Топтық стереотиптер мен халықтық сипаттамалар

Any item of any genre which makes use of stereotypes of a particular group

Blason populaire is an umbrella genre in the field of folkloristics used to designate any item of any genre which makes use of stereotypes, usually, but not always, negative stereotypes, of a particular group. "These stereotypes are manifested in a wide array of folkloric genres, including proverbs, other traditional sayings, nicknames, jokes, songs, rhymes, and football chants. All share a common function in that they are invoked to highlight positive aspects of the in group by explicit auto stereotyping or, alternatively, to identify the negative characteristics of out groups. The explicit positive stereotyping of an in group may often implicitly suggest negative characteristics of a rival out group." In blasons populaires nations are homogeneous and have national characteristics. Items such as ethnic jokes or blonde jokes are very common examples of blason populaire.

Blason populaire represents an expression of traditional rivalry and a form of traditional insulting also seen in flyting. They may take the form of ethnic jokes, ethnic stereotypes, football chants, traditional nicknames and other forms. Blason populaire performs a number of roles in society, such as social cohesion, by defining group behaviour or characteristics and contrasting those with another (alien, outsider or 'out group') group. This can be on a geographical, social, sex, occupation or pastime basis. For example, in one form blason populaire often seeks to undermine the masculinity of a rival group of males, or insult the appearance or chastity of the females of the rival group. Football chants often make reference to male players, officials or supporters being homosexual, effeminate or in some way not sufficiently masculine. The purpose of such insults is to create a sense of superiority and cohesion amongst the group doing the insulting. Such traditional insults are a way of defusing aggression in a similar way to flyting, as wit is valued over mere insult. The response of the offended group is expected to be to return the insult in a witty fashion. However, these exchanges can spill over into physical aggression if offence is taken by either group.

The focus of blason populaires in Irish language proverbial material is primarily regional, as opposed to national or ethnic, and, furthermore, such proverbs are usually jocular, descriptive, and benign, rarely exhibiting ethnic or racial slurs. Exceptions to the non nationalistic tendency are often blasons populaires of the multi group international comparison, manifested in epigrammatic form in European languages, with the most salient and representative stereotypical trait being attributed to the nations involved (what Billig (1995) refers to as 'banal nationalism'). Enumerative structures, usually tri or quadripartite formulas, are the favoured apparatus. The syntactic and semantic juxtaposition of negative traits for comparative purposes is then counter balanced by the positive representation of one nation, usually in final position, most commonly the in group that invokes the comparison. Below is a nineteenth century German example (Reinsberg Düringsfeld 1863, 5) in which there is no apparent in group. Die Italiener fluchen, Die Franzosen schreien, Die Engländer essen, Die Spanier trotzen, Und die Deutschen betrinken sich. (The Italians curse, the French scream, the English eat, the Spanish defy, and the Germans get drunk.)