"I don't understand." Foreigner asks who owns property, clothing, servants; whose wife an attractive woman is; whose funeral is in progress? Answer to each question is "I don't understand," which foreigner takes to be a person's name. (Cf. J1152, J1741, X111.7.)

Motif

"I don't understand." Foreigner asks who owns property, clothing, servants; whose wife an attractive woman is; whose funeral is in progress? Answer to each question is "I don't understand," which foreigner takes to be a person's name. (Cf. J1152, J1741, X111.7.)

The wise and the foolish. · Fools (and other unwise persons). · Absurd misunderstandings. · One thing mistaken for another. · One thing mistaken for another – miscellaneous. · view the constellation · filed as J1802.1

Cited in the index

general Bolte Zs. f. Vksk. III (N.F.) 173–8.

Within the index

Filed under Words in a foreign language thought to be insults.

Travels with (Thompson’s cf.)

Witness cannot speak language of accusation: discredited. Two parrots taught accusation of mistress in a particular dialect. They know nothing more of the language. (Cf. G1154.1.) Priests (schoolmasters) ignorant of Latin Misunderstood words lead to comic results. In some the people are not really deaf but fail to catch a word; in some they are deaf

ask the rhapsode about this motif · search the shelf for “understand” · wander