Types of proverbs on meanings motivation

But let us leave the world of the serious paremiologist for a moment and consider Taylor's "maxim" of the incommunicaole quality that supposedly tells us what a proverb is. What do non-specialists of proverbs think about them and what are proverbs to them? How do they in fact identify a statement as a proverb and what are the characteristic elements that comprise a proverb in their minds? In other words, what is a proverb today to the general public? In order to answer this question let us look at a sample of 55 proverb definitions which I collected from students, friends and acquaintances in the past year or so. To my knowledge nobody has ever bothered to undertake such a survey, and even though my sample is a relatively small one, it should still be able to give us a basic idea of what people today think a proverb to be. To this I will add an analysis of a number of popular articles on proverbs in magazines and' newspapers which have also not been considered by proverb scholars. These essayistic treatments that appeared from 1877 to 1984 in such publications as The Ne w York Times, Saturday Review, Atlantic Monthly, Time, Newsday and others will certainly help to come to terms with a general definition of the proverb as the "folk," and not the scholar, sees it.

Before starting this discussion, it might be wise to mention here at' least some of the English proverbs which in themselves are folk definitions of a sort: "A good maxim is never out of season"; "All the good sense of the world runs into proverb"; "Proverbs are the children of experience"; "Proverbs are the wisdom of the streets"; "Nothing can beat a proverb"; "Proverbs cannot be contradicted"; "Though the old proverb be given up. it is none the less true"; "The old saying cannot be excelled"; "The wisdom of the proverb cannot be surpassed"; "Common proverb seldom lies"; "The old saying, long proved true, shall never be belied"; "Old saws speak truth"; "Every- proverb is truth"; "Old proverbs are the children of truth"; "What everyone says is true"; etc. It appears that to the mind of proverb users, i.e. the general population in all walks of life, the proverb contains a good dose of common sense, experience, wisdom and above all truth.[13] Do such "definitions" still hold true today, or do modern adults in a technological society see proverbs in a much more critical light? Are proverbs still considered to be solid kernels of wisdom and truth, or are they laughed off as antiquated bits of moral teaching? The following 55 recent definitions of proverbs might include some surprises when one considers that they come from members of a sophisticated and highly educated society. The definitions were collected by merely asking various people to write their definition of a proverb on a piece of paper without any previous discussion of proverbs whatsoever. They represent spontaneous reactions to the simple isolated question "How would you define a proverb?" Here are the fascinating answers in alphabetical order:

1. A proverb consists of a short sentence which contains a general piece of wisdom.

2. A proverb contains wisdom which has been handed down from one generation to the next.

3. A proverb describes situations which happened before and which are repeated again and again.

4. A proverb expresses folk wisdom in formulaic, short and metaphorical language.

5. A proverb has been passed down through many generations. It sums up, in one short phrase, a general principle or common situation, and when you say it, everyone knows exactly what you mean. It is often graphic, symbolic or rhyming, so that it is easily remembered.

6. A proverb is a common expression whose origin is not known or has been forgotten. It expresses wisdom concerning life.

7. A proverb is a common, repeated and generally known phrase which expresses a general idea taken to be true. It usually draws upon everyday occurrences or events in nature which are easily understood.

8. A proverb is a commonly-known, easily understandable example of descriptive, colorful, "folksy" wisdom, which, independent of the era, carries a lesson to and conveys a philosophy of life for the common man.

9. A proverb is a commonly-known, often-quoted, concise saying which expresses a generalization concerning some aspect of everyday existence.

10. A proverb is a commonly used or known phrase, expressing knowledge, a conclusion or an attitude about aspects of life that are universally familiar to mankind.

11. A proverb is a complete sentence which usually contains a moral or didactic "message"

12. A proverb is a condensed form of age-old folk sayings and biblical teachings. The proverb attempts to teach us, via the trials and tribulations of others who were not as fortunate as we. Proverbs can be positive or negative in nature; unfortunately, far too many of them are anti-women in their conclusions.

13. A proverb is a condensed version of basic opinions, prejudices and beliefs common to a group of people. These are usually in the form of very short, easy-to-re member sentences or phrases.

14. A proverb is a fixed-phrase, metaphorical statement.

15. A proverb is a fixed phrase piece of folklore consisting of a comparison or analogy, applying one set of circumstances to a different but similar situation.

16. A proverb is a formulaic expression of a certain truth which is applicable only in a special situation. Used generally a proverb is only half a truth.

17. A proverb is a linguistic attempt to express a general truth or wisdom in a few words.

18. A proverb is a metaphorical statement that illustrates a lesson of behavior.

19. A proverb is a one-sentence statement which encapsulates an element of folk wisdom; a specific reference which applies to many generalized situations or meanings.

20. A proverb is a phrase or sentence, accepted and integrated into common verbal usage of the general population, although often regional in character, which is most likely generated by astute, humanistic, albeit didactic, assessment of the human experience, offering tidbits of wisdom applicable to these paradigms of existential encounter.

