Category Archives: Folk speech

“Many will fall at your side but you will not be touched”

Nationality: American
Age: 47
Residence: Glendale, Arizona
Language: English

Text: “Many will fall at your side but you will not be touched”

Context: “When talking to someone, it is an encouragement. It is a protection, like enemies will fall but you will not be struck down. They will say negative things about you but you will be protected. Like people who pretend to be your friends but will want negative things to happen to you.” 

Analysis: This proverb is a blessing and a reference to angels in order to wish protection on someone who is struggling with personal relationships. It is also a show of support for a person’s journey and wishes them luck, that no harm will come their way. A possible interpretation of this could be in reference to fallen angels, as other people will reap their own consequences and the individual does not have a responsibility to fall down with them. This double meaning strengthens the intended protection and transforms the saying into prayer.

“Play Stupid Games Win Stupid Prizes”

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Occupation: US Marine
Residence: Fort Mead, Maryland
Language: English

Text: “Play stupid games win stupid prizes”

Context: This folk speech is commonly used in the military as a warning to others not to make “stupid” decisions because they will result in “stupid” consequences. Quoted are examples provided by the informant for using this saying:

“If you do dumb things, that’s what you will get as a result. Like not taking out your trash or making your bed (stupid game) and they check it and they flip your mattress or throw the trash on the floor (stupid result).” Another example given was “you fall asleep with your rifle, you play stupid games.” 

Interpretation: With the high expectations that come with being military personnel, this folk saying essentially encourages each other to perform the duties that they are expected to perform by authority figures. Often in the military, when one person makes a mistake, everyone gets in trouble, or the consequence is ridiculous as shown in the informants’ examples. By warning each other of the consequences to unnecessary mistakes, they are looking out for their team by potentially saving themselves from over-the-top consequences that come with the smaller mistakes.

gotta keep your head up

AGE

22

Date_of_performance

2/24/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Student

Primary Language

Spanish

Residence

Los Angeles, CA

Folk Speech: Al mal tiempo, Buena Cara

Translation: Bad times, good face

Context + Text: The individual is my roommate’s girlfriend. I went through a tough time in school, and I would come home crying sometimes because of how hard school was. “One day, I had gotten into a fight with a girl in my class and she threw the kick ball at my face, it really hurt, and I was crying when I went home.” She continued on to say that after her parents had comforted her, they reminded her that ‘al mal tiempo, buena cara”, and that I should not let the rest of my day be ruined by having a pouty face. “I really enjoyed hearing my parents say this because it has helped me in my college life now. I’ve failed midterms, missed my family, and just had bad days overall, but I always try to smile no matter what.” She continued on by explaining how keeping a smile on her face would make it easier to stop the bad thoughts or remembering the bad time she might’ve had that day, and it could also help others around her remember to smile. “If me and my friends all smile, there’s no way I have a bad time.”

Analysis: The above phrase is very similar to what many of us had heard as kids, “Turn that frown upside down”, but it can be used in different contexts. Turn that frown upside down is more related to individuals who may be sad and expressing it out to those around them. If I just received some devastating news or feel like I failed a test, I might walk around my house with just a sad/mad face. The phrase, bad times good face however, relates more to the individual trying to hype themselves up. It’s hard to have a bad time when you’re smiling, so simply waking up and reminding yourself to have a “good face” is a great way to ensure you can stay happy with whatever life throws at you.

Ants in your pants!

AGE

17

Date_of_performance

2/23/25

Language

English

Nationality

American

Occupation

Student

Primary Language

Spanish

Residence

San Jose, CA

Folk Speech: minoi minoi minoi minoi pei o se loi a siva siva ua gaoioi 

Translation: move move move move like an ant, move like you got ants in your pants

Context + Text: The individual is my roommate’s sister. The informant has a large Samoan family, where this saying stems from. She recalls hearing this saying most frequently whenever she was feeling a little down, or just afraid of dancing with her family. “The time I vividly first remember hearing this was at my brother’s 15th birthday, when the whole family was out dancing on the dance floor, and I was hiding in the corner with my other cousins. We then heard our parents and relatives yelling this saying to us, while laughing, as they were egging us on to come dance with them”. It was a very endearing moment, she said, as her and her cousins felt inclined to join the dance floor. 

Analysis: The above saying is actually stemmed from a Samoan pop group called Five Stars, dedicated to making family music. The change to turn some of the lyrics into a saying was successful in creating a cultural connection between Samoan families. For the informant herself, her family has moved over into the US, so it has become a little hard to keep the Samoan culture with such a small community. This little saying to just cheer up children and encourage them to dance is effective in keeping the culture alive. She believes that it is fun to hear this saying, and this is important as she has started listening to more Samoan music, hoping to hear more fun little sayings she wants to carry on. 
We can find a similar and funny version of this in the children’s cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, with the song “Squirrels in my Pants”. This song is performed by one of the main characters as she dances in creative and entertaining ways. 

Uun yi agbalagba ri n’oiho joko, omoiton le ri un n’oiho uduo – Proverb

Nationality: Nigerian
Age: 20
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: Yoruba

Text:

Uun yi agbalagba ri n’oiho joko, omoiton le ri un n’oiho uduo

Translation:

“What an elder can see when sitting down, a child cannot see when standing up”

Context:

My informant told me that this proverb is “usually invoked when a child is trying to get smart with an adult or an older person” (his words). He said this proverb can also be used as a warning even when there is no act of disobedience. He told me that there are different versions of this proverb, one ending with “a child cannot see when climbing the tallest tree,” but the one above, in Yoruba, was the version he was told growing up.

Analysis:

When my informant shared this proverb with me, I realized that the idea of “respect your elders” is a somewhat universal idea. I interpreted that the elder seeing more while sitting down is because they have literally seen/experienced more in their life than the child. The child, while standing, cannot see/experience everything the elder sees due to their lack of life experience. Growing up, and even still to this day, I received a similar sentiment from the older people around me. It is interesting how Western cultures, similarly to African cultures, deem elders as “wiser” than children because they have lived longer, and therefore, there is an expectation placed that children need to respect and listen to their elders.