Category Archives: Folk speech

Bana ba motho ba kgaogana tlhogo ya tshoswane

Text: “Bana ba motho ba kgaogana tlhogo ya tshoswane”

Translation: The people of a family are to share the head of an ant.

Context:

B is a middle aged man who was born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana and lives there currently. This is a common phrase in Setswana —the national language of Botswana— used as a metaphor to express the importance of family, sharing, and putting others before yourself. 

B first learned this metaphor from his wife who came from a large single parent household (7 children) It was their reality that the only means through which to prosper is for them all to share and be giving, despite not having much to give. Caring for the entire family is more important than one single individual.

Analysis:

This metaphor is very representative of the greater Botswana community and its cultural norms. It is highly valued in Botswana culture to be selfless and to give freely. This metaphor emphasizes that it is easy to give when you are in abundance, however, even when you only have something as small as an ant’s head, you must still find it in you to share that with the family (or community). This is a distinctly non-western philosophy and way of living. In the US, it is the norm to be extraordinarily individualistic. In Botswana, however, as exemplified by this phrase, the only option is for everyone to prosper, going directly against holding one person above the rest.

Botlhale jwa phaka bo tswa phalaneng

Text: “Botlhale jwa phaka bo tswa phalaneng.”

Translation: The intelligence of the antelope comes from the calf.

Context:

B: “This saying symbolizes that the future belongs to the next generation. Young people are the future of the world. It tells us to look to the younger generation to solve the problems of today. We [his generation] can’t solve them because it was created by our paradigm. To solve community issues, we need young people to approach to find a solution through their unencumbered paradigm.”

B is a middle aged man who was born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana and lives there currently. This is a common phrase in Setswana —the national language of Botswana— used as a metaphor to express that it is not only the old that have the capability to be wise, but the young do as well. B first learned this phrase from his parents in his childhood (1970s/80s). 

B claims to refer back to this phrase often in his consultancy work, often looking to his younger employees to offer a completely different perspective and experience to his own. Additionally, he relates this phrase to Africa as an entity. With around 60% of the population being under 25, B believes that it is the youth —with their unencumbered creativity, talent, energy, and problem solving— that will spearhead growth into the African continent. 

Analysis:

This metaphor encapsulates the characteristics of the people of Botswana. Traditionally, respect is an incredibly important attribute to have and show to all others in the community regardless of age or status. This phrase highlights the calf —youth— as being just as important and capable of contributing something of worth —intelligence— to its elders and community. It is representative of the importance not to dismiss others because they are seemingly “less” than you.

Barbie Movie Riddle

Age: 20

Text:

“What is an instrument that you cannot touch or see?” Answer: “Your Voice”

Context:

My informant says she and her sister learn this riddle from Barbie and the Crystal Castle and that it was her go-to riddle to say as a child. She would use it to her friends at school and on average the girls would know the answer and the boys didn’t because they had not watched the Barbie movie.

Analysis:

I actually knew this riddle from my elementary school but I did not know it was from one of the Barbie cartoon movies I would watch. One point I would like to make on the community surrounding this riddle is that I think that most elementary school riddles are more concentrated to an area, but with this riddle since it was from a movie that was very popular among girls at the time, it would be my educated prediction that this riddle is more widespread.

Hindi Proverb: Zameen aasmaan ka farak hai

Text: ज़मीन आसमान का फर्क है

Romanization: Zameen aasmaan ka farak hai

Transliteration: zameen → land / aasmaan → the sky / ka →  of / farak → difference / hai → is

Transcription: It’s like the difference between the land and the sky

Translation: There is a world of difference

Context: My informant – a 20-year old international student from Kolkata, India – explained to me that this is a common Hindi phrase spoken in India. When translating for me, he said that it means “it’s like the difference between the ground and sky” and it would be used when you are comparing two things that are extremely different. He couldn’t remember where he heard it for the first time, but he said it is a very common proverb used in day-to-day colloquial conversations where he is from. While he has heard it from his elders, he says that it is predominantly used among friends and in informal settings.

