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- Convenors:
-
Piret Voolaid
(Estonian Literary Museum)
Saša Babič (Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
- Chair:
-
Liisa Granbom-Herranen
(University of Turku)
- Stream:
- Narrative
- Location:
- A225
Short Abstract:
The aim of the panel is to describe contemporary short forms of folklore, their usage and its dynamics, in order to detect playfulness and creativity in the (new) formats they take and address the way they reflect on the social reality that gives rise to them.
Long Abstract:
The aim of the panel is to describe contemporary short forms of folklore, their usage and its dynamics, in order to detect playfulness and creativity in the (new) formats they take and address the way they reflect on the social reality that gives rise to them.
Short or minor forms of folklore, such as proverbs, riddles, phrasemes, graffiti, jokes, charms etc. are commonly used in everyday life. They can be found in several contemporary media like newspapers, advertising billboards, internet, educational materials, entertainment. Different context determines different purposes of usage and interpretations.
We invite papers that participate in the discourse focusing on various kinds of cultural texts combined with contemporary short forms of folklore, as well as new short forms of folklore in contemporary media in the wider sense of the word. Is it possible to foresee the future developments in the genre? Various approaches are expected - both theoretical: e.g. creating new genres and typologies, problems of definitions and terms, and empirical: e.g. how to detect, collect and archive new material considering the ethical and personal codex.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Radu Umbres (Faculty of Political Sciences, SNSPA)
Paper short abstract:
This paper proposes a cognitive approach to the “fool’s errand” as a subtle yet effective rite of epistemic initiation. The practical joke described in the folklore literature and ethnography reflects the interaction between cognitive mechanisms and social structures of knowledge.
Paper long abstract:
This paper analyses the "fool's errand", a type of practical joke which occurs across different societies and institutional settings in which "victims" are tricked into performing patently absurd actions. A motif in folklore studies as well as a contemporary practice, I discuss several instances of this prank found in my ethnography of Romanian villagers as well as described in literature. This paper argues that these variants share an elaborate mode of deception which can be explained by the intersection of cognitive mechanisms in human communication with a particular social structure of knowledge. The paper also discusses similarities and differences between reported forms of the "fool's errand" as well as the success of its social reproduction. Finally, I address the theoretical relevance of a study of "fool's errand" in revisiting classical anthropological approaches to rites of passage and initiation by focusing on the role of folk epistemology. I will suggest that this short form encapsulates a transmission of both knowledge and power, as well as a reassertion of the social structure underpinning the event.
Piret Voolaid (Estonian Literary Museum)
Paper short abstract:
The aim is to analyse proverbial units, their nature and functions in the horoscopes published in an Estonian newspaper. The study shows what kind of proverbs and proverbial expressions—both in their archaic form as well as their new modifications (modern proverbs)—are used in horoscopes and why.
Paper long abstract:
In Estonian newspapers the usage of proverbial sayings often occurs in the horoscopes. Daily horoscope is an inseparable accessory in any newspaper and (their) online news sites. The main purpose of my paper is to analyse paremiological material in the Estonian daily newspaper Postimees ('The Courier'), focusing on its proportion, nature and connotations. Postimees is the oldest newspaper in Estonia (on-line version is available in the website http://www.postimees.ee/) with widest circulation. At the end of the varia section is a daily horoscope, in which guidelines for the particular day are given for twelve signs of the zodiac. One can assume that generality which characterises the entire proverb genre seems to be very suitable for using proverbial expressions in the horoscopes dividing all humankind only for twelve different groups.
The most usual proverbs in the horoscopes are connected with human-centred abstract concepts like happiness, health, etc.
We can propose cultural explanations to the existence of proverbs in the horoscopes in national daily newspapers in Estonia. Researchers have confirmed that great popularity of modern astrology has been observed already during the times when Estonia was a part of Soviet Union and even today astrology is one of the most common folk beliefs in Estonia. The paper is a part of the joint project "Proverbial expressions in newspapers. Comparative study in Slovenia, Estonia and Finland" the aim of which is to make a comparative analysis of the proverbs and proverbial expressions in contemporary newspaper context.
Liisa Granbom-Herranen (University of Turku)
Paper short abstract:
Finnish proverbs originate from agrarian context but live in contemporary use in a new context. The focus is on the everyday use of proverbs in SMS-messages sent as short letters to be published in a Finnish daily newspaper. The aim is to discuss some of the challenges in research of proverbs.
Paper long abstract:
Collecting any kind of cultural units means participating in an ongoing discourse in the culture in which they are used, as well as a broader context. It also relates to three dimensions of time: past, present and future. In the same way as the past is a combination of social, economic, geographical and other cultural factors, the present is a unique creation of those tracks of the past. The challenge in the collection and registration of contemporary used proverbs has been in finding them. As the material I look at Finnish proverbs in everyday use. They are included in SMS-messages sent as short letters or opinions to be published in a daily newspaper.
