Tag Archives: folk speech

Childhood Rebus/Drawing Game: A Story that Makes a Puppy

Text/Transcript: While drawing out the featured image, the informant said this: “There once was a man with no arms. And then he was attacked by bees. And so, to escape the bees, he jumped into a pond. But he had so many stings that he didn’t know what to do, so he ran to the police department, but they didn’t help him, because they can’t help with bee stings. And then he went to the fire department, but they couldn’t help him, cause they don’t help with bee stings. And so they told him to go to the hospital, so he ran all the way across town to the hospital and they put two little bandaids on his bee stings. And then you have a puppy.”

Context: G is a 20 year old USC junior majoring in theater. They are from North Carolina and have been living in Los Angeles for three years. 

G remembers this rebus of sorts from childhood. It’s a simple visual story told while drawing. The ‘puzzle’ begins with an armless stick figure (the nose and mouth), then adding dots as the bee stings (whiskers), the circle as the pond (face), more circles as the police + fire departments (the eyes), a large circle as the hospital (the head), and finally ovals on the sides as the bandaids (the ears). G notes that she is not sure the ears were originally bandaids, and that she improvised that bit. They also added the body for fun – it’s not part of the original rebus.

G remembers being taught this by a classmate at some point in grade school.

Interpretation: Amusement is valued and simplistic in grade school. I think of this folk drawing as something children will do to entertain themselves; to make each other laugh. This pseudo-rebus, in particular, is reminiscent of an elementary school experience either lacking technology or with minimal technology. In the early 2010s, when my informant was in grade school, technology had not entirely taken over learning spaces. It’s especially fitting that this was drawn on the back of her release form, as she mentioned remembering drawing it on the back of worksheets. This is a kind of folk drawing/speech that requires children to be a little clever and, although it looks different depending on the person drawing it, it is intended to look like a dog and is amusing to young children because of that. It’s purpose seems to be both amusement and relationship-building, as it’s something passed to a classmate (presumably a friend) to share in that amusement. There isn’t any intended cruelty to the receiving end of the puzzle, it’s something to enjoy together.

Coaching Advice

“Everything’s important; nothing is special.”

Context:

“My coaches used to say, ‘Everything’s important; nothing is special,'” says the informant. “Essentially, they meant ‘how you do one thing, is how you do everything.'” Throughout their collegiate athletic career, they heard this phrase often, typically as “what the coaches thought was a form of encouragement.”

Analysis:

The formulation in which advice or wisdom is given changes, depending on the climate or the environment of these interactions. In this case, the intent behind these messages is built out of fostering determination within players. These types of phrases are similar to those used by coaching figures, generally speaking, like “keep your eyes on the prize” or “work hard, play hard.” Phrases like these encourage players to focus on their goals and visualize the outcomes that they want to, ultimately, push them harder. The reception of the message depends on the execution of how the intent is presented. In using specific verbiage, one could actually deter or lower potential excitement and energy, especially when in a position of coaching. In providing advice, it is important to have a keen awareness of recipient perception, or else, sometimes the message can be lost.

Got a Secret?

“It all comes out in the wash.”

Context:

The informant remembers their grandmother telling them: “it all comes out in the wash.” Now, reflecting on their childhood, they knows this meant “secrets usually aren’t kept secret” and made them feel like “no problem was too serious.”

Analysis:

Essentially, when facing personal issues that one is worried about, this saying emphasizes the strength of familial bonds surpassing hardship. The informant’s recollections suggest that nothing an individual can go through is too difficult for the entire family and that, with their support and guidance, everything will all be figured out eventually. Hence, “in the wash” means that everything will eventually be cleaned and sorted to the point of almost renew and refresh. This folkloric family-derived saying is one of encouragement and support for family members. Speech like this serves as a reminder that everyone is only human and can do nothing at the end of the day other than choose to be better for and with their family.

Chinese Insult

Text:

  • Original Script: 成事不足 敗事有餘
  • Romanization: Cheng Shi Bu Zu Bai Shi You Yu
  • Transliteration: Complete things not enough fail things have sufficient
  • Translation: You’re not competent enough to accomplish important things, but when it comes to failing you’re really good at it.

Context: My mom taught me this. She didn’t really teach me this I guess, she used it to describe my brother. You normally use this when someone makes a stupid mistake. I think it’s funny. Definitely Chinese speakers would have heard it before. You use it to roast someone. I would be offended if someone used it on me but in a lighthearted way. It’s a phrase that’s been around for a long time.

Analysis: This insult is an example of humorous folk speech that serves to embarrass someone else while being able to hide behind the notion of humor. Using folklore speech in this situation might be a way of relying on a sort of “vernacular authority” instead of directly insulting someone which could disclaim individual blame. Because humor is very specific to culture, this insult being common in Chinese culture might suggest that they have a more blunt and harsh culture in comparison to American culture where this insult might be taken more seriously.

Pa fe bouche mwen long

-Haitian Creole saying

-direct English translation: “Don’t make my mouth long”

-Dom’s colloquial translation: “Don’t piss me off, basically”

My friend, Dom, is from Atlanta, GA; however, both of his parents were born in Haiti. He is fluent in Haitian Creole, and quite passionate about his heritage, culture, and driving upliftment of Haiti and its inhabitants.

According to Dom, “Pa fe bouche mwen long” directly translates to “Don’t make my mouth long,” however, it essentially means “Don’t piss me off.” He heard it from his parents and other adults in his community if he or others were bothering or angering them. 
Most of the online media defining this saying provide only colloquial translations. However, as I suspected when Dom first told it to me, according to Learn Haitian Creole, somewhere between the direct and colloquial is the translation, “Don’t make me talk too much.” When Dom’s mom would tell him not to make her mouth long, she was really instructing him not to get her worked up to the point of having to lecture or yell at him.