Folk-F101 Final
Understand the complications surrounding the identification of what is sacred in any given folk group
With Native Americans, they intermix various attitudes, oral style, animal and human characters that have both human and godlike qualities, believable and fantastic elements, "explained facts of life" not apparent to non-Indians. All of this makes it difficult to distinguish what is sacred, etc.
Is ain't a word? Why or why not?
Yes ain't is a word. Folklorist describe what people say. No one gets confused when people used ain't bc they still understand them. Grammarians prescribe what people say.
5 qualities of Folklore: (folk speech, proverbs,/ proverbial sayings,riddles, narratives, song/ballads, rhymes)(beliefs,superstitions, customs, games, gestures, dances/dramas)(architecture, crafts, arts, costumes, food)
1. Folklore is oral, customary, and material 2. It is traditional in form and transmission 3. It exists in different versions and variants 4. It usually has an anonymous author 5. folklore tends to be formalized
Be familiar with the fieldwork/interview guides posted to Oncourse.
1. Prepare for the interview by --researching your topic --finding out some basic details about your research collaborator -- testing your equipment -- organizing a list of questions or topics that will help you think about and guide what you want your research collaborator to cover during the interview 2. Before the interview (on the phone or in person), and again at the time of the interview, clearly and accurately explain to your research collaborator -- who you are -- why you want to do the interview -- and what will happen to the information you collect 3. Be yourself. Don't pretend to know more about someone or something than you do know. 4. Never record secretly. 5. Before the interview begins, determine the best location, especially when in someone's else's house or space, that will produce a clear recording with no distracting extraneous noises. 6. At the start of the recording, make a brief opening statement that specifies the date and place of the interview, names of the people in the recording, yourself included, and the general topic of the interview. 7. Keep the recorded running throughout the interview. Only turn the machine off when asked to do so or when an interruption requires it. 8. During the interview, encourage the interviewee by paying attention. Avoid looking at your list of questions or topics or adjusting the equipment, unless absolutely necessary. CAREFUL LISTENING is critical to the interview process. 9. Keep your questions short and avoid complicated multi-part questions. 10. Never ask questions you don't understand. 11. Avoid questions that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no". You are not just after the facts that can be asked via a questionnaire - you want STORIES, NARRATIVES and EXPLANATIONS. 12. Avoid leading questions or ones that already suggest an answer. 13. Try to keep your opinions out of the interview 14. Don't begin the interview with questions about controversial topics. 15. Don't interrupt your informant's answers or thought process. 16. Use follow-up or probe questions to elicit more detailed information: -- "When did that happen?" -- "Did that happen to you?" -- "What are the steps in doing that?" -- "Can you give me an example of that?" 17. Be prepared to let the interview go in different directions than the one you planned. 18. Make the audio recording as complete and accurate a record of the interview as you can. Give spoken clues or information so that listeners can understand what is being described in the conversation. 19. Consider using photographs, maps and other materials to elicit stories and information. 20. Keep your interviews to a reasonable length. Be prepared to ask for a follow-up interview if the individual wants to talk or has more stories to narrate. If you make plans to continue the conversation at another time, follow through with that promise. 21. Make a brief closing announcement at the end of the interview. 22. Obtain their consent with a release form 23. Fill out the data sheet that accompanies an interview completely and accurately. 24. Review the recording, carefully and note useful leads to other community members or historical materials and inquiries, or information that you want to clarify in a follow-up interview. Use the review process to complete all the required supporting documentation - field notes, audio logs and summaries.
Proverb
a popular saying, in a relatively fixed form that is, or has been in oral circulation
What is a rite-of-passage custom?
A custom that signify that person's transition from one status to another EX: Birth and adolescence, coming of age, courtship and marriage, and death, Bar Mitzvah, Graduations, birthdays, legend tripping, engagement and marriage, and death
Be able to define and explain a moveable feast
A religious feast day that does not occur on the same calendar date each year. The term refers most often to Easter and other Christian holy days whose dates are related to it.
