Passer d’un corpus à une base de données des incantations amoureuses roumaines
Converting a Corpus of Romanian Love Charms into a Database

Summary/Abstract: The Romanian Love Charms Database (RLCD) was developed in 1987 at Brown University by Sanda Golopentia. It contains over 800 files (magic formulas, magic techniques, drivers allowing to combine them into love charm scenarios, as well as charm scenario dossiers that give details concerning the identity of the informants, the place and time of the interviews, the structural characteristics of the formulaic texts, and the types of magic actions, interactions and gestures involved in the charm techniques). The fact that the basic units of the database are charm components rather than charms as such (=complete magic scenarios) impresses a generative character upon RLCD, which is thus not only “storing” formulas, techniques etc., but also “producing” charm scenarios, thus helping us to better understand the magic competence of the charm-sayers. Choosing to limit the database to love charms is motivated by a number of facts, two of which are essential: (1) love charms appear to represent the core of healing magic inasmuch as the roots of sickness are believed to lie in erroneously solving the vital problems of love and marriage; and (2) love charms represent a clearcut domain of Romanian magic practices and beliefs.

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