Author Archives: stmirza

Better Late Than Never

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Better late than never.

Context:

The proverb is a joke between members of the informants family, that they will typically say as they arrive late to events. Their family is notoriously late to family events and other general appointments, and the proverb has become an ironic commentary on their timeliness as they leave the house. The informant does not remember when her family started saying it,

Analysis:

This use of the relatively popular proverb is interesting because it is ironic, joking about the families perpetual lateness, as opposed to a one-off event. This adds further meaning to the proverb, as it evolves and has become a tradition. This proverb typically is used to excuse lateness, citing that showing up at all is good. This is a widely used proverb, as it is an easy way to laugh-off something that is often accidental.

Boo Who Knock Knock Joke

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/20/2024

Text:

Person 1: Knock knock

Person 2: Who’s there?

Person 1: Boo

Person 2: Boo who?

Person 1: No need to cry it was just a knock knock joke!

Context:

This is a knock knock joke the informant learned from her older sister, when she was 7. She rememberers being confused, and not understanding the joke until a few weeks later, when her mom explained it to her. At this point in her elementary experience, knock knock jokes were quite popular, and the informant remembers telling the kids in her class the day after the joke was explained to her. While knock knock jokes are less popular in the informants day-to-day college life, she still uses it when called for.

Analysis:

This knock knock joke is one that I heard in my childhood, and one that I have seen on social media as well. While it was more common around Halloween, I heard it year round. Knock knock jokes are a common and diverse form of joke because they are quick, easy, and easily adaptable. This speaks to a popular function of jokes – for a quick laugh. To the same extent, knock knock jokes quickly travel and spread as they are normally told in bursts (ie. children competing to see who has a better joke). This joke is particularly funny because it does not require a deep level of intelligence to understand, and is a quick and easy joke.

Heal Little Frog Proverb

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Other language(s): Spanish
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Sana sana, colita de rana
Si no sanas hoy
Sanarás mañana

Translation:

Heal heal little frog tail
If you don’t heal today,
you will heal tomorrow

Context:

This is a story the informant learned from her mom who said it to her whenever she was sick or injured. She doesn’t know what the frog part means, but thought it was cute. Her mom would also kiss whatever part was injured right before she said mañana. She further explained that when she calls her mom and is sick, her mom still repeats the proverb. This was a proverb that had been passed down for multiple generations, as the informants mother also heard it from her mother. The informant said that she could not remember a time being sick, where her mom did not say the proverb.

Analysis:

I think that this proverb is an excellent example of one that is passed down through family. The fact that it become a tradition whenever the informant was sick demonstrates that it holds sentimental value, and will most likely continue to do so. This type of proverb also is likely to get passed down, as people tend to positively associate it with family and love. I find it interesting that for many people, proverbs in their native tongue hold a unique level of sentimental value. Furthermore, the proverb’s inclusion of healing the next day is more applicable to sick people, as it reminds them to remain hopeful and focus on getting better, rather than hoping for miracles that may never occur.

Roses-Are-Red Poem

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
A face like yours
Belongs in the zoo
Don’t be mad, I’ll be there too
Not in a cage, but laughing at you

Context:

This is a saying that the informant heard from her older brother, when he was 10 and she was 5. She remembers being overjoyed when she heard this iteration of the “roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you” saying because she thought it was far more interesting. She was also very glad that there was a version of the saying that was no longer expressly romantic, but was rather a coded insult. After she learned the phrase from her brother, she proceeded to say it to numerous boys in her grade, while also instructing her friends to spread it as well.

Analysis:

This was really interesting to hear, because this is not a version of the classic “roses are red” poem that I have heard before! This type of poem was quite common, and even today I continue to hear new versions. However, this was a creative version I was not expecting to hear. As the informant said, it was a departure from the status quo of roses-are-red poems because is meant to be an insult, rather than a compliment. In my experience, these jokes are told mainly in elementary school and middle school, and this one seems like it would fit perfectly in the settings as a cheeky insult, contributing the American cultural catalog of “boy” versus “girl” insults and jabs (although it is not explicitly gendered).

Echo Riddle

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Riddle: I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I? 

Answer: An echo

Context:

The informant grew up in Los Angeles, and has lived there her entire life. She first heard this riddle in the 4th grade, when her teacher wrote it on the white board for their “riddle of the week.” Each day, they would get an additional hint until someone guessed it. This particular riddle (which was told in the winter) was the first one that never got properly guessed. When the teacher revealed the answer, the informant decided it would be her go-to riddle if someone asked for one. When I was unable to guess the answer, the informant laughed because it reminded her of when she would ask people the riddle on the playground.

Analysis:

I find riddles especially interesting because, in my experience, the narrator gets joy out of the recipients inability to answer. I think that this particular riddle is interesting because it is less “intuitive” than many riddles. Riddles have a unique historical context as they appear throughout mythology (ie. the myth of the Sphinx). It is also interesting because this is a myth that I heard when I was in elementary school (in a different part of the United States), but it remained the same. I think that this myth is particularly interesting because it is not something necessarily tangible, and thus not something that listeners would immediately guess.