Urban Legends
A story in contemporary setting reported as true individual experience, w/ traditional variants that indicate its legendary character. - suspenseful or humorous storyline, element of actual belief, and warning or moral that is either stated or implied Ex: The vanishing Hitchhiker, IU fish from the fountain, The Death Car
What kind of evidence is most important for superstitions and beliefs?
Actual experiences by people
Nicolaisen's "distorted function"
Adaption of old, durable parts from outdated equipment for new purposes Ex: using wagon wheels as a fence
True Proverb
Always a complete sentence, varies slightly in form, and usually expresses some general truth or wisdom Ex: Live and let live Absence makes the heart grow fonder Accidents will happen No fool like an old fool Penny-wise and pound-foolish Don't count your chickens before they hatch A rolling stone gathers no moss
Why do so many Americans still believe in the supernatural?
America is not as scientifically advanced as we tend to believe, or Americans aren't as rational as we think. Science has not proven the non-existence of supernatural phenomena. Folklore is more powerful as a driving force of belief than scientific data and analysis. Supernatural phenomena are real, and science is wrong.
Alan Dundes' definition of a folk group
Any two or more people with at least one thing in common
Be able to identify quilting traditions introduced in lecture
Applique- Applying a precut design to the top cloth Trapunto-Stuffed technique Whole cloth-Medallion style, all the same fabric Patchwork-many different pieces of fabric sewn together to create designs Gee's Bend style of quilt Can be artistic and functional w/ each quilt having a different meaning of some sort
Understand the importance of Rhyme as a mental device:
Assists memory easily identified in the context of speech as a whole
What are the basic stages of language development?
At 4-6 months, children begin to babble At 10-13 months children begin to make words At 24 months, children make short phrases At 3-4 years old, children form sentences At 5-6, Children have a full grammar and linguistic capabilities
Why do we say that taste is both biological and cultural?
Biologically humans have to eat it is a basic need. However food is also central to human experiences and activities. Taste is a strong part of group identity and notions of taste can be impacted by culture. Body image/sensory perception: biological factors of embodiment and experience are always situated within and affected by cultures (tradition contexts). Ex: eating worms in South Africa
Know the narrative of the John Henry ballad
Born with a hammer in his hand, sat on his dad's lap, raced a steam engine drill and died w/ his hammer in his hand. His wife was Paulie Anne (sexual references)
Be able to identify the different types of Mardi Gras celebrations in Louisiana
Carnival- big drinking celebration of fat tuesday with elaborate and colorful floats The Indians- make elaborate beaded costumes throughout the year to display them on parade and to pay homage to the Native Americans who helped free slaves in Louisiana. Rural Runs (couriers)-men and women dress up with colorful masks and costumes and chase chickens for a reward The Chase Masked Men in Gheens and Choupic travel from town to town chasing and symbolically whipping children who beg to not be whipped.
Understand the complications associated with these categories as crafts become beautiful and/or art becomes useful
Categorical complications occur if a "craft" piece is displayed, it then becomes "art"
How is children's play developmental? Know examples.
Children's play is developmental bc it teaches counting, balance, coordination, socialization, honesty, following pattern & aim (hopscotch) teaches children their body parts (head shoulders knees and toes, little piggy)
Know the history of the now popular song, "Man of Constant Sorrow."
Created by Rich Burnett, who was a fiddler around the early 1900s. There are many different versions that have been sang by many different people such as Bob Dylan and in a movie titled "O Brother, Where art thou?" (and soggy bottom boys or union station) he is unsure of who actually wrote the song
Foodways
Cultural, social, economic practices of the production and consumption of food; food itself and the processes around it.
Calendar customs
Customs associated with holidays. EX: New Year's Eve - December 31st, associated with fireworks, kissing at midnight, drinking. Thanksgiving (turkey and football)
What are the differences between a festival and a custom?
Customs: traditional practices or individual mode of behavior transmitted by word of mouth or imitation. Centers around work and major life events. Festivals: Celebrations of events or calendar customs that go on for days. Large community participation. Festivals are large scale customs are not.
