Category Archives: Proverbs

THE BUTTERY PROVERB

Nationality: Mexican American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 04/18/2018
Primary Language: English

The proverb:

“Ponte Mantequilla”

 

what this means to the person:

when you’re having a bad day make yourself feel like butter and don’t let anything bad stick on to you. just slip everything off.  My mom used to tell me this when kids would pick on me or when something bad happens. Just put on butter and let everything slip right off.  The informant mentioned that it helped her get through a rough day and also helped her not take things to personally when it came to hearing things from others about her. Signifies how she’s growing up because she used to tell her that when she was a kid and takes it a different ay than it means now

 

My analysis:

Getting from the context of how slippery butter is, I can see how the person interprets this proverb. I can also see how relevant it is to here in the US. We have a huge bully problem and many kids pick on each other. This proverb helps people not take everything and absorb it.  Butter is also used in many other folkloric manners like for remedies for burns and stomach pain in the Mexico.

 

 

 

Respecting the Penny

Nationality: American, caucasian
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: 325 West Adams Blvd./ Los Angeles, CA 90007
Performance Date: 04/09/18
Primary Language: English

Title: Respecting the Penny

Category: Proverbial Phrase

Informant: Julianna K. Keller

Nationality: American, caucasian

Age: 20

Occupation: Student

Residence: 325 West Adams Blvd./ Los Angeles, CA 90007

Date of Collection: 4/09/18

Description:

“ The man that does not respect the Penny, does not deserve the dollar.”

Context/Significance:

The phrase comes from Julianna’s great Uncle and is thought to be an originally German proverb. According to the source, the proverb means: A person should value the little things so that they can appreciate when larger things happen. The phrase implies that a person should be appreciative of all things that happen to them and take nothing for granted.

Personal Thoughts:

This proverbial phrase is something that can be heard when talking about small occurrences in an insignificant way. It can be used as a retort when someone acts inappreciative of something nice that happens to them.

“It Takes a Village,” Kenyan Proverb

Nationality: Nigerian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 10, 2018
Primary Language: English

Stanley Kalu studies screenwriting at the University of Southern California. He is originally from Nigeria, but has moved several times throughout his life. He spent a significant portion of his life in Nairobi, Kenya and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He recalls hearing a number of stories as he grew up; many of these stories conveyed moral lessons and were told to younger audiences. In the excerpt below, Stanley recounts a folk tale he heard as a child:

Stanley: “I mean, this isn’t that remarkable… but the phrase ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is very, very apt… particularly in rural areas of Africa, because that literally does happen. If you uh, like you can get beaten by anybody for misbehaving within these communities, because they really do believe that it does take a village. So everyone is your auntie and everyone is your uncle; and therefore, if they are older than you, you have to respect them, as you would respect your parents.”

Here, Stanley describes a proverb that has symbolic and literal value. The proverb addresses some pragmatic concerns about raising a child; it acknowledges how incredibly time consuming the process is and encourages others to help in whatever way they can. In a way, this proverb encourages parents to subsidize the child-rearing process to people they know and respect.

This proverb also provides insight to the social hierarchies that exist in Nairobi. Stanley notes in the transcript that children are expected to behave respectfully towards their elders (who care for them in return). There is a feeling of collective obligation present in Nairobi, which is evident in the way they go about raising their children.

“There’s Enough Room in the Sky,” Nigerian Proverb

Nationality: Nigerian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: April 10, 2018
Primary Language: English

Stanley Kalu studies screenwriting at the University of Southern California. He is originally from Nigeria, but has moved several times throughout his life. He spent a significant portion of his life in Nairobi, Kenya and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He recalls hearing a number of stories as he grew up; many of these stories conveyed moral lessons and were told to younger audiences. In the excerpt below, Stanley recounts a Nigerian proverb that discouraged competitiveness:

Stanley: “Growing up in Nigeria, I used to hear this one proverb all the time. It went like, ‘there is enough space in the sky for all of the birds to fly.’”

Isabella: “And what does that mean to you?”

Stanley: “It just means, it doesn’t have to be a competition… There’s enough space for everybody… to succeed.”

This proverb contains a powerful message about cooperation and kindness.  It provides insight to the type of values that are promoted throughout Nigerian communities; rather than encouraging young people and children (the proverb’s main audience) to adopt a competitive approach to life, proverbs such as these encourage cooperation and tolerance. It makes use of animal symbolism for narrative purposes; by using symbolic language, young people and children are better able to digest the message embedded in the proverb.

This proverb mandates collective success, not just individual success, thus marking a critical distinction between Western culture and Nigerian culture.  Stanley (my source) exhibits cooperative qualities in his own life, and I assume that Nigeria’s folkloric traditions helped shape that part of his personality.

Korean Proverb: Sparrow Following a Crane

Nationality: South Korean
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/14/18
Primary Language: Korean

A sparrow tried to follow a crane and split its crotch

BACKGROUND:

The direct translation of the proverb tells of a Korean Crow-Tilt (closely related to a sparrow) who tries to be as elegant as a crane. In doing so, the crow-tilt ends up making a fool of itself. Crow-tilts are often known for having short, stubby legs unlike the crane. So if the crow-tilt were to walk the same strides as a crane, it would split the crotch of its pants and completely embarrass itself. The moral of the proverb is to not try to put so much effort into the way that you look and to be satisfied with who you are, otherwise you’re going to fall flat.

MY THOUGHTS:

I feel like this is a clever proverb with a beneficial lesson. Admittedly, I was a bit taken aback when I first heard the English translation. My source was very kind and patient with me in explaining what the actual meaning behind it is. After a little explanation I was able to value it for what it is.