‘Folk Wisdom’, Pedagogy and GS

Abstract

‘Folk wisdom’ a noun is generally spoken of as ‘common sense/knowledge’ also called folklore or oral tradition, the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no written language. It is transmitted by word of mouth and consists, as does written literature, of both prose and verse narratives, poems and songs, myths, dramas, rituals, proverbs, riddles, and the like. Nearly all known peoples, now or in the past, have produced it. Much of folklore, because of historic movements or overwhelming foreign influences or the mere lack of skilful practitioners of the tradition, become less and less important, and occasionally ridiculed as ‘primitive’, and die out from the human repertory of knowledge. The details of such changes have been of great interest and concern to all students of folk literature. ‘Folk wisdom’ has been handed down from one generation to the next with a view to keep intact the acquired wisdom/knowledge. It speaks of the time-binding capacity/ activity with a view to ‘development’ and ‘progress’ of civilisation.