Dialect vocabulary
Different expressions or words for something (regional variations) ex: earthworm, angle-worm, night crawler, night walker, mud worm, fish worm root- beer float, black crow, Boston cooler, Alaskan Milkshake downpour, hay rotter, duck drencher, tree bender, chunk floater, sewer clogger, clod roller, toad strangler, stump washer, goosedrowner Euphemisms: bun in the oven, oh fudge, tarnation
Example of folk syntax (word order):
Don't eat yourself undone, there's a pie back Make the window up The off is on Throw Mama from the train a kiss Outen the Lights Is your liver-out in? I can't remember things like I used to could
Be able to identify symbols of rebirth in relationship to spring festivals: Easter, Mardi Gras, and Holi Festival
Easter: Jesus dies and is reborn (bunny for fertility) Mardi Gras: The world turned upside down. The poor are on the floats and throw beads to the rich, who are "begging" for it by showing their boobs Holi Festival: celebration of color and coming of spring, cherish cows and put color on them (have big bonfires for rebirth)
Kristina Downs lecture: Renaissance Faires' costuming traditions and the way the costume affects personal identity.
Emic perspective: garb, what do they consider in creating their garb? Historical accuracy, audience expectations, functionality, and individual creativity Etic perspective: what can you learn from observing people in costume? Identifies famous characters, marks social status, indicates occupation, and reveals characters personality Heightened and performance identity; shaped by wearer's intentions, personal and communal aesthetics, appropriateness for the occasion and functionality
Folktales
Fiction, don't tell truth, people, animals, magical beings, take place at magical place like here but different (once upon a time & they lived happily ever after) Ex: Cinderella, Puss in Boots
Can you describe and provide examples of a folk illusion?
Folk Illusions are instances of play during which specific traditionalized verbal and kinesthetic actions are performed in order to create embodied illusions for one or more of the participants Ex: Visual (moving mouth w/ different sound) a.k.a the McGurk effect floating arms twisted hands the chills light as a feather
Folk art
Folk art is usually thought of as the purely decorative or representational items produced by traditional means. Untrained (non academic) representational artists, primarily painters, who depicted traditional subjects in traditional styles Ex: gum wrappers turned into a paper chain
Folk craft
Folk craft is intended to be used everyday and usually serves a pragmatic functional purpose. It is thought of as amateur labor resulting in traditional, home-made objects, and may be made by professional or semi-professional artisans. EX: fences, mailboxes.
Understand the difference between folk dress and stereotypical dress
Folk dress: (traditional,historical) Folk Dress is an element of culture that helps distinguish one culture from another. It is usually an expression of the concepts of the group. These concepts come from INSIDE the group. Ex: Hippies, Goth, Punk, Business suits Stereotypical dress: (demeaning, outdated) Oversimplification or generalization of a form of dress associated with a a group of peoples. This comes from OUTSIDE the group. Ex: French people and berets, halloween indian costume
How is the study of folklife a movement away from "text-dominated folklore studies"?
Folklife is interested in all aspects of traditional verbal lore,behavior, and especially material culture in folk circulations and the contexts in which those materials arise. Traditional folklore studies only text.
How is folklore represented in popular culture?
Folklore is represented by clothes you are wearing, gestures, ethnic, religion, games, good & bad luck.
Be able to identify the problems with defining folk songs: methods of transmission, variants, commercial recordings of folk songs
Folksongs cannot be determined by style of performance - folk rock, country, and other genres imitate folk style Folksongs have a fluid form and content - commercial songs are more rigid Popular songs are often printed or commercially recorded - some folk songs are also printed or commercially recorded by individual artists Folksongs are often in circulation for multiple generations - commercial availability now makes popular songs widely available Folksongs can be transmitted through performance - may now be transmitted through print media, the internet, or commercial recordings along with popular songs.
Know why the entire process of foodways must be considered when trying to understand food traditions: from selection, to preparation, to consumption.
Foodways often refers to the intersection of food in cultures, traditions, and history. We must consider why and how things are chosen. In a historical and folkloric context. How when and why they are made and consumed. Only folk food disappear regularly w/ such speed and completeness. B/c folk foods disappear so quickly the full process should be known to fully understand food traditions.
