Category Archives: Folk speech

Minor Genre: Folk Expression

Date of Performance: 02/27/2025

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student

Primary Language: English

Residence: Los Angeles, CA

“Did you get the license plate of that truck that hit ya’?”

Context: In the subject’s teenage years, his father would repeat this expression when the subject appeared particularly disheveled or disorganized — “basically when I would just wake up looking crazy”. Apparently, his father’s uncle would say it to him, and it was passed down in the family.

Analysis: Subject described his father as the joking type — and that fits, as this type of expression is common amongst comedically inclined dads. A similar phrase is the classic “looks like a tornado passed through here” often repeated by parents upon seeing their children’s messy rooms.

Taylor Ham vs Pork Roll

Nationality: American
Age: 47
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

Text:

“Taylor ham is North Jersey and Pork Roll is Central and South Jersey.  I grew up in Central NJ (Somerset County) so I grew up calling it Pork Roll.  There is no difference between the items.  I first heard it from my parents.  The Plaza diner in Morris Plains calls it Taylor ham but we are in North Jersey.”(LeRoy)

Analysis:

Knowing either of these is already a marker that one is from or has familiarity with New Jersey. This breakfast meat isn’t sold widely across the US, mostly in New Jersey and in a little bit of Pennsylvania. I interviewed my mother, who is a New Jersey native. She has moved around a little bit and gotten the whole experience of the importance of this debate. Where you are determines what it’s called and some people take it more seriously than others. This means if you order taylor ham/pork roll and call it by the “wrong” name for the region, some people won’t answer or will expect you to correct yourself. 

The importance of this debate is really a testament to where you are from. There is such a distinction between Central/South Jersey and North Jersey that this is part of the divide. There are many factors such as Mets vs Yankees, Jets vs Giants, Philadelphia vs New York, and Pork Roll vs Taylor Ham. There is pride in where you are from and where you live, so these debates are a healthier way to engage in this mock rivalry. Having pride for one’s home comes out in many ways, including healthy rivalry and one-upping. 

Michael This, Michael That

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

Text:

Michael is a member of the Appalachia Outreach program that runs through the Catholic church. All members of the trip had chores to do because they had to pull their weight, but some people had different skills than others. One day, Michael was asked to do more than others. As he was walking away with another task, the leader was apologizing, and sarcastically he goes, “Michael this, Michael that, anything else I need to do,” and everyone laughed. For the rest of the trip, anytime someone was called more than once, they would say, “Michael this, Michael that”.

Analysis:

A large part of this trip was both tasks and community. The closer the community was, the more fun it was to do the task and the quicker and better they got done. The jokes shared commonly amongst this community create an environment that opens people’s minds to learning and acceptance. The purpose of the trip was to grow, and laughing, jokes, and community are the largest parts of that. 

It’s Not Rocket Science

Nationality: American
Age: 46
Occupation: Ares Management Partner
Residence: Cleveland, OH, USA
Language: English

Text:

This phrase “means it’s not complicated”. It’s used in sentences to reassure people or to tell people they’re being stupid in a nicer way. The tone is either calm or sarcastic, depending on the delivered intent. It was first heard from the informant’s father while explaining homework.

Analysis:

One of the hardest professions to have is a rocket scientist. The amount of schooling and intelligence required is considered unparalleled except possibly by neurosurgeons, where another variation of the phrase exists, “it’s not brain surgery”. The phrase is meant to convey that it is less than rocket science and, therefore, not that hard. It is used to soften or intensify a sentence, depending on the usage. Like most metaphors, it’s used to add flair to speech. 

Health Proverb

AGE: 19 

Date of performance: 02/18/2025

Language: English

Nationality: American

Occupation: Student 

Primary Language: English

Title- ‘Eat one apple, 3 eggs, and 3 glasses a milk a day and you won’t have to see the doctor’ 

Context- J is a student studying Business & Econ. She tells me that whenever she talks to her grandmother, who resides in Shanghai, she always sends a text that translates to “Eat one apple, 3 eggs, and 3 glasses a milk a day and you won’t have to see the doctor” in order to make sure J stays healthy. 

Analysis- The phrase that J’s grandmother consistently tells her is a twist on the commonly known proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away’. However, J’s grandma has added her own advice to the phrase such as 3 eggs and 3 glasses of milk. The way that J’s grandmother, who lives on the opposite side of the globe, knows of the common proverb and decides to add her own twist to it is a prime example of how flexible and applicable pieces of folklore can be to apply to certain demographics and cultures. Specifically within East Asian culture, eggs and milk are seen as valuable sources of nutrition as they provide protein through easily attainable resources.