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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 2 



miser and since his going barefoot is by reason of 

 preference rather than necessity, no risk of 

 offending him was assumed in the remarks.'^* 



Joking, however, must be indulged in witli care. 

 "Sensitive feelings" must not be "hurt." In fact, 

 "kidding" is relatively infrequent and, when it is 

 indulged in, ordinarily is carried on with caution. 

 Remarks are always accompanied by a smile or 

 other evidence that humor, and not criticism, is 

 involved. 



It would seem that one of the characteristics 

 which make a thing or an event humorous, is its 

 incongruity or marked deviation from that which 

 is commonly experienced. With hearty laughs 

 and other expressions of merriment, an elderly 

 woman remarked, "A man once said to a child, 

 'You must not eat any more oranges, my son,' and 

 the child replied, 'But I want more oranges, my 

 father.' So the father asked his child, 'Do you 

 want to be like the man who ate so many oranges 

 that he lost his hat under the rinds?'" Twice, 

 amid explosive laughter, the woman repeated the 

 remark : 'And he lost his hat under the rinds.' " 



The pun is often heard in conversation and al- 

 most invariably provokes a smile or a hearty 

 laugh. It thus contributes effectively to reduce 

 social dfstance, build up rapport, and reinforce 

 solidarity. To a neighbor who had come in for 

 a chat, a host courteously asked, "Would you like 

 a latida;'-^ Seu Andre?" "No," was the reply. 

 "I'm already abatidoP^-^ Everyone present 

 laughed heartily. Then Seu Andre himself joined 

 in the laughter. 



Meanings may become inverted in a humorous 

 situation so that the direct opposite of the thing 

 or event in question is intended and understood. 

 In fact, under such circumstances, it would seem 

 that the humor itself consists in this inversion. 



Chico was walking along the Ruada Penha, his 

 head bent, as if in deep thought and Pedro was 

 coming up the street toward him. As Pedro drew 

 near, he stopped, put both hands on his hips and 

 waited, a scowl on his face. External appearances 

 thus indicated that a fight was about to take place. 



'-' It may also be true that the remarks served, in a large 

 measure unconsciously, to express mild disapproval at deviant 

 behavior (Koing without shoes on the part of an adult man). 



'" A drink made of pinga, lemon juice, and water, shaken 

 together {batida). 



*» Dejected. 



As Chico came nearer, Pedro's expression became 

 even more grim and forbidding. Suddenly, he 

 feinted as if to draw a knife and shouted at Chico, 

 "You dog, you ! Do you think you can put fear 

 into me by such a hard face ? If there's anything 

 to be settled between us, we'll clear it up right 

 here and now !" "Get out of my way, you pile of 

 filth !"^^' Chico shouted, in an apparently angry 

 tone of voice. "Throw away that knife before I 

 make you swallow it !" And with this exchange, 

 the two men rushed at each other and began to 

 wrestle violently. In a few moments, however, 

 each desisted from his exertions, put an arm on 

 the other's shoulder and the two men walked back 

 down the street, laughing and talking animatedly 

 together. Several women and children in nearby 

 houses, who had observed and obviously enjoyed 

 the encounter, turned again to their work or play. 

 "These crazy men," commented an elderly woman, 

 laughing, "they're all like children !" 



PROVERBS, EPIGRAISIS, AND OTHER 

 COMMON SAYINGS ''° 



A considerable number of proverbs, epigrams, 

 and other sayings are commonly employed in the 

 conversation of local inhabitants. Among those 

 heard being used were the following: 



A lot of water and few fish. 



He who has no dog, hunts with a cat. 



He is with his egg crosswise. ("He is 'in a bad 



humor'.")''' 

 An old monliey doesn't step on a dead limb. 

 Ripe fruit at the side of the road either has a 



worm in it or is sour. 

 A son of a fish can be only a fish. 

 It's there that the sow twists her tail. ("It's at 



this point that matters become complicated.") 

 Rain doesn't break the bones. 

 He wants to keep off the sun with a sieve. ("He's 



trying to hide what everybody knows about.") 

 No one can suck sugarcane and whistle at the same 



time. 

 In a closed mouth, flies do not enter. ("He who 



takes no chances, suffers no ill consequences.") 

 The monkey that jumps around a lot is asking for 



lead. ("The person who meddles in the affairs of 



others, gets himself into trouble.") 



'^ The Portugese term employed was porcarta. 



"" In translating these phrases, an effort has been made to 

 preserve as much as possible the original style and expression. 

 Words that rhyme have been retained. 



'"Explanations given by local inhabitants are cited between 

 quotation marks. 



