Monthly Archives: March 2011

Proverb

Nationality: African-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Charlotte, NC
Performance Date: April 25, 2008
Primary Language: English

Proverb- “You Are Who You Date”

This proverb was taught to Lauren by her father, Charles Corley. The meaning of this proverb is stated by Lauren to be, “When the person you are dating mirrors the characteristics you have. So dating somebody that’s jacked up and cheating means you’re probably jacked up and cheating too.” Lauren said you would use this proverb when you are explaining to someone who is having problems in their relationships. This proverb can be used amongst women and men.

Lauren’s term jacked up refers to someone is treating another person wrong which therefore causes an unhealthy relationship. I do agree with Lauren’s interpretation of this proverb. The proverb is explanatory and shows the person that you are with reflects the types of people you like to hang out with. This proverb reminds me of another proverb that my mother once taught me which states, “Association brings about assimilation”. This proverb is similar to Laurens because it also states the people you decide to associate yourself with are the people you will start to assimilate with, sharing similar interests, styles, tastes, emotions, hobbies, etc. However, I believe this proverb can only be used on a case-by-case basis because there are people who end up in unhealthy relationships whose character does not necessarily reflect the character of their spouse.

Proverb – German

Nationality: Swiss
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Edinburgh, UK
Performance Date: April 01, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: German

German:

“Aller guten Dinge Sind Drei”

My Translation

„All good things come in threes“

My informant said this quote to me in the form of encouragement, providing a non-literal interpretation, which is “Third time’s a charm”. This saying comes as a form of encouragement, and as it has double meaning, can also be used for reassurance when discussing about a good omen they would like to occur. I find this proverb very interesting because it corresponds with Axel Olrik’s Epic Law of common use of the number 3. I find it also interesting that there is never an explanation as to why the number 3 is so ominous but is used very frequently not only in jokes and myths and tales, but also in simple proverbs.

Proverb – Paris, France

Nationality: French
Age: 26
Occupation: Student
Residence: Arcadia, CA
Performance Date: April 12, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: French

French:                                                            Translation:

“Après la pluie le beau temps”                        “Beautiful weather comes after the rain”

Informant: “I learned this in primary school in Paris when I was very young. I do not remember the time that I learned it, I felt that I grew up with this phrase being used a lot. To me it is a proverb of encouragement, to remind someone that trying times will eventually pass. I use it a lot because it is not only meaningful to emotional strife but can be used casually, i.e. when someone has a bad day or is going through a stressful period with work or school.”

In my opinion, a similar non-literal English translation would be that “Every cloud has a silver lining”, not only does it include the reference to weather, but also that something bad is not permanent. I do feel however that the “Every cloud has a silver lining term” makes more reference to the fact that there is always something good in something bad, whereas the French proverb in this case uses “Après” (after), which is a direct reference to time and therefore speaks more literally to a less fortunate period of time, which does not last forever. My informant is unaware of how long this phrase is existed but believes that every French person has heard and used this phrase at least once in their lifetime. Although she stresses that it is still popular and current, she has as of 1996 been a US resident and although she visits her home country frequently is not exposed to the French citizens and residents very often. Within her francophone community in the USA however she claims that it is a popular saying.

Folk Belief – Hong Kong, China

Nationality: Japanese
Age: 24
Occupation: Student
Residence: Oahu, Hawaii
Performance Date: April 15, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Japanese

“Never place your chopsticks in your bowl so that they stick out from the bottom. It brings bad luck; you should put them on top of your bowl lying horizontally or beside your bowl”

I had to be reminded by informant during many meal times. The bad luck that this action brings is death upon yourself or your family. This superstition is important to the informant as she had learned it from her parents and everyone in her culture knows not to do this and considers it common practice. Only people who are completely out of touch with any Asian culture would be unaware of this superstition. As I learned about this practice in Hong Kong, it must be emphasized that this practice is prevalent in all of Asia, or most likely, any country where chopsticks are used during mealtimes. My informant tells me that the placing of the chopsticks into a food bowl, resembles the Buddhist practice of placing incense sticks into sand pits at altars, shrines and graves. Therefore, in mimicking that tradition which is only to be carried out in a religious and spiritual context, i.e. when offerings are made, you are invoking evil spirits who would in turn bring harm to you. I find this very important because I have never been able to drop this practice ever since. Although I do not do it out of superstition, I have adopted this habit merely to be respectful to others around me. This thus would bring a new meaning as to why I carry out a certain practice compared with someone else.

Proverb – German

Nationality: Austrian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Warwick, UK
Performance Date: April 25, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: German

German:

“Einem geschenkten Gaul, schaut man nicht ins Maul”

My Translation:

„You don’t look into the mouth of a horse which is given to you as a gift“

Description from Informant:

“A gaul is a horse and usually by looking a horse in the mouth you can tell how old/good he is. So basically if you get something for free, you don’t go around checking whether it’s good (quality). I like it!”

This proverb, to my informant is important in that it defines an aspect of her beliefs. She relates to takes to this proverb in that it is an encouragement of humility and therefore is used most likely on occasions where someone is complaining about the quality of the gift they have received. It therefore also has an educational purpose. My informant believes that you should be grateful for every gift you receive instead of being critical and trying to evaluate its quality. Although I am German, and attended a German school until the age of 12, I grew up in Asia and therefore have not heard this proverb before. However, I do relate to this quote in that the value that is being taught was very much emphasised to me during my childhood, as I was repetitively told by my parents, and German grandparents to be grateful for the gifts that I am getting. From my personal experience of what I have learned about German culture is that proverbs are used extremely often, and almost all the time come in rhyming couplets. I believe this is done to make the proverbs easier to remember.