21. A proverb is a pictorial phrase in which a message is given, many times a picture of an oft done action.

22. A proverb is a pithy statement or comment usually involving advice or a moral.

23. A proverb is a saying or generalization often accepted as truth; it contains words of wisdom.

24. A proverb is a saying that is known to the public; sometimes a moral or a threat.

25. A proverb is a saying with which people often identify because it is universal and meaningful in some way or other.

26. A proverb is a sentence or phrase which expresses the generally accepted thought or belief of a group and which has, through use, become of a group and which has, through use, become standardized in form.

27. A proverb is a sentence that has been developed orally and is still used by the people of a region. It has usually come about from experience and it is a statement that teaches the learning within an experience.

28. A proverb is a short and general statement which is handed down by tradition and which changes its meaning according to the speaker and the situation.

29. A proverb is a short, and poetic statement used by the folk to express rules or wisdom concerning life.

30. A proverb is a short, concise, colloquial saying, easily memorized, and containing traditional beliefs taken to be true.

31. A proverb is a short, concise phrase which states a moral principle, bit of folk wisdom or similar rule by which one should live.

32. A proverb is a short condensation of a piece of folk wisdom, formed in such a way that it will be memorable. Its main goal is thus to teach, whether it be a semi-scientific fact or a viewpoint.

33. A proverb is a short expression known by many people. It usually contains a commonly held view of life.

34. A proverb is a short phrase. It is used to convey a traditional bit of folk wisdom

35. A proverb is a short saying which teaches a point or establishes a cultural norm based on the tradition of the people who use it. It is generally to be understood analogically - at least I have never heard of a proverb fundamentalist.

36. A proverb is a short, sentence or phrase which capsulizes a thought about human nature, values or ideals, and is generally thought to be for instructive/exemplary purposes.

37. A proverb is a short sentence or saying which expresses a rather simple didactic concept, and which usually implies a right as opposed to a wrong action. Proverbs are brief, often not direct (metaphoric), and a great majority of the community will be familiar with the proverb and its meaning.

38. A proverb is a short, traditional statement which teaches or gives advice on a subject. Comparisons are often used to illustrate the point.

39. A proverb is a small saying that describes wisdom in a way that either teaches or makes fun of it.

40. A proverb is a statement often articulated in parallel or allegorical terms with the intent of expressing a general truth

41. A proverb is a traditional, fixed-phrase saying, usually one sentence that expresses an opinion, often considered wisdom, on a subject or recommends a course of action.

42. A proverb is a traditional saying or sentence which summarizes an attitude towards something or describes a certain sitation. It is an often used saying through which one learns. A "picture" or "image" accompanies, or is within the expression, which gives light to the lesson to be learned. This lesson is often referred to as a moral.

43. A proverb is a traditional wisdom, advice or statement in a fixed phrase. It is short and precise, consists of at least two parts, and contains actor and verb.

44. A proverb is a well known saying which belongs to folk poetry and which is used by everyone.

45. A proverb is a well known spying without a known author, passed on from generation to generation, which gives advice, admonitions or a moral lesson - usually a few words to not more than one sentence in length and stated in a manner that is easily remembered i.e. rhyme, workable language, alliteration, analogy, etc. It is related to man as a whole and often begins with who.

46. A proverb is a witticism which combines clarity and precision of thought with brevity and profundity of word usage. The statement generally applies to a situation which is commonly understood and appreciated by all peoples of a given culture.

47. A proverb is an expression in colloquial or biblical terms which illustrates a moralistic point.

48. A proverb is an often repeated and metaphorical expression.

49. A proverb is generally used to provide "wisdom" in a concise way. It spares the speaker of the proverb the chore of being philosophically original.

50. A proverb is the wisdom of many, the wit of one. This is known as defining a proverb with a proverb. It doesn't hold up too well as a definition, but it sticks in my mind.¹

51. Certain principles and conditions of everyday life are expressed in proverbs, which in turn help people to understand the world and to learn from experience.

52. In a few words proverbs explain human problems and behavior.

53. Proverbs are general statements of truth which can apply to certain instances in a commentary fashion, and which can act as wise words for future actions.

54. Proverbs are golden words of folk wisdom that have been treasured from generation to generation.

55. Proverbs are short and aphoristic expressions of wisdom which reflect basic human situations and concerns[14].

A word analysis of these definitions results in an interesting composite of what a general definition of a proverb might look like. Taking the frequency of nouns first, the following picture emerges (the number ^:n parentheses indicates how often a particular noun appears in the 55 definitions): wisdom; phrase; sentence, saying; statement; folk; situation; expression; life; truth, moral, people; generation,' experience, advice, lesson, word; principle, analogy, belief, behavior, meaning, action; language, generalization, attitude, message, opinion, picture, comment, thought, comparison, tradition, rule, viewpoint; origin, idea, occurrence, philosophy, knowledge, conclusion, prejudice, folklore, paradigm, threat, form, norm, nature, value, ideal, image, poetry, author, admonition, rhyme, alliteration, witticism, brevity, profundity, clarity, precision, culture, condition, concern. From this it becomes clear that a proverb is commonly thought of as "a phrase, saying, sentence, statement or expression of the folk which contains above all wisdom, truth, morals, experience, lessons and advice concerning life and which has been' handed down from generation to generation." This composite definition basically includes all those words that appear from 4 to 20 times in the collected definitions. But since the words phrase, saying, sentence, statement and expression simply define a proverb as a basic sentence, it can certainly be stated that the shortest general definition of a proverb is simply "A proverb is wisdom expressed in a sentence."