Understand and be able to provide examples of Immigrant Dress
Forms of traditional dress symbolic of a nationality or ethnicity. Ex: When they migrated over to US, Europeans noticed that their foreign dress made them stand out and made them & not look American. Many realized this and tried to change their clothing styles in order to better match that of the country they now lived in. However, their outfits would be a combination of both cultures and they would look goofy. Kilts (Scottish), overalls (germans), native american wear
How do we know ballads survived, or diffused, all the way from the British Isles to Appalachia?
From Scottish and Irish immigrants Cecil Sharp was the first folklorist to record music and lyrics of the Appalachia and he realized they were similar to the Isles. "When Brandon discussed that in lecture, he pointed out how many of the folk songs sung in the Appalachian region, while adapted over time, are variants of Scots-Irish folksongs and ballads. We can trace those communities through immigration records to the British Isles, and their traditional songs still largely remain the same"
Folklife
Full traditional lore, behavior, and material culture of any folk group, with emphasis on customary and material categories. (The vernacular crafts, arts, foods, dress,and materials of a folk group)
Games w/ objects
Games involving manipulation of object: classified by the objects that are used, whether "found" items like stones,sticks, seeds, and plants or manufactured objects like marbles, jacks, balls & knives Ex: Horse, Cow, dodge ball, ultimate frisbee
Supernatural Legends
Generally take form of supposedly factual accounts of occurrences and experiences that seem to validate folk beliefs and superstitions memorate: firsthand descriptions of personal experiences w/ the supernatural Ex: Bigfoot, vampires, werewolves, trolls,
Examples of Folk Morphology (nonstandard word forms, spelling):
He drownded it snew yesterday i seen clum i could care less tell it like it is I hood it from you It's winding We're undusting
How do foodways intersect with other forms of folklore like myth and festival?
Hindus don't eat beef because the believe that the cow is sacred. Christians don't eat meat during lent for religious reasons Whole community's in it and all partake in cooking a certain traditional food
What are the recognizable contemporary forms of folk dress?
Hippies, Punks, Rock, Goth, farmers, amish, graduation
Why do humans take play so seriously?
Humans take play so seriously bc they gamble w/ the results, they are competitive, and it brings a lot of money in it
Be able to identify some of the folk groups to which you belong
I belong to the Hoosiers, young adult, and IU student, Christian folk groups.
Know the ways that body adornment (folklore and dress) interact with other folkloric genres like rites of passage and myth
In rites of passage participants wear culurally determined forms of dress. Ex. Weddings, Graduation. Often these forms of adornment are modified in folk ways. Ex. Wedding dress veil or no veil and Graduation customizing the cap. Adornment is connected to myth and sacred belief. The mormons wear sacred underwear and the Amish wear a certain type of clothing so they don't stand out from others.
Folk Sayings
Insults, retorts, & wisecracks: He's all right in his place, but that hasn't been dug yet You make a better door than you do a window He couldn't be elected dogcatcher in a ward full of cats Sarcastic interrogatives: Does a dog have fleas? Is the Pope a Catholic? Euphemisms: It's snowing down South There's a star in the East National & ethnic slurs: The British have taken over the Scotch Italians have taken to port Authors and Titles: School Dinners by Major Sick On the Sunken Side of the Street by Earthquakes Confucius sayings: Girl in stretch pants get stern look She was only: The stableman's daughter, but all the horsemen knew her Tom Swifties: "Only seven more days," Tom said weakly
Why were trains so prevalent in the American mindset of the nineteenth century?
It allowed for a quicker disbursement of people and ideas throughout the growing country. Also a way to experience american culture/ folklore.
Why has "If the Glove doesn't fit..." become an important American proverb?
It has become an important proverb bc the American people saw it being used in the OJ Simpson case to acquitte him of his supposed crimes. & they used the juries knowledge of it to free OJ
How old is the study of folklore?
Jan 4, 1888 (128 years)
Be able to identify examples of legends, tales, and myth from lectures.
