Folk Traditions of Lullabies: Functional Analysis

Abstract

Lullabies are known as a genre of music for infants, which are performed at the sleep time of the child by the parent, usually mothers or by the caregivers. The present study is an attempt to understand the functions it fulfils in a cultural context and its evolution to the present day by the lived experiences of forty-seven Pakistani parents. The qualitative research is conducted in Islamabad, Pakistan, to establish the multi-layered meanings embedded in this folk tradition. The purpose of singing lullaby from parent to parent, as folklores is strongly embedded in a geographical context. Yet folklore tradition of the lullaby is a universal phenomenon serving the emotional needs of the child and parents, to the educational and social development of the child. This study is an attempt to understand the latent and manifest meanings of this act in a cultural context.