What is, what is not!??

Chapter 1

Folklore

What is it??

It is the name of the discipline. It is what folklorists study (the sub ect matter!.

Folklore" what is it #not??

 It is not necessarily untrue

or old$fashioned.
What is true about wearin% a

particular cloth to brin% you a %ood luck!

What is true about wearin%

the blue bead to protect you from en&y eye!

For the %i&en e'amples"

(ein% true or not is not rele&ant )ot historical beha&iors of other cultures Folklore is a li&e, de&elopin% and chan%in%.

Folklore" what is it #not??

It is not ust another form of

*nthropolo%y or literary study. It is"

+he study of traditional

culture (unofficial culture!.

It is concerned with folk

culture as opposed to the elite culture.

It is not concerned with

pro&in% a thesis but to learn about the mass of humanity o&erlooked by other disciplines.

Folklore" what is it #not??

It is not a ,hi%h art(culture!-

or part of ,official- culture.

.i%h culture consists of

classical music, opera, ballet, li&e theater, and other acti&ities usually patroni/ed by elite audience.
We learn folklore from each

other" it is the informally learned, unofficial knowled%e we share with our peers, families and other %roups we belon% to.

Folklore" what is it #not??

It is not ,popular culture- but

popular culture shares a few more features with folklore that the elite (hi%h! culture does.

0opular (pop!culture consists of acti&ities, products, and ser&ices that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of the middle or workin% class. We learn pop culture from the media whereas we learn folklore from other people.

Folklore reaches %roups that share personal connection, &alues, traditions, belief and other forms of tradition that in part define them as a %roup.

Folklore" what is it #not??

Folklore is informally

learned and unofficial part of e&eryday e'perience.

We learn folklore by

obser&in%, seein% and throu%h e'pressi&e communication with others.

 Folklorists often use the

term &ernacular to refer to the particular locali/ed lan%ua%e, ob ects and practices of %roups within specific conte't.

Folklore" what is it #not??

Folklore has artistic,

creati&e, or e'pressi&e dimension

 It con&eys ideas, &alues,

and traditions creati&ely e&en when it is not o&ertly artistic.

Folklore" what is it??

Folklore is informally

learned, unofficial knowled%e about the world, our sel&es, our communities, our beliefs, our cultures and our traditions, that is e'pressed creati&ely throu%h words, music, customs, actions, beha&iors and materials.

1enres of Folklore
2erbal 3aterials Customary