Category Archives: Folk speech

Golf Joke

Nationality: American
Residence: NJ
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

PW: “A guy comes back home after a round of golf. Just like all men, he’s usually in a good move after a day on the course but today, he is really dragging. His wife looks at him when he walks in. After looking at him up and down, she notices that he is dragging. The wife asks him what is going on. He shrugs and says that he doesn’t walk to talk about it. After a bit, the wife presses again. Rather than getting into a fight, he relents. The guy explains that everything was going great on the first nine. However, when his best friend Fred went up to tee off on the back nine, he had a heart attack and died right there on the spot. “Oh no!” the wife says. “You’ve known Fred for twenty years. That’s awful!” “I know!” The husband responds. The rest of the round was hit the ball and drag Fred. Hit the ball and drag Fred.”

Context:

PW is an avid golfer and has been his entire life. He does not remember when he first heard this joke, but he knows that it was told to him by one of his golf friends during an outing. PW states that this is a fairly common golf joke and he will hear it in the clubhouse every now and again. He says that it never fails to make him laugh.

My Interpretation:

Golf, just like every other sport, has its own niche community. There are jokes and stories within the golf world that get perpetuated and spread. This is a fantastic example of one of them. This joke is something that a passerby may understand, but only golfers will truly get and find funny.

Blonde Joke

Nationality: American
Residence: NJ
Primary Language: English

Text/Interview:

PW: “Why did the blonde get fired from the M&M Factory?”

PAR: “I don’t know. Why?”

PW: “She threw away all the Ws.”

Context:

PW loves blonde jokes because his wife is blonde. Any time he comes across one, he remembers it and tells it to his wife. Although she does not claim to find them funny, they always make her grin. PW does not recall when he came across this particular blonde joke. However, he remembers his wife’s reaction of pushing her palm into her face.

My Interpretation:

Jokes are a great way of building relationships between two parties. Nothing makes people warm up to you quite like making them laugh. PW uses blonde jokes as a way to strengthen his relationship with the woman he loves. We should all do the same.

The Safety Song

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: N/A
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/2021
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

Video Lyric Transcribe:

“Stop look and listen, before you cross the street

Use your eyes, use your ears, and then use your walking feet.”

Background:

The informant is a 19-year-old female from St. Paul, Minnesota who currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and attends the University of Southern California. The informant learnt this song when she attended a Summer Camp around the age of five. The camp was located in Corvallis, Oregon, nearby where she lived at the time, although she does not remember the name of the camp. It was taught as a part of her road safety education, to prevent her young self from walking into the street without proper precautions.

Context:

The informant is one of my college roommates, who I asked to relate any folk beliefs or legends she had for the purpose of this project.

My Thoughts:

The “Safety Song” is a perfect example of a little song/jingle made up that one never forgets but never remembers where they heard it for the first time. Like much of folk knowledge, it serves as a warning and attempt to keep kids from dangerous scenarios. It also rhymes in order to be catchier and to resonant with younger children, who is its target audience. I think it is also very indicative of the type of dangers that exist within the community of the informant. Obviously road safety and being cognizant in public areas are very important lessons that children need to be exposed to at young ages.

Thump, Thump, Drag

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: N/A
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/2021
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

“Okay so this girl was left home alone and for comfort she would put her hand down by the side of her bed and so her dog could lick her hand so she could feel safe. Um, then after the licking would happen she would been to fall asleep and she would hear a “thump, thump, drag”. She didn’t know what it was. One night after the dog was licking her hand, she decided to go downstair to get a class of water before the thump, thump, drag happened. And she saw her dog sitting on the couch- so she was very confused. Okay so then as she was making her way back upstairs she saw a man with no legs dragging himself across the floor. Usually when hearing the story, people will imitate the sound of the thumping on the floor and whisper jag.

Background:

The informant is a 19- year-old female who was born and continues to live in Los Angeles, CA. She first heard this story at Gold Arrow Camp around the Sierra National Forrest. The informant was in sixth grade and was told this story by another camper while the group was telling a myriad of scary stories.

Context:

The informant is a close friend who happened to be over at my apartment and who I asked if she knew any bits of folklore or knowledge.

My Thoughts:

This is another typical American scary story that gets told around the country with subtle differences depending on the region. I think that it has a main message to always check the source, be skeptical and investigate strange things. All of these qualities I think are very reflective of American values and this story works as a warning tale to never be too trusting. The story can be heard with different twists, some of which make it less disturbing and some that make it even more disturbing.

Mother-Daughter Proverb

Main Piece:

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”

Background:

“Your nonna [informant’s mother] used to say this to me often when I was younger and especially as I got older and moved away from her. In 2008 when my family and I moved to London and then didn’t return to Chicago for  like, what, 13 years, the proverb became more powerful as it became more relatable to not being around your loved ones. I don’t know where she first heard it.”

Context:

The informant is my mother. I acquired this information during a Facetime call with her, on which I asked if she had any folk knowledge or beliefs.

My Thoughts:

I think that this a lovely proverb that shows how different phrases can affect you at different phases of your life. It does not mean as much until you actually are physically far away from someone. I assume the proverb would’ve been popularized in eras where families or couples were more prone to be separated. I also think that is shows the global nature of our world, with it being common for closely related or connected people to go far away from each other geographically.