Author Archives: Brittaney Robinson

Folk Speech/Slang

Nationality: African-American
Age: 77
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Marion, OH
Performance Date: March 25, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Speech/Slang: “Aw Fritzy Fritzy”

Anne Harrison learned this saying from her grandmother when she was a little girl, probably around 13 years old. Anne’s interpretation goes as follows:

“My grandma had adopted a girl named Jane Adams. She hadn’t physically adopted her, she just spent most of her time at my house cuz her mother had died. And Jane was a little on the fast side. She would never sit still, always shakin’ herself and tryna dance or somethin. And my Grandmother said, “Lil gal why don’t you sit down! Everytime I look at you its Aw Fritzy Fritzy!” Anne said this saying is used when there’s somebody always up showin their self or can’t sit still. In other words trying to show off.”

Anne uses the term “showin’ off” to describe someone who possesses promiscuous characteristics or behavior or for someone who is an attention seeker and acts inappropriately to catch someone’s interest. “Can’t sit still” is describing someone who is always moving around and cannot rest in one place but has to constantly remain busy. The context in which this is used based off of Anne’s interpretation seems to only be used for children, but I could also see this saying used to describe adult behavior as well. For example, if someone comes in dressed inappropriately for work and is trying to flirt with the boss one could say, “She flirts all the time. Aw Fritzy Fritzy”.

I agree with Anne’s interpretation of Aw Fritzy Fritzy, and I have also seen this saying manifested in various versions and contexts. Anne Harrison is my grandmother and she has used this term on many different occasions when describing the acts of her grandchildren or other children she observed. If my brother and I were always fidgeting and meddling with her belongings she would scold us by saying, “Brittaney and Murphy sit down. You’re just movin’ all over the place. Aw Fritzy Fritzy!” I have found this term to accompany statements of discipline.  On other occasions, my family will use this term as a comedic statement. For example, if we see a licentious man/women on television, someone may shout out, “Aw Fritzy Fritzy!”, and the entire room will start to laugh.

This saying’s diverse versions reflect the folkloric characteristics multiplicity and variation that can be found amongst one group of individuals.

Ritual/Tradition – Greek

Nationality: Native-American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Moorpark, CA
Performance Date: March 30, 2007
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Blessing of a Home: Before entering a home a person will throw money in the doorway to bless the family.

This type of ritual/tradition is practiced amongst the Greek culture. Nichelle learned this belief from her Greek mother and grandmother who have taught her the traditions and rituals of the Greek culture. This tradition is practiced amongst the Greek families and can be used to bless other homes that are not of Greek origin. If a family is not of Greek origin the tradition may be slightly changed where the person being invited to the house warming will not throw money into the house but will put money in an envelope as a gift to the family. This tradition occurs when family and friends are invited over for a dinner party to celebrate living in a new home. One member or more of the family will take money and throw it in the doorway of the home before stepping inside the home. Nichelle was not sure of what the money symbolized, she was only aware of this practice being a tradition amongst Greek families.

I agree with Nichelle’s interpretation of a Greek house-warming tradition. This certain tradition has taken on many different forms in other cultures as well. For instance, for many African American house warming parties; it is part of tradition to bring an entrée or beverage of some sort in order to celebrate a family’s new home. Money is also another gift that is given in envelopes or cards as a way of congratulating families for stepping into another stage of adulthood. Although money is not thrown instantly at the door, we can see in other cultures that the same tradition is kept, but through different forms and practices. I also could imagine that money could be a symbol of good luck for the family to lead a long and prosperous life in their new home. This practice could also be a way of showing the family that they have friends and family that are there as systems of support whenever they may need financial assistance. For example, the money may go to helping to pay for new furniture and kitchen items for their new home.

Saying – Boston, Massachusetts

Nationality: African-American
Age: 53
Occupation: Field Service Worker
Residence: Boston, MA
Performance Date: April 29, 2008
Primary Language: English

Saying: “Broke Her Leg”

Don told me he learned and understood the meaning of this saying when he was a young boy, when he was probably around ten years old. He learned the term in Boston, Massachusetts, but believes this term came from church mothers raised in southern states. He said the saying is used when a young girl becomes pregnant and is looked down upon by the women of the community. The pregnant girl would be “shipped off” away from her community, and the family members of the pregnant girl would tell the townspeople, “She broke her leg,” when they asked where the girl was. “She broke her leg” automatically implies that the unmarried girl became pregnant at a young age and was sent off to live somewhere else. Those who are not a part of the community would automatically assume that she broke her leg, but those who are aware of this term would know that the young girl is pregnant.

