Category Archives: Folk speech

Folk Speech “Winners never quit, quitters never win”

Text : “Winners never quit, quitters never win.”

Context: It was a proverb my track and field coach would say right before giving us an unforgiving workout. It has transcended the track and now I apply it to almost every branch of life. I first heard the proverb in my track and field practice from my coach. To me, I see it as an over-explanation of the concept of winning or how to achieve excellence; though the oversimplification puts emphasis on the effect of persistence in regard to achievement.

Analysis: The proverb is a quote used to motivate people whether that be in a competitive setting or in need of motivation. The proverb making its first appearance in a track and field practice sets the proverb’s meaning to one thing and expands it to another, the interpreter’s life. With the proverb in mind, it pushes one to never give up on what they are doing as if they do, they’ll never succeed because quitting guarantees failure. The proverb seems to relate to many athletes and people who are driven by success or winning. The motivation that is also held within the proverb may also be related to many cultures where failure is not an option such as athlete culture, Hispanic culture, or work culture. I can see through the relation between the quote to the informant, that they were moved and changed by the quote, inspiring them to give challenges one more push until they either succeed or resort to keep pushing; failure is not an option to them.

Funny Burmese Pun

Nationality: Burmese

Primary Language: Burmese

Other Language(s): English, Chinese

Age: 19

Occupation: Student

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Performance Date: 02/17/2024

A.N is 19 years old, and is currently a USC student who’s originally from Yangon, Myanmar. She is my current suite mate and has been a friend since middle school, since we are from the same hometown and school. I asked her if she uses or is familiar with any sayings, proverbs, jokes or folk speech within our culture. 

“Yes, when I was really young, probably when I was like in my elementary years, my family members said this saying to me really often. It’s a really funny saying, you probably know it too. Whenever I would trip or hurt myself, they say “ချီတုံးမတ်တတ်ထ ခဏနာကြပြောက်” (pronounced as “chi tone ma ta hta, kana naa kyaut pyaut”) *laughs*. It directly translates to “Poop stand up, in a bit, it won’t hurt anymore”. I think my older family members said this as a joke to make me laugh and distract me from crying out of pain right after I trip. Obviously, the saying is absurd and doesn’t make sense, but to a kid, it’s a really funny image to be distracted by. They don’t say it anymore to me because I’ve grown up but they have said it to my sister when she was younger too.”

Since I am also Burmese, I’ve heard this folk speech before. I don’t remember it being said to me, probably because I was too young to remember, but they’ve said it to my younger brother as a child. It sounds pretty jarring in English but it makes a lot more sense in Burmese, since the sentence flows like an alliteration. On top of just a joke, I interpret this folk speech as a clever word play in Burmese language, and is used by protective parents that cherish their children.

Lilypad Doubles in Size

Nationality: American

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Age: 21

Occupation: Student

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Performance Date: 02/17/2024

N.N is 21 years old and is from Burbank, CA. I am close friends with N.N and asked him to tell me about any jokes or riddles that he knows of. N.N tells me about a riddle that his uncle has asked before and is sometimes found in IQ tests. 

“When I was about 14, I think in the springtime, my uncle asked me a riddle: ‘A lilypad in a pond doubles in size every single day for 48 days. What day will it take up half the pond?’ I remember this moment vividly because I thought about the riddle and, to my pride, answered correctly: the 47th day. When I first heard it, I was eager to hear more similar riddles, and now I enjoy sharing it with others. Maybe because it was a riddle I got correct, I remember it the clearest. A few years later, I asked E (11) and M (9), my uncle’s children, the same riddle.They were intrigued, never having heard it before. They loved the riddle and the thinking process behind it. Now, it has become a common riddle that we love to share with guests as a fun icebreaker at family gatherings. 

N.N’s interpretation and memory of it was quite endearing for me. It showed how people, even children, love to be challenged and to think.  It also highlights how such riddles, once shared, can become a treasured part of family and social interactions. I also think it is such a fun way to break the ice because it isn’t too challenging, and even if you get it wrong, there’s no harm done since it is worded in a strange manner to confuse just about anyone. 

“You’re a dreamer”

Nationality: American

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Age: 21

Occupation: Student

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Performance Date: 02/17/2024

N.N is 21 years old and is from Burbank, CA. I am close friends with N.N and asked him to tell me about any common phrases, sayings, or proverbs that his family uses. N.N tells me about a phrase that his grandma likes to say often to him. M, his grandma is someone that played a large part in raising him, and they have a great, humorous relationship. 

“I first heard “You’re a dreamer” when I was younger (13) from M. I had told her I wanted to start a club in school, which might’ve seemed unlikely to her at the time. She said this, with a funny shake of her hand, because she thought I wouldn’t follow through with this plan. This was at M’s house, when we were eating dinner together as usual. To this day, she says it whenever I bring up an idea or plan that I have in mind. I think she says this because I have a tendency to not always follow through with my plans but it doesn’t feel like a negative thing to me even if it seems like mockery. I think she says it also because she thinks my ideas are great, and would like me to pursue them. 

I found this story pretty hilarious because I have also met M personally and think of her as a funny and kind adult figure. I think M means well when she says this, but I think this phrase demonstrates the culture of academic value and parental discipline in Asian culture. It is nothing strict but it reflects her desire for her grandson’s academic and financial success. This is because he mentions she usually says this whenever his ideas are related to improving those aspects of his life.

Letter Riddle

Text: “Take away my first letter and I remain the same. Take away my last letter and I remain unchanged. Remove all my letters and I’m still me. What am I?”

Answer: a mailman

Context: My informant heard of this riddle when he was in middle school, during which one of his teachers had a book of jokes and riddles that they would read out to the class at the end of each day, and this one in particular stuck with him as it was one of the few that no one could figure out

Analysis: I agree with my informant that this riddle is exceptionally hard to figure out, especially in comparison to other riddles that rely on word play. I think the most difficult part of this is that each clue involving a letter gives the listener a red herring to play with the spelling of the word mailman. Because of this, I agree with my informant’s former teacher that this would be a great riddle to share with their students, as its unusual solution would likely keep the kids thinking.