Looking at modifying verbs, adjectives and adverbs in the 55 definitions, the following frequency picture arises: short; general; known; common, teach, traditional; metaphorical; concise, fixed; repeated, remembered, everyday, didactic; handed down, formulaic, true, understandable, often quoted, universal, moralistic, colloquial, memorizable, learned, familiar, biblical, human; sum up, graphic, symbolic, rhyming, colorful, descriptive, old, linguistic, regional, pictorial, pithy, standardized, accepted, oral, poetic, parallel, precise, aphoristic, cultural, instructive, exemplary, small, allegorical. If one adds the 18 occurrences of "short" together with the 4 of "concise," the one of "precise" and the one of "small" it is clear that 24 or almost half of the definitions stress the shortness of the proverb. Adding to this a few more of the frequent descriptive words, a composite definition could be something like "A proverb is a short, generally known sentence that expresses common, traditional and didactic views in a metaphorical and fixed form and which is easily remembered and repeated." But again, the shortest common denominator for this group of descriptive words would simply¹ result in the definition "A proverb is a short sentence."

There are several types of proverbs describe below:

Universal proverbs – On comparing proverbs of culturally unrelated parts of the world, one finds several ones having not only the same basic idea but the form of expression, i.e. the wording is also identical or very similar. These are mainly simple expressions of simple observations or simple ethical concepts, but not all expressions of simple observations became proverbs in every language.

Regional proverbs – In culturally related regions - on the pattern of loan-words - many loan-proverbs appear beside the indigenous ones. A considerable part ot them can be traced back to the classical literature of the region's past, in Europe the Greco-Roman classics, and in the Far East to the Sanskrit and Korean classics.

Local Proverbs – In a cultural region often internal differences appear, the classics (e.g. the Bible or the Confucian Analects) are not equally regarded as a source of proverbs in every language. Geographical vicinity gives also rise to another set of common local proverbs. These considerations are illustrated in several European and Far-Eastern languages, as English and Korean.

Proverbs were always the most vivacious and at the same time the most stable part of the national languages, suitable competing with the sayings and aphorisms pf outstanding thinkers. In the proverbs and sayings picturesqueness of national thinking was more vivid expressed as well as their features of national' character.

The proverbs and sayings are the paper of folklore which is short but deep in the meaning. They express the outlook of the amount of people by their social and ideal functions. Proverbs and sayings include themselves the some certain features of historical development and the culture of people.

The semantic sphere of proverbs is very wide and cannot limit them. The proverbs describe the every branch of people's life. The fact is that proverbs and sayings are similar in meaning in spite of their diversity in form and language.

While investigating on the given qualification theme we have analused proverbs on the semantic point of view. We have come across on the following noticeable themes, such as Friendship, Motherland, Time, Knowledge, Beauty, Health, Work, and a lot other different subjects. We have classified some example on the given topics:

Friendship

1. A friendship in need is a friend indeed.

2. A friend's frown is better than a foe's smile.

3. Among friends all things are common.

4. Even reckoning makes long friends.

5. Who keeps company with the wolf, will learn to howl.

Motherland

1. East or West home is best.

2. Every bird likes its own nest.

3. There is no place like home.

4. Never cast dirt into that fountain if which you have sometimes drunk.

5. Don't cut the bough you are standing on.

Time

1. Time and tide wait for no man.

2. Time cures all things.

3. Time flies.

4. Time is money.

5. Time is wonders

6. Cost time is never found again.

Knowledge

1. To everything is to know nothing.

2. Soon learnt soon forgotten.

3. Live and learn.

4. It's never too late to learn.

5. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Beauty

1. All that glitters is not gold.

2. Appearances are deceptive

3. Handsome is as handsome does.

4. There is no rose without the thorn.

Health

1. An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

2. A sound mind in a sound body.

3. Early to bed and early to rise makes a man health's, wealth's and wise.

4. Good health is above wealth.

5. Health is not valued till sickness comes.

Work

1. A bad workman always blames his tools.

2. A good beginning is half the worn.

3 A good beginning makes a good ending.

4. An attempt is not tortue.

5. AH is well that ends well.

6. As you sow so you reap.

7. Chickens are counted in autumn.

8. Man proposes bad disposes.

9. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today

10. Nogain without plan.

11. Speak less but do more.