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Children's Humor
| Article
# : |
16771 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1989 |
2,988 Words |
| Author
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Sheila K. Webster-Jain
Folklorist Sheila K. Webster-Jain teaches in the Department of
English Language and Literature at the University of Maryland,
College Park. |
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Banana."
"Banana who?"
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Orange."
"Orange who?"
"Orange-ya glad I didn't say 'banana?'"
To a six-year-old, that is a very funny joke. To an adult, it may be mildly amusing the first time through, slightly less so the second time, and just plain boring on the enthusiastic youngster's sixteenth rerun. Clearly, age affects our perception and appreciation of humor, of language, of patterned performance--indeed, of all kinds of cultural expression, including folklore.
The folklore of any group has much to tell us about people's beliefs, attitudes, and values. Children's folklore is particularly interesting, for it is in their traditions that children express themselves with little or no adult intervention. And even in a highly literate technological society, the community of children is relatively unaffected by writing and thus relies on oral communication to pass on information. They may read and write in school, but to
... (1997 of 18444 Characters)
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