Query Details

Query Subject:	Children's Taunting Tune
Author:	Lee Hartman
Submitter Email:	click here to access email

Linguistic LingField(s):	Pragmatics

Query:	Wed, 14 Jan 1998 09:45:57 -0600 (CST) Lee Hartman lhartman@siu.edu Children's Taunting Tune Sol mi la sol mi Nyeah nyeah nya nyeah nyeah! You ca- -an't catch me! Yes I- -I ca- -an! John- ny's a cry- baby! (Same tune as ''It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring.'') During my childhood here in the U.S.A., when my playmates wanted to taunt one another, regardless with what words, they sang them to this tune. Since then I have heard that English-speaking children all over the world use the same tune. Though I can't be sure, I think I have also heard informally the incredible claim that _all_ children, regardless of language, use this tune to taunt one another! Can anyone shed light on these myths? Do children's taunts in other languages assume standard tunes? - ------------------------------------------------------------------ Lee Hartman Dept. of Foreign Languages Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL 62901-4521 U.S.A.
LL Issue:	9.51
Date posted:	15-Jan-1998
Back

Sums main page

New from Cambridge University Press!