Legends: Tragedy of Betsy Bell (Bell witch) Being cursed w/ bad luck if you take a volcanic rock from Hawaii Jacksons wagon wheel broke to see the Bell witch Fried rats in food places, snakes in ball pit Myths: The Great Flood Navajo: Creation Myth Australian Aborigines: creation myth Tales: Snow White Cinderella Hansel & Gretel Little Red Riding Hood Rapunsel Rumpelstiltskin
Proverbial phrase (is)
Never complete sentences, regularly vary in form as they are used, and seldom express any generalized wisdom; nearly all of them are metaphorical The meanings of traditional phrases are usually clear, even if the exact image intended is unknown Ex: To be in hot water Behind the eight ball To raise the roof From A to Z Up a creek To have one's ducks in a row
Understand that regional tastes differ. Consider turtle soup and lutefisk among other examples (e.g. crawfish, iguana, bugs, etc.). What does this say about humans' taste preferences?
Notions of taste are impacted by the environment a person lives in. The region itself and the people that live in that region can influence an individual. Ex: Kids in Thailand eat fried crickets and love it.
Kinds of Rhyme
Nursery (written/British): Mother Goose, Mary had a little lamb, Pat a cake, Humpty Dumpty Play( baby social, counting, tickling, chants): Church and Steeple, Little Piggy, Ensy Weensy Spider L Game (amphimacric beat or unstressed syllable between 2 stressed syllables): Ivory float/ See it float, O Leary, Eeny, meeny, miney, mo L Jump-Rope (chants a rhyme to the rhythm of the jumping): Yes-no-maybe, 1234 Work(chants): Peddler's cry, newsboys' calls Written: Graffiti, desktop inscriptions, Latrinalia, walls Folk poetry: Cowboys and Indians
What are the central issues of studying folklife? What's are the inherent differences between studying material culture and verbal folklore? *****
One issue includes being able to keep an artifact in order to study it and preserve it. Another problem lays in the fact that material folklore has had fewer bibliographies and indexes written to guide folklorists compared to verbal or customary lore.
Normative Category (popular, mass, mainstream)
Oral/Verbal: popular romance Customary: non-prescriptive drug material: tract development house
Elite Category (academic, progressive)
Oral/Verbal: serious novel Customary:doctor's care material:architect's design
Folk Category (conservative, traditional)
Oral/Verbal: tall tale or joke Customary: home remedy material: log cabin or saltbox house
Difference between a pastime and a game
Pastime don't have rules/ competition (just bouncing a ball for fun) Competitive and has rules
Understand the conceptions and misconceptions discussed in the chapter
People believed that "folk art" was simply art made by the "common man" or "people w/ little book learning in the art techniques, and no academic training." It also made it seem that this art was purely creative, and not utilitarian. Basically, they didn't understand that it also served a purpose. Folklife is often seen as general folklore American folklife research locates, evaluates, and synthesizes the borderline studies in order to establish a critical bibliography for the field and to determine what traditional material has already been described.
What functions do proverbs serve?
Proverbs capture applicable wisdom (advice) or commentary (judgment) in a "pre- packaged," traditional saying
Provide an example of materials that come to have a distorted function
Rainboots as planters wagon wheels as a fence
How does rhyme assist the transmission and performance of folklore?
Rhymes in folklore help communicate aspects of memory, teaching, coordination, and more.
Myth
Sacred narratives that are truthful about gods/ animals that take place in the remote past (depends on narratives attitude) creation, inhabitants & so on Ex: the Great Flood, the Last Supper, Creation
What are the complications of defining songs or music as "folk" or "popular"?
Sometimes folksongs are borrowed into popular tradition (Christmas carols like Jingle Bells) Popular tunes can also be borrowed into traditions in multiple folk groups (Happy Birthday Song). Folk songs can become popular, if folk songs are written down they are standardized as well
Legends (2nd category in traditional prose)
Sometimes tell the truth, people/ animals, historical world familiar to us (validating formulas, Friend of a friend)
Near-Songs
Songs that have a lot words but do not possess a strong melody. They are nearly songs but not quite. Ex. Auctioneer's chant, work hollers, field holler, square dance calls, game rhymes
Wordless Folksongs
Songs that have a vocal melody but no words Ex. Yodeling,diddling, lilting, moaning, humming, groaning
Religious legends
Stories of the lives of christian saints (legends concerning religious beliefs, traditions) Ex: Adam's Apple, blessings and miracles (prayed and then person was healed)
Understand the importance of studying folk craft/art in the context of the folk groups in which that art is made.
