Title: Concentration

General Information About Item:

• Customary Lore, Children Hand Games
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informants: Kaitlyn Kelley and Irene Lam
• Date Collected: May 9, 2019

Informant Data:

Kaitlyn Kelley has lived in Lakeland, Florida for the majority of her life. She had attended Lakeland Christian School from Kindergarten up until the second grade. Then, she was homeschools during fourth and fifth grade, having skipped third grade altogether. Currently, she studies biological chemical and global health at Dartmouth College.

Irene Lam is of Chinese-American descent. She has lived in Brooklyn, New York for the majority of her life. As a young child, she attend P.S.230 Doris L. Cohen Elementary School in Brooklyn. Currently, she studies computer science and Chinese at Dartmouth College.

Rules:

At the start of the game, the performers will agree on a category of their choosing. These categories may range from fruits, to brand names, and even destinations across the world. The performers will then clap and say the verbal aspect of the game – provided in the next section of this example. Performers cannot repeat items that already have been said in this round of the game. They may also not say anything that does not fit within the category. In addition, the performers must respond within the given time and cannot pause too long to think about a response. The first to violate the rule(s) will have lost the game.

Text:

During the time that performer’s are clapping the other performer’s hands, they will say the following:

Concentration

– break –

Sixty-four

– break –

no-repeats

– break –

or hesitation

– break –

you go first (choose one of the performer’s to go first)

– break –

and I go second

– break –

starting with

– break –

(choose a category that you want to play with)

Some variations may have “category is” rather than “starting with.” Also note that this game is in English, thus we did not apply the four-step text analysis.

Contextual Data:

Title might be that way due to the nature of the game. It requires the performers to concentrate on the game and really focus on what they and the other performers have said. Making sure to memorize all the information that has been said. This game was taught to the performers around elementary schools while the performers were in the U.S. The group of people that would learn this folklore would be young children, attending elementary school in the U.S. This folklore not only helps pass time, but is also a good game that helps with memorizing and keeping concentration, thus the name. Performers may use this game to study the U.S. states or something similar. However, this game isn’t generally used in class. It’s learned in school, but outside of the classroom setting.

When this game is translated in to a different language, the meaning may not necessarily be lost. However, the rhythm might feel off and not work well with the clapping.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

Interviewer: “So what’s the hand-clapping game you are introducing to us today?”

Performer 1: “Concentration.”

Interviewer: “Can you explain the rules of this game?”

Performer 1: “So we start with doing the hand motions.

[Shows hand motions]

Performers: “Concentration…64…no repeats…or hesitation…you go first…I go second…starting with…fruits…”

[Performers proceeds by taking turns listing off fruits.]

Performers (switching off listing items in the category): “apple…banana…grape…orange…tomato…blackberry…(indistinguishable)…blueberry…raspberry…strawberry…cantaloupe…melon…(indistinguishable)…papaya…mango…no idea…”

Interviewer: “So what are the words to this? How does it start?”

Performer 2: “Concentration, 64, no repeats, or hesitation, someone goes first, someone goes second, starting, your category.”

Interviewer: “Starting with…your category?”

Performer 2: “Or some people have a different variation where it’s like ‘category is’.”

Interviewer: “And then after that it’s whatever your category is? And then it has to fit with the…”

Performers: “Yeah…the categories.”

Interviewer: “Can you repeat the same item?”

Performer 2: “No you can’t. So, part of the game is memorizing.”

Collector’s Name:

Jennifer He ’20

Tags/Keywords:

• Customary Folklore
• Children Hand Games
• Concentration