Category Archives: Folk speech

Easy comes, easy goes

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/14/17
Primary Language: English
Language: Vietnamese

Background: Ivana is a 19-year old student at USC, studying Public Policy and Diplomacy. She is from Ohio and moved to Los Angeles when she started USC as a freshman.

 

Original script: “Của thiên, trả địa.”

Translation: “Easy comes, easy goes.”

Background Information about the Piece by the informant: This phrase means that things that come easy to you can leave just as easily. You can lose or spend very easily, whereas if you work hard to get something or someone’s love, then that will not be easily lost. Ivana heard this proverb from her mother when she was younger. She forgot what context it was used in, but now this proverb is a frequently used expression in her household.

Thoughts about the piece: I think this proverb is very true. It reminds the listener to work hard to get the things they want in life. Nothing ever comes easy. Once you are an adult, nothing is spoonfed to you; you have to fight for what you want. This proverb reminds me as a student that I must work hard and tightly grasp onto the things that make me happy. Only by working hard will I ever be able to truly own or take ownership of something.

 

Math joke/riddle

Age: 46
Residence: Tracy
Primary Language: English

My mom must find numerous ways to engage her students since most people have a fear and hatred of math. She often attempts to tells jokes that relate to something she is teaching. She learned this joke from a colleague.  “You have a kitchen and there is a pot of water on the floor. How do you boil the pot of water? Simple, you pick up the pot of water, place it on the stove, and turn the stove on. Now, how do you boil a pot of water on the counter?…… You place it on the floor and use part A.” My mom likes this joke because it resembles how one would use an existing proof in another proof. She also likes it because it has a deceptively easy answer that most people don’t think of. My mom has a degree in biochemistry and a Master’s degree in educations. She teaches math to high schoolers. She enjoys doing math puzzles and learning to code. As a result, she has collected an enormous amount of folklore. Predominantly from her students, but also from colleagues and conferences. Some of this folklore is unique to each niche while other pieces span multiple groups. This provides a unique perspective on folklore from these rather similar groups. Since my mom and I are quite similar I think the joke is funny for very similar reasons. Since I do a lot of proofs for my classes I think the answer to this joke is a “oh duh” moment. I usually have one of those when I finally figure out how to solve a problem and prove the answer. There is generally one step that makes the whole answer fit together and most of the time it is something annoyingly obvious. This joke just reminds me of those moments which are funny looking back on them, but while I was working on the problem they weren’t so funny.

Texas phrase

Age: 21
Occupation: Student

Graham is a 21 year old music major at USC. He is originally from Houston Texas and has lived there his whole live, he specifically lived on a ranch. A big part of Graham’s family activities is hunting. His grandfather and father take him quail, duck and hog hunting frequently. This hunting way of life has made his family speak in terms of hunting as well, for example:

“Don’t leave me hangin’, or else I’ll be sittin’ like a duck”

The phrase “sitting like a duck” he mentioned was a hunting phrase, and a sitting duck is a duck who is vulnerable to being shot and killed. The words “don’t leave me hangin” are words that mean make sure you have my back at all times, and are always there for me. Graham said this was a crucial foundational element of his family, the fact that they would all have each other’s backs. Graham said he heard this phrase a lot growing up, and it has taught him to never leave anyone hanging.

I personally like this phrase, and I find it interesting that because Graham grew up in a hunting family, much of their daily lives, things they say, and  foundational elements relate around hunting.

Northern vs Southern California “Hella” word

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 20
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/23/2017
Primary Language: English

Will is a 20 year old kid from Carmel, California, which is in Northern California. He was born and raised in the same spot and never really travelled. He said that California being such a large state, there was quite the rivalry between Northern and Southern California. He even said there were some terms that only Northern California said. The specific term he talked about was a form of slang, the term is:

“Hella”

Will described that only Northern California’s use this term in sentences, and if one was to use it in Southern California it was “social suicide.” I asked him to use it in a sentence and he said “Oh, um, your shirt is hella red.” He said it is just used as a term to intensify something. I find it fascinating that there is a slang term that is allowed and used frequently in Northern California, but banned in Southern California. I just assumed it was a common slang term that everyone knew, being that I used it when I lived in Washington, so I find this California rivalry fascinating.

Mexican Proverb

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Mexico City
Performance Date: 03/16/17
Primary Language: Spanish

Informant: Maria Burguete. 20 years old. Born and raised in Mexico City.

Informant: “Camarón que se duerme….se lo lleva la corriente”

Translation: Shrimp that falls asleep…..is taken away by the current

Collector: “What does it mean and when did you first hear it?”

Informant: “If you fall asleep you loose, is basically what it’s saying. Mexican mothers tell this saying to their children so that they pay attention. I don’t remember when I first heard this proverb, but I think my mom would use it whenever I would be lazy and not obey her. Also, I think my teachers in lower school would use it”

Thoughts: I have heard this proverb many times growing up. Just like Maria, my mother would often cite it when I was lazy. It is interesting that we both heard this proverb from our mothers and not our fathers. Another interesting observation is that my mother is from Colombia and therefore the proverb is not restricted to a country.