Title: Il coccodrillo come fa?

General Information about Item:

• Verbal lore
• Language: Italian
• Country of Origin: Italy
• Informant: Jack Dwortz
• Date Collected: 5/12/2020

Informant Data:

• Jack Dwortz was born on May 15, 2000.  He was born in Illinois but was raised and currently lives in Boston.  He has an older sister and a younger brother, and his family has lived in New England for generations.  Jack has not yet declared a major but has interests in languages.  Between the end of high school and starting college, Jack traveled to Italy and Spain and is fluent in both Italian and Spanish.  He also has learned French and German since his gap year.  Jack is a current Dartmouth student in the class of 2023.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: While he was in Italy,  Jack attended classes formally to learn Italian in a classroom setting.  He learned this nursery rhyme from his Italian teachers in Rome.  He joyously remembered this children’s nursery rhyme as a silly jingle for a crocodile’s behavior.
• Cultural Context: “Il coccodrillo come fa?” is sung to and by children in school settings.  The rhyme is widespread throughout Italy and there are no variations.  

Item:

Audio file:

 

Original Text:

Il coccodrillo come fa

Non c’è nessuno che lo sa

Si dice mangi troppo

Non metta mai il cappotto

Che con i denti punga

Che molto spesso pianga

Però quand’è tranquillo come fa ‘sto coccodrillo?

Il coccodrillo come fa

Non c’è nessuno che lo sa

Si arrabbia ma non strilla

Sorseggia camomilla

E mezzo addormentato se ne va

Word-for-word translation:

The crocodile how does

Not there is no one that it knows

One says eats too much

Not puts on never the jacket

That with the teeth punctures

That very often cries.

But when is tranquil how does this crocodile

The crocodile how does

The crocodile how does

Not there is no one that it knows

Itself angers but not yells

Sips chamomile

And half asleep itself of this goes.

Free translation:

What sound does the crocodile make?

Nobody knows!

They say he eats too much,

That he bites with his teeth,

That he cries all the time.

But when he’s calm what sound does this crocodile make?

What sound does the crocodile make?

Nobody knows!

He gets angry but he doesn’t yell,

He sips his chamomile

And, half asleep, he goes away.

Informant’s Comments:

• Jack thinks of this nursery rhyme as an introduction of animal noises for children and is used to entertain children

Collector’s Comments:

• “Il coccodrillo come fa?” belongs to the category of nursery rhymes that incite joy in children.  This nursery rhyme is short and entertaining, allowing for its easy memorization and transmittance.  As a result, this nursery rhyme has a longevity that will continue to extend for many years.

Collector’s Name: Jasmine Li

Tags/Keywords:

• Language
• Nursery rhyme
• Entertainment
• Verbal lore