Study folk arts and crafts is not only about the objects that are produced but it's about the people and what they do. It's about understanding the folk aesthetics from the perspective of the person who made the craft or art. There is a difference in art vs craft dependent upon how it is used by the creator and the owner.
Games of Action
Subdivided by the principal action involved (movement) Ex: hoppy games (hop scotch) chasing games (red rover) hiding games (hide-& go seek) battle games (prisoner's base) dramatic games (farmer in dell)
What do folklorists mean when we refer to vernacular dress?
The purposeful, artistic choices of dressing marking and accessorizing the body. The style which is most regular in its structure and in its relation to the history of the language/ area The domestic, functional, everyday, and regionally fashioned items of culture Ex: camouflage in the south, sperrys and greek life
Why do we say that language is an instinct? Why do we say that writing is a technology?
We say language is an instinct bc scientists don't know how it happens. We say that writing is an technology bc it must be taught.
Why do we say that folklore is performed?
We say performed bc we say it in face-to-face interactions and face-to-face interactions. Autonomy (add and change)
Be able to identify all three major aspects of folklife (verbal, customary, material)—especially in the context of south Louisiana's Cajuns. ****
When ones studies the festive context of Mardi Gras: Dress and adornment, amphibious boat (material) Ritual behavior and cycle of life (Customary) Personal Experience narratives (Oral) Talk like a real Cajun variations of French Accent(oral) Oral Folktales Rougarou (Monster that gets people who cheat during Lent) Religious Legend: Little Cajun saint Customary: Cajun dance and Cajun waltz, Zydeco 2 step, Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras Material: Crawfish boils and fish on Lentent Fridays and Crawfish boat
Be familiar with the major components of a folklore project.
Who, What, Where, Why Varieties of Analysis (2, Personal History of informants, Aesthetics of Informants, Knowledge, Feelings, and Meanings, The Transmission of Folklore Materials, Descriptions of folklore situations which the collector is unable to observe 1000 words (games, legends, jokes, sacred/myth belief, observe a folkloric event) Release form Transcription log
Which accent is the correct accent?
all of them are correct, peer influence, who they interact daily w/.
Validating formula
mention something familiar and unreliable L Friend of a friend
Folk naming
new words or names for people, animals, places, housing, cars (nicknames) ex: Hoosier, Tabby, Tom, piss fir, spear grass, hush puppies, hoe cakes, Blue boy, somemores, angles w/ dirty faces, brownie delights, Tradition or habit (tabby) rendering judgement: piss fir alluding to a legend: hush puppies revealing a mood: blue boy creating metaphorical images: angels w/ dirty faces The real Mccoy quicker than you can say "jackie Robinson"
Understanding of major folk groups:
occupational, age, family, regional, ethnic, national
Functional Folksongs
the first group of the songs, with both traditional words and music, are those that closely match the rhythm of some special activity (work songs belong in functional category- repeated pulses of chopping, hammering, marching, etc, game songs- words and melody closely follow action of game) lullabies
Folkloristics
the study of folklore records and attempts to analyze these traditions (both content and process) so as to reveal the common life of the human mind apart from what is contained in the formal records in culture that compose the heritage of people
What do we mean when we say that some stories are sacred?
they explain many universal questions and many different regions explain the answers to the questions -where do we come from, what is right from wrong, what happens when we die, how do we value right from wrong
Superstitions
thought of naive popular beliefs, usually concerning chance, magic, or the supernatural, that are logically or scientifically untenable (folk belief) Ex: Life Cycle (gender), Supernatural Sympathetic Magic (Voodoo) Cosmology/natural world (groundhog), lady bugs fly away, bird in the house, clock stops, picture falls off the wall, mom hits something baby gets birthmark, love charms, trying someone else's engagement ring on, snake cults, trouble also comes in 3's, write a rat a note and it will leave, stepping over a fishing poles, good and bad luck (four leaf clover, broken mirror)
Localization
when you hear a legend, it's usually told with a local town or comes from somewhere around the town to become more believable
Does everyone have folklore?
yes, in some form. Group of last 2 or more people have at least one thing in common
Do proverbs ever start in writing?
yes, they can start in writing and become oral afterwards ( from the song Good News, Best things in life are free. They are often in the media.
