Author Archives: Christina Li

I See London-Children’s Rhyme

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Seattle, Washington
Performance Date: 14 April 2012
Primary Language: English

I see London, I see France, I see _____’s underpants!

This is a popular rhyme amongst children and my informant remembered that he used to say it all the time. When they were either playing a hand clapping game or even just jump roping, the kids would sing this tune and pronounce that they saw so and so’s underpants, even if they happened.

I believe that sexual humor is always prominent no matter what the age and is especially getting more prominent in today’s culture. I remember boys would say this to girls in grade school and then chase them down to kiss them afterwards.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Seattle, Washington
Performance Date: 25 April 2012
Primary Language: English

This informant loves this proverb and he constantly would say this to me this semester. One day, when we were walking to a cafe we were trying to figure out a way to get through to another side the street in a quicker way. Once we figured it out, this is when he used the proverb.

This proverb means that two minds thinking together are often better than one mind thinking alone. It then suggests that collaborative thinking is a precious thing. The proverb was first recorded in John Heywood’s essay in 1546. The proverb then shows up in the Bible as well. Both use the phrase metaphorical to mean that it is better to work together and get multiple opinions and as well the work will be done quicker.

John Heywood’s A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effect of all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, 1546:

Some heades haue taken two headis better then one:
But ten heads without wit, I wene as good none.

Ecclesiastes, 4:9, in in Miles Coverdale’s Bible, 1535:

Therfore two are better then one, for they maye well enioye the profit of their laboure.

Source/URL: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/two-heads-are-better-than-one.html

There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 26 April 2012
Primary Language: English

My informant told me about this proverb and it means that whenever something feels like it is free, there is usually a catch. When we were walking around the Los Angeles Festival of Books, she had said this because a man at the Los Angeles Times Booth offered us free umbrellas that were actually very cute. However, he then told us we would need to subscribe for a two month trial for the paper and that he would be taking down our credit card information too, so we decided not to fall into the trap.

Supposedly the origin of this proverb came from when saloons and bars would offer free lunches to people to get them to come into their bars for drinks. Now I feel like the proverb is very true in our society because everything is based around advertisements and media. So, businesses are constantly telling me that they are giving away things for free, but everything also comes with a catch.

Source/URL: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tanstaafl.html

Riddle

Nationality: European, Lebanese
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Brea, California
Performance Date: 6 April 2012
Primary Language: English
  1. It walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening. What is it?

My informant questioned me with this riddle one day when we were walking back to our apartment. The answer is that it is man because when we are young (in the morning) we crawl on all fours, then as we grow older we walk on two legs and then when we are old (in the evening) we use a cane to help us walk and that is three legs.

This was The Riddle of the Sphinx, which Oedipus had to answer to pass into Thebes. If the traveler was able to answer the riddle correctly, then the Sphinx would destroy itself. However, until Oedipus had arrived, no one had solved the riddle and the Sphinx had eaten all the previous men before him. Apparently there were a few Sphinx stationed around Thebes, Greece and Egypt and all had riddles to be solved.

I think that humans are fascinated by riddles because they exercise the human mind. Also, this riddle in particular uses metaphor to compare a man’s life as times of the day.

Source/URL: http://www.jimloy.com/puzz/sphinx0.htm

Easter Traditions

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 8 April 2012
Primary Language: English

Every year on the eve of Easter, my informant’s mother and aunt would hide easter baskets around her backyard and throw green Easter grass in piles around the backyard as well. They would then make little tracks and make the Easter grass lead out the yard door to make it seem like the Easter bunny had left a trail. The first Easter that they had done this, the informant had woken up early and “prowled” around the apartment and backyard to look for Easter eggs. However, everyone else was still asleep and so she waited until her mother got up and told her aunt that she had already found all the baskets, but didn’t touch any of them. After everyone was awake, she went around to collect her Easter baskets and showed them how the Easter bunny had gotten in.

Easter originated as a pagan festival and then morphed through many other ways into the holiday it is today. The Easter bunny, though thought to be a random animal chosen to be associated with Easter, actually came from the original Easter Pagan Festival. The goddess Eastre’s earthly symbol was the rabbit and the Anglo-Saxons had worshipped her through the rabbit. In fact, Easter was not widely celebrated in America until after the Civil War, when it became popular with Christians. Eggs, on the other hand became associated with Easter because they represented fertility and rebirth.

Annotation/Additional Comments: More information about this folklore can be found at this source: http://www.phancypages.com/newsletter/ZNewsletter2599.htm. Easter has been a holiday that has been plagued by business as with many other widespread holidays. However, it is interesting to see that many of the traditions associated with Easter were actually traditions that originated with the holiday.