Don says that this saying tells a lot about how the acceptance of teen pregnancies has changed over the past 30-40 years. He said it was looked down upon to be a teen mother; society would not accept you, you were often shunned from the church, denied from jobs, and talked about at social events. However, he said nowadays you see Jamie Lynn Spears and films like Juno that are glorifying the practice of teen pregnancy. He stated there were less teen pregnancies when becoming pregnant at an early age was considered a social transgression.

I agree with Don’s interpretation of this saying and understand his logic behind the meaning. I believe that in the 21st century we have come to accept teen pregnancy as a norm. In some ways this can be a positive outlook because we are providing more resources of support to young pregnant teens. However, I do feel that our acceptance of teen pregnancy has given way to an increase in wedlock teen pregnancies because now society has accepted that teen pregnancy is inevitable and cannot completely be eliminated. Although this may be true, the problem lies is in the media and communities accepting teen pregnancy as a social norm. This certain belief may be fine if teen mothers could provide for their children, but in most cases teen mothers lack the responsibility and resources needed to take care of their babies. I can also see how this saying has the potential to become less used because of the shift of thinking that has caused American society to more so accept teenage pregnancy.

Folk Belief – Boston, Massachusetts

Nationality: African-American
Age: 53
Occupation: Field Service Engineer
Residence: Boston, MA
Performance Date: April 29, 2008
Primary Language: English

Church Belief: Cursing on Sundays is damnation.

Don says that this was a common belief amongst the neighborhood of African American homes in Boston Massachusetts. Don grew up in a Northeastern Baptist home where the laws of the church were strictly followed. The consequences of cursing in church would lead to getting “smacked across the face”, first by the church mothers who heard you curse, and then by your mother after she heard the story through the grapevine from the church mother’s gossip.

I agree with this church belief. Growing up in an African American Pentecostal church, which is of similar background to Northeastern Baptist churches, it was and still is considered unholy to cuss on Sundays, the Lord’s Day. If you were caught cussing in or outside of the church a church mother or sister of the church would not hesitate to smack right in front of your friends and the other church members in order to teach you a lesson. The men of the church would not usually participate in the scolding. After she physically punished you, a scripture would always follow to back up you’re sinful act. The women of the church would often quote Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”. For Baptist churches the Sabbath day falls on Sunday, therefore no sinful acts should be practiced on a holy day. Proverbs 10:31 “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out” would also be used to remind all of the children to keep their language profanity-free.

Superstition

Nationality: White
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Moreno Valley, CA
Performance Date: April 18, 2008
Primary Language: English

Superstition

If you get an elephant as a gift and its trunk is down you can’t accept it.

Jasmine learned this superstition from her mother when she was a little girl, when she was probably 10 years old. She remembers her mother telling her to never accept an elephant with his trunk down when her mother received a porcelain elephant as a gift. Jasmine was unsure of the meaning behind this superstition she sated, “All I know is that you are not supposed to accept elephants with their trunk down cuz its bad luck.” (See also Field Guide to Luck: How to Use and Interpret Charms, Signs, and Superstitions.)

I was able to find the historic meaning behind this superstition in which Jasmine was unsure about. According to the article Lucky Elephant by Catherine Yronwode, this belief originates from the “lucky elephant” which is a charm used for wishing good luck. The belief of an elephant being a symbol of good luck derived from the Hindu religion of India. The origination of this good luck symbol came from the god Ganesha (the god of luck, protection, and religious devotion) who was the elephant-headed son of Siva (the creator and destroyer of the universe) and the goddess Parvati (the mountain goddess). An elephant as a good luck symbol didn’t reach America until the 19th century when many elephant charms were imported to the United States from India. Yronwode’s believes the “trunk up” belief has no apparent origin in Africa, India, or South East Asia where elephants are native, but is widespread in the USA, and many Asian and African amulet and statuary makers now produce trunk-up elephant statues for American buyers. It may have originated in the west-British and Irish belief that a lucky horseshoe must face upward or “the luck will run out.”

The diffusion of Hindu belief has been embraced by other cultures. This reflects the importance of how diffusion of ideas overtime can determine how folklore is perceived in later years and the incredible capability for one piece of folklore to branch off into various forms over time. It’s amazing to see how the belief in Ganesha went from being a religious practice to becoming manifested in a good luck charm that is now sold in stores across America.  This also shows how globalization has had an impact on the diffusion of folklore amongst different ethnic groups.

Annotated:

Yablon, Alys R. Field Guide to Luck: How to Use and Interpret Charms, Signs, and Superstitions. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books, 2008. pp 73-74.

Yronwode, Catherine. “The Lucky Elephant.” The Luck “W” Amulet Archive. 25 Apr. 2008 <http://www.luckymojo.com/elephant.html>.