessions in Arabic, Kabyle, or Chaoui, and participant observation in home settings. Findings reveal that grandparents use expressive intonation, repetition, culturally grounded metaphor and idiom, as well as humor to convey emotionally resonant and morally instructive narratives. These stories reflect key historical experiences (e.g., colonial struggle), local cultural values, and symbolic worldviews. Storytelling was shown to be interactive, with children responding actively through questions and interpretation. The study concludes that oral storytelling remains a vital and adaptive practice in Algerian family life, despite the influence of modern technologies and changing communication patterns. Storytelling continues to function as a dialogic and emotionally rich mode of intergenerational connection. The study also underscores the importance of indigenous languages in sustaining oral tradition and calls for further research into storytelling in diasporic and educational contexts.

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