“A good expression is always to the point” – speaks an old English proverb.
Proverbs belong to the traditional verbal folklore genres and the wisdom of proverbs has been guidance for people worldwide in their social interaction throughout the ages. Proverbs are concise, easy to remember and useful in every situation in life due to their content of everyday experiences.
Here there is the general description of the proverb:
A proverb is a short, generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorizable form and which is handed down from generation to generation.
This definition may serve as basis to briefly explain the history, form and function of the proverb. First, proverbs are used from generation to generation; they are traditional. Many proverbs are old and have their origins in classical antiquity and medieval times, and several proverbs are biblical. Yet, it is not only old proverbs that are used and handed down.
Proverbs change with time and culture. Some old proverbs are not in use any longer because they reflect a culture that no longer exists, e.g. Let the cobbler stick to his last, which has vanished more or less, because the profession of the cobbler nowadays is rare. However, new proverbs that reflect the contemporary society are created instead, e.g. Garbage in, garbage out, a proverb created due to our computerised time. Old proverbs are also used as so called anti-proverbs today, i.e. “parodied, twisted, or fractured proverbs that reveal humorous or satirical speech play with traditional proverbial wisdom”. One example is Nobody is perfect, which as an anti-proverb is changed to No body is perfect.
A proverb is usually recognised by the fixed, often short form and is therefore quite easy to memorise. Many proverbs also contain metaphors. Proverbs often have multiple meanings and are therefore dependent on context and should be analysed in whatever context they are found (Mieder, 2004). Other proverbial features concern style. Arora (1994) has defined certain stylistic features that are applicable on proverbs. These include phonic markers such as alliteration, rhyme and meter, e.g. Practice makes perfect; A little pot is soon hot, semantic markers such as parallelism, irony, paradox, e.g. Easy come, easy go; The longest way around is the shortest way home, and lexical markers like archaic words.
The traditional function of proverbs is didactic, as they contain “wisdom, truth, morals and traditional views” (Mieder, 2004:3; Abadi, 2000; Obelkevich, 1994).
Proverbs are basically conversational, but occur commonly in both spoken and written communication, e.g. lectures, newspapers, speeches, books, fables and poetry. Proverbs are used in a wide range of situations and according to Mieder (1993) there are no limits to the use of the proverb. They can be used to:
- “strengthen our arguments, express certain generalizations, influence or manipulate other people, rationalize our own shortcomings, question certain behavioral patterns, satirize social ills, poke fun at ridiculous situations” (Mieder, 1993:11)
- “advise, console, inspire, comment on events, interpret behavior and foster attitudes, such as optimism, pessimism and humility” (Nippold et al., 2001a:2)
Durbin Rowland (1926) points at some arguments pro the use of proverbs in language studying. Rowland says that proverbs “stick in the mind”, “build up vocabulary”, “illustrate admirably the phraseology and idiomatic expressions of the foreign tongue”, “contribute gradually to a surer feeling for the foreign tongue” and proverbs “consume very little time”(pp. 89-90). Joseph Raymond (1945) states his arguments for proverbs as a teaching device. Proverbs are not only melodic and witty, possessed with rhythm and imagery; proverbs also reflect “patterns of
thought” (p. 522). As proverbs are universal, there are analogous proverbs in different nations that have related cultural patterns. Proverbs are therefore useful in the students’ discussions of cultural ideas when they compare the proverbs’ equivalents in different languages. Raymond exhorts: “Let each student seek and discover meanings, beauty or wit or culture in his own manner by suggestion and inference in accordance with his background” (p. 523).
The incorporation of proverbs in the foreign language classroom is rare. The suitability of proverbs in studying is due to their form; they are pithy and easy to learn, they often rhyme and contain repetition figures like alliteration and assonance, and “they contain frequently used vocabulary and exemplify the entire gamut of grammatical and syntactic structures”.
Also proverbs, besides being an important part of culture, are an important tool for effective communication and for the comprehension of different spoken and written discourses. The person who does not acquire competence in using proverbs will be limited in conversation, will have difficulty comprehending a wide variety of printed matter, radio, television, songs etc., and will not understand proverb parodies which presuppose a familiarity with a stock proverb.
Work with proverbs and sayings at the lessons not only helps to diversify educational process and to make its brighter and interesting. Moreover it helps to solve a number of very important educational problems: proverbs in the classroom can improve students’ learning experiences, their language skills, and their understanding of themselves and the world. This happens because:
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to be knowledgeable experts as well as learners.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to learn about each other and their shared values.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to gain insight as they discuss their experiences and work out their understanding of proverb meanings.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to use their home culture as a stepping stone into school culture.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity to improve thinking and writing as students both provide and receive information.
Appendix.
Examples of using proverbs in studying the language.
Phonetic. “Th” sound .
Nothing seek, nothing find. – Непоищешь – ненайдешь.
Не that will thrive, must rise at five. – Кто рано встает, тому Бог дает.
What is worth doing is worth doing well. – Если уж делать что-то, то делать хорошо.
Modal verbs.
All men can't be first. – Не всем дано быть первыми
Beggar can never be bankrupt. – Бедняк никогда не обанкротится.
Fair face may hide a foul heart. – Лицом хорош, да душой непригож.
Crackedbellcanneversoundwell. – Треснутый колокол уже никогда хорошо звенеть не будет.
Works Cited and Used:
- Arora, Shirley L. (1994). “The perception of proverbiality.” In Wolfgang Mieder (Ed.) Wise Words. Essays on the Proverb. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 3-29.
- Bazerman, Charles. (2006). “Analyzing the Multidimensionality of Texts in Education.”
- In Judith L. Green & Gregory Camilli & Patricia B. Elmore (Eds.) Handbook of Complementary Methods in Education Research. Washington: American Educational Research Association, 77-94.
- Brown, Douglas H. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Fourth edition. New York: Longman.
- Harnish, Robert M. (2003). “Communicating with proverbs.” In Wolfgang Mieder (Ed.), Cognition, Comprehension and Communication. A Decade of North American Proverb Studies (1990-2000). Hohengehren: Schneider-Verlag.
- Mieder, Wolfgang. (1994). “Paremiological minimum and cultural literacy.” In Wolfgang
- Mieder (Ed.) Wise Words. Essays on the Proverb. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 297-316.
- Mieder, Wolfgang. (1993). Proverbs Are Never Out of Season. Popular Wisdom in the Modern Age. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Mieder, Wolfgang. (2004). Proverbs - A Handbook. Westport, CT; Greenwood Press.
- Rowland, Durbin. (1926). “The use of proverbs in beginners’ classes in the modern languages.” Modern Language Journal 11:89-92.
- Nippold, Marilyn A., and Uhden, Linda D., and Schwarz, Ilsa E. (2003). “Proverb explanation through the lifespan: A developmental study of adolescents and adults.” In Wolfgang Mieder (Ed.), Cognition, Comprehension and Communication. A Decade of North American Proverb Studies (1990-2000). Hohengehren: Schneider-Verlag., 367-383.
- Raymond, Joseph. (1948). “Proverbs and language teaching.” Modern Language Journal 32:522-523.
- Obelkevich, James. (1994). “Proverbs and social history.” In Wolfgang Mieder (Ed.), Wise Words. Essays on the Proverb. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 211-252.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. Ed. Jennifer Speake. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford
- Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 26 November 2007 from www.oxfordreference.com.bibl.proxy.hj.se/views/BOOK_SEARCH.html?book=t90
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