Category Archives: Folk speech

Arabic Proverb

Nationality: Arab
Age: 60
Occupation: Engineer
Residence: Dubai, UAE
Performance Date: April 21, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Arabic

لما بيكبر ابنك ، خاويه

Transliteration: Lema beeyekbar ibnak, khaweeh.

Translation: When your son grows up, treat him as if he is your brother.

Background information: This is a well-known Arabic proverb.

Context: The informant told me this proverb in a Skype video call conversation about folklore.

Thoughts: The bond between brothers is a strong one, one reason being that they are typically close in age. Brotherhood is something that is revered in the Middle East, so it makes sense that when a father’s son grows up, the most respect the father can show his son, who is now a grown man, is treating him like a brother. It is interesting to see just how valued the concept of brotherhood, even if not blood-related, is in the Middle East.

Juha’s Nail

Nationality: Syrian
Age: 52
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 11, 2017
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English

Juha had a house he liked very much. But, he needed some money so he had to sell it. For him, to keep a connection to his house, he put in the contract that he is selling all of the house, except a nail on one of the walls. After a week, Juha knocked the door, and when the new owners opened, he told him “Excuse me, I am here to check on my nail.” And he kept doing this almost every day and especially during lunch or dinner time, to be able to share the owner’s meals. After a while, the owner was so tired of Juha’s visits, he left the keys with him and departed. The phrase “Juha’s Nail” stayed as a expression for when you use an excuse to keep coming back for something you are attached to.

Background information: This is a piece of folklore read about in school in the Middle East. The informant found the story for the phrase, “Juha’s Nail,” particularly funny. Juha is a recurring character in many Middle Eastern stories.

Context: The informant told me about this story in a conversation about folklore.

Thoughts: I think it’s so cool and interesting to have a metaphor used in language that started as a story/joke. I have not learned about Arabic metaphors, so it’s fascinating to learn about the origins of one of them.

Arabic Expression

Nationality: Syrian
Age: 40
Performance Date: April 13, 2017
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English

طلعله من الجمل اذنه

Transliteration: Telaalu min al jamal ednu.

Translation: “He got only the camel’s ear.”

When someone works hard to get big share of a deal but the outcome turns out to be very small because many other people shared it with him.

Background information: An expression known in Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. This is a common figure of speech in the Arabic language.

Context: The informant told me about this expression in a conversation about folklore.

Thoughts: This is a very interesting way to describe this situation, one that appears to be quite common all throughout history to today. I find the use of metaphors in other languages to be fascinating and a colorful way to carry out the language. I don’t think I use nearly the amount of metaphors as other languages (such as Arabic) when I speak English.

Circassian Metaphor

Nationality: Syrian
Age: 40
Performance Date: April 13, 2017
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English

Someone asked a Circassian Elder, “Which is more important, to love, or to be loved?”

He replied, “Which wing is more important for the bird, the left wing or the right wing?”

Background information: This is a Circassian metaphor, or more broadly, folk speech. The informant heard it from her mother.

Context: The informant told me this metaphor in a conversation about folklore.

Thoughts: This is a nice little metaphor, comparing love and the wings of a bird. It shows how the importance of both loving and being loved goes hand-in-hand. They must coexist, and one is not necessarily more important than the other – they’re both equally important in this life.

Mexican Proverb

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 56
Occupation: Film Director
Residence: Mexico City
Performance Date: 03/13/2017
Primary Language: Spanish

Main Piece:

  1. Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.
  2. Shrimp that sleeps is carried away by the water.
  3. A sleeping shrimp is swept away by the water.

Background information about the piece by the informant: Simon was born and raised in Mexico City, where this proverb is a very common saying. It dates back to before he was born in 1960, as he claims his father used to tell it to him,

Context on the performance: People recite this proverb to refer to a situation in which someone is distracted or not present and end up getting taken advantage if because of it. For example, if someone steals seats from someone when that person is not looking, it is common for the person who stole the seats to say this to the other person. Under that context, it is usually seen as an assertion of power, but it can also be used as a way to impart wisdom.

Thoughts on the piece: This proverb may tell us that Mexican culture believes that if opportunities are stolen from someone it is partially that person’s fault. It serves a reminder for people not to blame the circumstances, but to see the flaws within themselves. It also works as a way to tell people that they should be alert at all times if they don’t want to loose and opportunity.