Category Archives: Proverbs

“Bros before Hoes”

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Actor
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 7 April 2015
Primary Language: English

Text:

When a man feels that he has been slighted by a woman, he’ll turn to his male friends for support, and often express remorse for having prioritized his paramour over the camaraderie of his “bros.”

Background:

In any breakup or conflict, there is a desire for both parties to believe themselves to be in the right, and to be surrounded by others who are willing to help them believe in their own lack of responsibility. One of the principle ways in which individuals will avoid blame is that of vilifying the person with whom they have had a conflict. When there are very few legitimate complaints to be made about the object of one’s heartbreak, as is often the case when the principle responsibility of the conflict lies in the individual seeking most to avoid blame, the individual is likely to resort to ridiculous overgeneralization and categorically unsound platitudes (“bitches be crazy”). Because they’ve surrounded themselves with friends who will, for the time being, support their friend by confirming their status as a victim, the jilted lover will align their pain along self-indulgent, sexist lines, by drawing the conclusion that women are antagonistic towards the feelings and needs of men, and that the only dependable source of support is that of other males. Like I said, it’s a coping mechanism. While it extends beyond the heterosexual circumstances described above, the overwhelming consensus in our culture would suggest that this way of dealing with guilt is generally most prevalent in this context.

Context:

Ok, so here’s like an example, right?

Bro: “Hey Mark, I’m sorry Kathy dumped you.”

Mark: “Yeah man, I can’t believe that bitch.”

Bro (thinking about what Mark wants to hear): “Yeah, Mark…that bitch.”

Mark: “All I did was cheat on her and lie to her and take her for granted, and then she got all hysterical about it. I think she might have been PMSing. Whatever. Who needs bitches when you’ve got buds, right?”

Bro (texting Kathy, “I heard you’re single ;)): “Yeah, Mark. Kathy’s…Kathy’s the worst.”

Mark: “I’m so lucky I got a friend like you to help me out when bitches be trippin’. Bros before hoes.”

Bro: “Yeah, man…Bros before hoes.”

My Thoughts:

I’ve never thought about this saying as folklore before, but it totally fits. I’m sure there must be other sayings in the world that express the same basic sentiment. I think it’s interesting to talk about it that way, in an academic discourse, because it’s really casual and whatnot if you know what I mean.

“Festina lente”

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 12 April 2015
Primary Language: English

Text:

Original Latin: “Festina lente”

English: “Make haste slowly”

Background:

This is a Latin motto I learned in high school during my four years of learning Latin. We learned it as a motto that Augustus Caesar would use as a way of progressing as an emperor; always have something you want to do, and wait for the right time to do it. It is a classic example of the literary device oxymoron. This proverb has governed how I think about parts of my life, especially working on film sets. One always needs to be working on somethings, but sometimes to work, one must wait. And on film sets, you always have a job to do that involves waiting: waiting for actors to fly in, waiting for lights to be set up, waiting for the camera to roll, etc. There are so many moving parts in a film, and it’s important to understand how all of them work together. So for one part to progress well, it must wait for the others.

Context:

This proverb comes up a lot in work environments, particularly those that rely on multiple people to finish one’s own job.

My Thoughts:

I think it was interesting that my informant described this piece as being used almost exclusively in a professional context. I think this is the only piece I’ve collected so far that is used thusly. In any case, it seems to be particularly applied to film for the informant’s life… I wonder how it applied in ancient times? If there were specific professions or tasks that utilized this proverb more than others?

 

Texan Proverbs/Sayings

Nationality: Irish, American
Age: 24
Occupation: Student, Freelance writer
Residence: Dallas, TX and Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/10/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The informant says she grew up in Texas, and naturally picked up some Texan proverbs during her years there from neighbors, friends’ families, and teachers. However, she finds that they don’t always translate well to others.

Take, for example, the saying “They tried to hang him, but the rope broke.” It’s a saying that means someone has been incredibly lucky, but the informant recalls saying that to a new friend at college and getting a weird response. “I said this to her while we were talking about one of our friends who forgot to study for an exam, only to have the exam pushed back a week that same day. My friend looked at me, kinda horrified, and asked if we really still hung people in Texas. I had to laugh because I didn’t know how else to respond.”

Interestingly enough, this is one of a handful of colorful Texan sayings that were published in Anne Dingus’ 1994 article about Texan speech in Texas Monthly. The article was published in the magazine itself a day after it ran online. Here is a link to the online article: http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/more-colorful-texas-sayings%E2%80%A6/page/0/1

Another saying that the informant recalls using with frequent confusion is “There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” which essentially advises people that if you can’t accomplish something one way, then you should try doing it a different way because it might be successful. “My friends had practically the same response to this proverb that they did to the one about the hanged guy being lucky,” she said. “It took me the longest time to convince them that Texan proverbs are very… metaphorical in the most colorful way possible.”

Tummy Full, Heart Happy

Nationality: American/Guatemalan
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Boston, MA
Performance Date: 04/25/15
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

The informant is a student from my folklore class, and we ended up meeting and exchanging stories and superstitions one night.

Original Script

“Barriga llena, corazón contento”

Transliteration

“Belly full, heart happy”

Translation

“If your stomach is full of food, then your heart is content”

Background & Analysis

This is a saying that the informant’s mom says, and that the informant herself will say after a meal. She describes it as a little happy thing you say after eating to give thanks or show appreciation.

The informant’s mother is from a small, secluded town that is surrounded by mountains called Monjas in Guatemala. Although the town has become more modernized over the past few decades, many of the traditions and superstitions still circulate. The informant is from Boston, MA, but attends USC, and she often travels to Guatemala to visit family.

My dad, who is from Chile, has a variation of this saying, “Guatita llena, corazón contento.” This is translated as “Tummy full, heart happy,” and is used the exact same way the informant uses her variation of the saying. My dad most likely learned this from his father, whose vocabulary was full of proverbs and sayings.

A Deal With the Devil

Nationality: Chilean
Age: 60
Occupation: Agronomist/Coffee Plantation Manager
Residence: Hawaii
Performance Date: 03/29/15
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

I collected this piece of folklore from my dad while he was visiting. We ended up just sitting in the car in a parking lot while he shared some more Chilean folklore with me.

Original script 

“Un pacto con el Diablo”

Transliteration

” a deal with the devil”

Translation

You use this whenever you see someone in Chile doing very well. Especially someone young and very successful with lots of wealth. They think that people can sell their soul to the devil, and make a trade. If you’re poor and not doing well, you can ask the devil for help, and he will offer you whatever you want , but it will only be temporary, and in the end, the price to pay is often an early death.

My dad was raised in Rancagua, Chile, which is a city outside of Santiago in the 1950s and early 1960s. Back then and still today, religion has a very strong presence in Chile.

This saying can be seen as rooted in jealousy over what you don’t have, and in a way, is kind of like cursing someone for being  successful when you aren’t. This saying is well-known and used a lot in Chile.