Native Americans shared much of their food culture--which was attached to the North American locale--with the Europeans who colonized the country. Know examples.
"Indian Corn" or maize: corn pone, hominy, succotash, grits, corn mush "jerked" meats tea: "creeping strawberry game animals: buffalo, dog, coyotes, lizards, prairie dogs
What are the differences between verbal speech and writing? ( writing separates the knower from the known)
1. Speech is full paralinguistic clues L outside the words themselves( facial expressions, posture & gesture while emoticons are impoverished clues like ;) :D) 2. Speech has intonation and rhythm L inside the words themselves (intonation, volume, rhythm/speed) all caps and no spaces aren't the same thing as John's car is white 3. Speech can be modified on the spot L (i meant to say) most writing once sent to receive is never modified like twitter never the same as face to face modification. 4. Speech is primarily disposable L speech is intended for one time use writing is intended for multiple usages or storages (lists/grocery lists) 5. Speech is primarily used for interactional purposes L speech maintains human relationships (talking w/ friends) writing is for transactional purposes (tip) 6. Speech relies on relatively simple syntax L speak w/ run ons& fragments & double negatives 7. Speech contains a lower level of content per sentence L speech is repetitive writing is less repetitive but has more information 8. Speech is situationally transparent L speakers share the same experimental context deictic clues (pointing to volume box)
Be familiar with Sutton-Smith's six forms of play discussed in lecture.
1. mental or subjective play (daydreaming) 2. solitary play (card game) 3. informal social play 4. performance play (for onlookers- concerts) 5. contests, games, & sports 6. performance play and contests (Superbowl)
Connection between superstitions and belief
The connection between superstitions and folk belief is if a person believes in them, then the person is believed to be naive. Belief carries the same feelings, that the person is unsophisticated and ignorance. But this isn't true.
Understand and be able to provide examples of Occupational Dress
Traditional elements of a particular costume associated with a particular occupation. Ex: Doctors scrubs & stethoscope,Scientists lab coat and goggles, construction worker w/ a hard hat and neon vest, leather apron for a cobbler or blacksmith
Customs
Traditional practice, a mode of individual behavior or a habit of social life, transmitted by word of mouth or imitation, which is further ingrained by social pressure, common usage, and parental or other authority. Ex: Birthday celebrations, weddings,graduations, Calendar customs (Halloween, July 4th, April Fools, etc)
Mental Games
characterized by guessing, figuring choosing & the like, although they usually also involve some physical action as well & the manipulation of objects Ex: parlor games & party games L charades, twenty questions, tick tack toe, squares, battle ship, hangman
Folkore
comprises the unrecorded traditions of a people; it includes both form and content of these traditions and their manner of communication from person to person (any group of 2 or more people w/ one thing in common)
Theories of Superstitions
faculty reasonings, coincidence, psychological predilection, to believe in the supernatural, rites of passage, the theory of survival, the uncertainty of some desired ends, fear of the abnormal or of the risky, fear of the dead, modernization of superstitions, and the power of magic to persist traditionally side by side w/ officially maintained since and religion. Sympathetic magic: L homeopathic magic (magic of similarity, in contact) contagious magic (magic of touch, continue to have invisible connection) voodoo Gesunkenes Kulturgut: modern folklore may represent surviving fragments or learned traditions that have "sunken down" from high stratum of society among the educated to the peasants
What are the problems that result from using the term folklore?
it has varying meanings for scholars and groups of people. Popular notions are fakelore, hominology, lore. Some people say it is for the less educated.