Category Archives: Folk speech

Cherokee Proverb

Performance Date: 18 April 2016
Primary Language: English

Cherokee Proverb

 

Informant:

R. S. is my adopted Grandfather. He married my maternal grandmother after my Mother’s biological father died in an Air Force airplane accident. R. S. graduated from Stanford with an engineering degree while also running track. He was in the Air Force and spent time in real estate development before retiring. He then became the mayor of Indian Wells for two terms, and now remains very active by sitting on several boards, such as the Living Desert: Indian Wells’ zoo. R. S. is part Cherokee. His wife and my Grandmother is a Reverend that remains very active as well.

Folklore:

“Perhaps my favorite Cherokee Proverb is this:

‘When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.’

 

Native Americans, not just the Cherokee, provided such a beautiful and humbling perspective of the world. I believe that we can learn a lot… From what they said and did. Even ancient Cherokee Proverbs still apply to our everyday life. This is an inspiration to me. Look, it’s on our refrigerator! Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite – I always see it when I eat! I kid…”

Analysis:

What my Grandfather says is very poignant. It is extremely moving that we can still learn a lot from a Cherokee proverb from hundreds of years ago. I admire his ability to see that in his lineage. While he was obviously not brought up in a traditional Cherokee manner, he is able to understand and respect the beauty of their culture, and attempts to embody their strong spirit.

The Blue Frog

Nationality: South Korean
Age: 49
Occupation: Pharmacist
Residence: Oakdale, California
Performance Date: 4/26/2016
Primary Language: Korean
  1. Original Script: 청개구리
    1. Phonetic Script: Chung-kgeh-kgu-ry
    2. Transliteration Blue frog

 

  • I know this because my mom used to say it to me when someone was acting strangely for attention
  • I learned it from my mother
  • It just means that when you’re behaving oddly you’re like a blue frog trying to fight the normalcy of the usual green frog.
  • The context of the performance was just me and Mom discussing various folk speech in Korea because she always has some sort of phrase to say to me for all sorts of situations.
  • I think it’s a very typical piece of Korean folk speech. I noticed through hanging out with other Korean families and watching historical Korean movies that a lot of their customs and culture is built around animals and consistency (as valued in their primary religions of Confucianism and Buddhism). However, growing up I got the impression that to stand out is discouraged unless it’s because you’re more gifted than others. So it makes sense to me that there’s an entire phrase dedicated to those who fight normalcy.

That’s Ridiculous

Nationality: South Korean
Age: 49
Occupation: Pharmacist
Residence: Oakdale, California
Performance Date: 4/26/2016
Primary Language: Korean
  1. Original Script: 지나가던 개가 웃겠다
    1. Phonetic spelling: jee-nah kga-dun kgeh kga oos-kgedth-tha
    2. Transliteration: the passed dog would laugh
    3. Full Translation: the dog that’s passing by would laugh
  • She knows it because it’s something commonly said amongst a group of friends very comfortable with each other.
  • This is something she learned from her fellow college students and the alumni. It plays into the playful nature of Koreans who find a lot of enjoyment and opportunities to bond by making fun of each other.
  • It is usually said after somebody says something absolutely ridiculous, so ridiculous that even the dog passing by who hears a lot of ridiculous things every day would find it to be ridiculous.
  • I think it’s really interesting how there’s a culture built around the idea of banter and jokes in Korea, especially as a product of the aftermath of the Korean war. Older folks from an old Korean church I used to attend would always talk about how citizens today work harder on being happy and positive especially after the terrible event of the Korean War, even if it requires them jokingly insulting each other in order to find that happy mood.

You’re Really Dumb

Nationality: South Korean
Age: 49
Occupation: Pharmacist
Residence: Oakdale, California
Performance Date: 4/26/2016
Primary Language: Korean
  1. Original Script: 낫놓고 기역자도 모른다
    1. Phonetic spelling: Naht-noh co kgi-yuck-ja-doe moh-run-dah.
    2. Transliteration: Put down a knife the first letter you won’t know
    3. Full Translation: Even if there was a Korean machete next to you you wouldn’t recognize that letter
  • This is another one of those things that you pick up on because of the nature of “friendly” conversation amongst friends in Korean culture.
  • She learned it from her college friends who loved to show affection by picking on each other
  • What happens is a traditional Korean machete is shaped like the first letter of the Korean alphabet, ㄱ. The point of the joke is that the person this is being said to is so dumb that they wouldn’t recognize the first letter of their alphabet even if it was laid right in front of their eyes.
  • Context of performance: I was just asking if she knew any interesting Korean everyday phrases.
  • I think it’s interesting because in English there’s a similar phrase, I believe which is said to someone who’s saying something slightly dumb. We’d say something along the lines of “You’re so dumb you wouldn’t see it even if it was right in front of your eyes”. I also find this one interesting because it plays along to the playful banter culture of Korean friends where insulting each other is the way to show affection.

“Locks don’t keep robbers from stealing. Locks keep honest men from making mistakes”

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: March 21 2016
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Title: “Locks don’t keep robbers from stealing. Locks keep honest men from making mistakes.”

Interviewee: Armando Vildosola

Ethnicity: Mexican-American

Age: 21

Situation (Location, ambience, gathering of people?): Just me and my older brother Armando, as I asked him to share his most important pieces of wisdom that our family has shared throughout the generations. We do this every so often as some way to strengthen the bonds that we have as brothers, something of a brother meeting or a brotherly bonding session. We are sitting in our home in San Diego around our dinner table, having just finished dinner. Out house is full of family walking about visiting from Mexico. We are both on spring break from school at USC.

Piece of Folklore:

Interviewee- “Our Grandpa used to say, “Locks don’t keep robbers from stealing. Locks keep honest men from making mistakes.””

Interviewer- “Do you really like that proverb?”

Interviewee- “Of course! That is why I told you it! That’s why I always tell you that. I think it’s really important to us and to our family. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt for other people to hear this too.”

Interviewer- “Do you remember when you first heard that proverb?”

Interviewee- “Not exactly the first time no. I kind-of just learned it cause grandpa said it so much.”

Analyzation: Everything about this made sense to me personally because I had heard this being said in our family many times. This proverb that was perhaps started by my Grandfather embodies my family’s views on people in the world. There are people that do evil things, and there is little that one can do to stop them from being evil. What one can do however, is make sure that an honest man stays honest. This saying is extremely important to my family, and that is mostly due to the hardships that my family has faced. That can be said for a lot of proverbs floating around. They are usually born from experience, and usually a painful one. They are born in the hopes that future generations will not have to feel the pain that past generations felt. In this case, do what you can to make sure people stay honest, but don’t expect a simple lock to keep robbers away. You need more, you need to expect them to be clever. One must always see ahead and ensure that bad things don’t happen to their family. My older brother obviously values this, and wants to make sure that I take it to heart and use it throughout my life. Because at the end of the day, the Vildosola family is the only real family we have.

Tags: Locks, Proverbs, Wisdom, Honesty