One can speak of the paradox of proverbs. Many definitions of proverb say that it is an "old expression". It is a challenge to define a new or future proverb, or to recognize potential proverbs before they actually are proverbs. The difficulty is that when collecting contemporary proverbial expressions, we cannot know which ones will last. It also means that there ought to exist a clear and handy understanding of proverbs, including old and traditional ones, contemporary and modern ones, and future ones. The paradox is that old proverbs are recognizable, but contemporary or future ones are not. One can easily come to the conclusion that there are no new proverbs, as no one can tell which expressions will become established in that way.
Liisi Laineste (Estonian Literary Museum)
Paper short abstract:
The expression "bearded joke" carries negative connotation. But when applied in communication, they can provide joy of recognition and function as a enhancers of group cohesion. The paper discusses the uses of old and known jokes in Estonian online communication.
Paper long abstract:
"Bearded jokes" are short narratives that end in a predictable punch-line or have been circulated in the same variant for decades and don't provide any novelty for the listeners. These are very often published in volumes of joke collections and in newspaper varia sections.
Although with regard to jokes predictability is a drawback, petrified jokes can also provide joy of recognition instead of discovery, and function as an enhancer of group cohesion. In this context, the expression "bearded joke" may acquire a positive connotation.
The paper aims to discuss the uses of old and known jokes in Estonian online communication. The jokes characterised by being "bearded" are analysed in their context and the reactions of the audience are described. The study is supported by frequency counts from the database of Estonian contemporary jokes.
Saša Babič (Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts)
Paper short abstract:
The aim of research is to analyse paremiological units in Slovenian primary-school-children’s magazines. The study will bring overview of the selection of paremias (including context and motivation) in texts, which are predicted for younger readers.
Paper long abstract:
General opinion of the Slovenian general and professional public is that proverbs are either obsolete language and therefore not appropriate for children either too abstract for children to understand them. This presumption results in rarely used figurative language which negatively influences child language learning. The study tests these hypotheses in three most often recommended magazines with general contents for children in primary school: Ciciban, Zmajček and Pil. The first two are published for 6 to 9 years old children and focus on the writing and reading skills; Pil is published for 10 to 15 years old children and includes articles on teenage problems and popular teenage issues. The presentation gives the overview of used proverbs and proverbial forms in texts with wider context and motivation in above mentioned magazines. It presents which proverbs and proverbial forms and how many of them are understood as acceptable for certain age; how many proverbs are explained with the context; and which proverbs and proverbial forms are accepted as appropriate and understandable for children.
Annikki Kaivola-Bregenhöj (Turku University)
Paper short abstract:
Riddling is a social pastime that values entertainment, quick-wittedness, getting the answer right, humiliation and its tolerance. Riddlers say it is fun, and produces a lot of laughs. Is this fun humour, and what are the limits? How do riddles relate to the prevailing social reality?
Paper long abstract:
Riddles are expressions comprising a question image and an answer. Riddling is a deliberately misleading form of verbal exchange. The 'true' riddle image is either sensible (Two ships at sea, forever sailing, never meeting. The sun and moon) or impossible (One mouse, two tails. A shoe). The answer is always surprising. In riddle jokes, the question is seemingly sensible (White and up a tree), but the answer is always jokey and unrealistic (Shy buttermilk). In both types the images and answers reflect the social reality. If they do not, people do not understand the riddle and they are not amused. Examples are true riddles with an agrarian image. The new riddle jokes concern for example politics, sport, topical scandals.
Riddles both hide and reveal their object. They lead the listener astray and seek to provide a new perspective on something familiar to all.
People say riddling is fun and produces a lot of laughs. They do not, however, specify what makes them laugh. The status of the riddler and riddlee is always at stake. Initially, the riddler has the upper hand because he knows the answer. Contrary to general practice, misleading the riddlee is considered humorous, but riddling would scarcely have been so popular if it had always made the riddlee look stupid.
Why have riddles made people laugh and is their joking humour? My paper examines riddles and riddling material in the Folklore Archives of the Finnish Literature Society. A collection in 1967 yielded accounts of authentic situations.
Katalin Vargha (Institute of Ethnology, Research Centre for the Humanities)
Paper short abstract:
This paper provides an overview of Hungarian conundrums from a textological point of view, concentrating on some popular formulaic patterns in traditional and contemporary folklore.
Paper long abstract:
This paper provides an overview of Hungarian conundrums from a textological point of view, concentrating on some popular formulaic patterns in traditional and contemporary folklore.
Sources include traditional riddle and joke collections as well as archival material and internet sites. Though the collections usually don't provide any contextual data, by concentrating on selected patterns like "What is the difference between X and Y?", we can see how these are filled up in every period with up-to-date content and references. With simple formulas and nearly endless possibility for variation, these short forms remain a living and truly contemporary genre of folklore.