Analysis: While the literal translation of this phrase might be “there is a world of difference,” my informant interpreted it to be “it’s like the difference between the ground and sky,” leading me to believe there ought to be cultural factors that play into his interpretation. The proverb comes from India, a country in which the dominant religion is Hinduism. In the chapter “Riddles and Proverbs” by F. A. de Caro in Elliot Oring’s Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction, Caro writes that “the four Hindu castes are said to have sprung from the body parts of the creator god and in social status they also descend from head to foot” (191). He proceeds to emphasize the importance of the head, as the multiple heads on a single body are emblematic of the divine power of the Gods (Head: Symbolism and Ritual Use). Considering this, I believe that there is a connection to be made between my informant’s phrase and the Hindu religion that is a major part of the society from which the phrase originated. As the head is closer to the sky – a representation of divine authority in Hinduism (Symbolism of Sky in Hinduism) – and the feet are on the ground – a realm without divine authority – the two spaces are vastly different from each other and cannot be conflated. So, when someone attempts to compare two drastically different things in conversation, responding with “zameen aasmaan ka farak hai” is to not only showcase the dissimilarity between them, but to also emphasize that one is potentially of greater importance than the other, pulling on the Hindu belief of the sky’s superiority to the ground.

References:

De Caro, F. A.. “Riddles and Proverbs.” In Folk Groups and Folklore Genres: An Introduction, edited by Elliot Oring, 175-197. Utah State University Press, 1986.

Meslin, Michel. “Head: Symbolism and Ritual Use,” Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/head-symbolism-and-ritual-use. 

V, Jayaram. “Symbolism of Sky in Hinduism,” Hinduwebsite.com, https://www.hinduwebsite.com/symbolism/symbols/sky.asp. 

Hindi Joke: Randi rona mat kar

Text: रंडी रोना मत कर

Romanization: Randi rona mat kar

Transliteration: randi → whore / rona mat kar → don’t cry

Transcription: Don’t cry, whore

Translation: Don’t cry, whore

Context: My informant – a 20-year-old international student from Kolkata, India – explained to me that this is a common Hindi phrase spoken in India. When translating it for me, he said that it means “a prostitute crying” and it is an inappropriate jab that he and his friends use towards each other. He has heard it most in North India and has described it as slang in Delhi and the Punjab region used in his age group. The jab is used when someone is perceived to be whining about something and the people around the whiner are fed up with it, so they call that person a whore and tell them not to cry. In recent years, he has also heard the phrase in the content of social media influencers, making it more widespread in his country.

Analysis: While prostitution is permitted in India, there is a large portion of the population that sees it as unethical and a violation of cultural values (Prostitution: Legality and Morality in India). In Hinduism, the dominant religion in India, marriage is believed to be a union made in Heaven, and when that marriage is completed on Earth, the marriage bond is believed to persist through seven lifetimes (Hindu Wedding Ceremony). Considering this, there are many who believe that prostitution is an insult to the sanctity of marriage, thus rendering the subject as taboo. In the phrase “randi rona mat kar,” you are explicitly calling someone a prostitute or a whore, pulling on language that is bound to reap discomfort given the perception of the profession in the culture. In the chapter “Jokes that Follow MassMediated Disasters in a Global Electronic Age” by Christie Davies, the author writes that “disaster jokes, like jokes about sex or race or, in some societies, religion or politics, are a way of playing with the forbidden for the sake of amusement” (32). Pulling on this analysis and the perception of prostitution in India, the utilization of “randi rona mat kar” is a way for young people to play with the sacredness of cultural values in an attempt to subvert or challenge traditional norms and beliefs. It serves as a medium for cultural defiance and pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable in their society. Additionally, my informant was adamant about the phrase only being used in his age group, and he also mentioned it becoming more widespread due to the Internet. Davies also writes that the Internet “stimulates the invention of disaster jokes and of death-of-a-celebrity jokes by providing templates for, encouraging emulation among, and granting legitimacy to disaster joke-tellers” (33). With this, I believe that the proliferation of “randi rona mat kar” among younger generations is a product of the Internet’s ability to disseminate information at a faster rate, and with that comes a larger amount of young people playing with a taboo topic that is bound to reestablish cultural norms.

References:

Davies, Christie. “Jokes that Follow MassMediated Disasters in a Global Electronic Age.” In Of Corpse: Death and Humor in Folklore and Popular Culture, edited by Peter Narvaez, 15-34. Utah State University Press, 2003.

Harsh, Garima. “Prostitution: Legality and Morality in India,” The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/welfaremeasuresunderthefactoriesactacriticalappraisal/prostitution-legality-and-morality-in-india-55396/. 

“Hindu Wedding Ceremony,” Sikh and Dread Photography, https://www.sikhanddread.com/hindu-weddings#:~:text=In%20Hinduism%2C%20it%20is%20believed,life%20%E2%80%93%20the%20’Grihasthashram’.