Text
“Every day, my grandpa on my dad’s side sends me his blessings and a Bible verse in the morning, and I write it down every day in my notebook and I say three things that I’m grateful for and I also say well like what I guess the Bible like means to me so yeah that’s like a ritual or tradition of my faith that I do.”
Context
Having grown up in a family of devout Christians, IK explains that the daily routine of sending blessings and a Bible verse is one that his grandpa does for all members of his family. For IK personally, he also adds saying his appreciations and the meaning of the Bible to his daily routine as a way to honor his faith and start off each day strong.
Analysis
This is an example of a ritual in IK’s life that exemplifies his belief, which in this case is his Christian faith, and is an example of Kaptchuk’s ritual theory as repeated routines that create some emotional change. It represents a core piece of his family lore that has been passed from his grandfather to every member of his family and that he will continue to share to his kids and grandkids. This ritual also serves a specific function, as for IK the blessings, Bible verses, and appreciations are a way for him to honor his faith before the start of each day and go into each day with the strength of God behind him. For IK, this routine is not just a habit, it is a ritual that serves a specific powerful purpose each morning. As a Christian myself, this story strengthened my place in the Christian folk group because my mom and my grand uncle also send me daily Bible verses, and it’s cool to see that it is a common practice and one that I should continue to honor and eventually pass down to my kids.
Category Archives: Folk speech
“B Card”
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“There was a thing when I was in middle school where if someone said they were gonna do something anybody could say B Card right after and if you didn’t do the thing that you said then your friends would neck you (slap you on the neck). I remember I thought it was just a thing like with me and my friends at my school in 6th grade but I remember when I went to a new school in 7th grade, one of my friends said it one day and everybody like knew what it was in our friend group like it was a common thing which was kinda surprising. I think it stood for bitch card, like you’re a bitch if you back out of doing the thing you said. And anything was fair game too so you had to just like watch what you were saying around your friends.”
Context
BS explains that this was a long running verbal game among his multiple friend groups in middle school. Essentially, if BS’s friend were to say an action (ie. “I’m gonna get an A on this test”), BS could then immediately say “B Card”. If the action then wasn’t completed, then BS could slap his friend on the neck. No matter how outlandish the action, anything could be B carded at any time. BS also says that this was a game that existed in 2 different friend groups at different schools.
Analysis
“B Card” is an example of folk speech among young boys, and also a game that utilizes play frames as a way to hurt your friends under “acceptable” rules. It also marked your acceptance or standing of certain friend groups, as not every group understood or valued the saying, and “B Card” was never explicitly taught nor have I ever seen it on social media. BS and I went to the same school, but I also had a similar experience where the school/friend group I came from before also played the “B Card” game with slightly different rules like punching instead of necking, showing that “B Card” existed in multiplicity and variations among us middle school boys. In my opinion, “B Card” could have been a way to hold each other accountable to the things we would say, an example of Mechling’s point that jokes can be used as social tools, but it was definitely a game that gave us an excuse to hit each other due to the mostly outlandish/impossible things that middle school boys would say they were going to do throughout the day.
Bangun Pagi
Text
Malay lyrics:
Bangun pagi, gosok gigi,
cuci muka, pakai baju,
makan roti, minum susu,
pergi sekolah, senang hati.
English translation:
Wake up, brush your teeth,
Wash your face, put on clothes,
Eat bread, drink milk,
Go to school, be happy.
*Translated from Mandarin Chinese
“I learned this song from my kindergarten teacher in Malaysia and it was a song for kids to remember their morning routines to start the day. Years later with my kids, when they were young, I would sing this song to them while waking them up before school. And they’re so hard to wake up, so I would use water on my hands to splash on their faces too, while singing the song.”
Context
This is a song that KL (who is my mom) learned 40 plus years ago as a young girl growing up in Malaysia. Even after moving to America and raising a family 40 years later, KL still remembered this song and used it as part of the routine of waking us up as that’s how the song was used when she was young.
Analysis
This is an example of verbal folklore / a folk song that my mom learned orally from her teacher in school. Functionally, it outlines a morning routine, but the value of the song is moreso found in its rhythm and memories/association with the song as a way for kids in Malaysia to wake up in the morning. It’s interesting how she turned a song that she learned from her hometown (rather than her family) into a piece of family folklore that my brothers and I still remember to this day. Bangun Pagi also represents the oral spread of folklore and folk songs, as outside of singing it, my mom never explicitly taught us the meaning of the song but my brothers and I still understand the song and its meaning from waking up to it over and over again. Sims and Stephens make a point that folklore should be understood through its context rather than purely its text, which in this case is especially interesting because even before I ever understood the actual meaning of the Malay lyrics, I knew that hearing this song meant that it was time to wake up and get ready for school. Even though my parents didn’t instill any Malay traditions in our family once they moved to America, this Malay song (which is the only Malay I know) became a core part of our family’s lore and connects us to the Malay folk.
The Phrase “Lock in”
Context: The use of the phrase “lock in” has become widely used by many, especially from the younger generation (Example: gen-z)
MC: “Basically when something gets like super serious, usually someone will say ‘it’s time to lock in’ or ‘let’s lock in.’ Its basically like telling someone or usually a group of people that they have to focus to like win something like in a game or a race.”
Q: Do you know when you first started hearing the phrase?
MC: “Maybe like around the middle of senior year in high school (2023-24) when I heard people shouting it during football games or during track practice and it used a lot on social media like TikTok and Reels.”
Analysis: The phrase “lock in” has become a commonly used slang that was popularized through social media. Telling someone to “lock in” means telling someone to enter a state of focus/concentration in order for them to excel at their best. It has become a commonly used term, especially in common activities such as studying, work, or sports. It’s been seen as a positive term in order to motivate people to try their best.
New Canaan, Connecticut, “West is the best, South is the mouth, and East is the least.”
Text:
When A was in elementary school in New Canaan, Connecticut, there was a saying for her school, “West is the best, South is the mouth, and East is the least.”
Context:
In New Canaan, CT, there were three elementary schools that existed in this town. A went to West, and their saying for the other schools was “West is the best, South is the mouth, and East is the least.” She would hear/learn about these sayings in places like the bus and playgrounds of her school. Students would say it if ever interacting with the other schools, but it was very much a kid saying – as in parents were not aware of the saying. Suddenly, in middle school, when the schools merged, there were new sayings from the other schools. East would say, “East is the beast, West is the one with the hairy chest, and South is the mouth.” A did not know if there was a South version, as she did not interact with them as much.
Analysis:
This saying is a form of children’s playground folklore that reinforces group identity and rivalry. By declaring “West is the best” and diminishing the other schools through rhyme, students created a sense of pride and belonging while establishing playful social hierarchies. Because the phrase spread among students without adult involvement, it demonstrates how children create their own social boundaries through shared jokes and repetition. When the schools later merged during middle school, and new versions emerged, it demonstrates how this kind of folklore adapts to changing social dynamics; which ultimately allows students to form identity and competition in a new shared environment and at an early age.