Towards Better Understanding and Using English Proverbs
Towards Better Understanding and Using English Proverbs
10010016
Hanoi, 2008
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Hanoi, 2008
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PART A:
INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
English has become an international language. That is the truth that cannot
be denied. As people all over the world wish to get closer and closer, English has
shown its great function as a great bridge of communication. Mastering English
means not only the ability to speak English fluently but also the necessity of
having a full and perfect knowledge of English culture, history, lifestyle…the
shortest way to access and gain these knowledge, surely, is to get to know
English proverbs. As clearly known, proverb is one of the most ancient kinds of
Folklore which contain many distinguishing features of each nation in the world.
In Vietnamese, „„proverbs are the sayings of people, a treasure of various
and „„live‟‟ expressing forms that the labor class as well as many other different
classes in society use to express their attract ideas, their deep thoughts of life.
(Chu Xuan Dien- Vietnamese proverbs)
In English, “Proverbs are so much the common property of all English
men that in conversation, it is often enough to repeat just the beginning of a
proverb, the rest is easily supplied by the other calculators‟‟ (W.J. Ball-
Conversational English)
Understanding English proverbs, therefore, helps us understand more
clearly about a nation, about its culture, history…Furthermore, exploring,
comparing and contrasting proverbs in native as well as in target language will
surely bring about a treasure of valuable knowledge and a more convenient
condition for foreign language learning process.
However, understanding and using English proverbs effectively is very
difficult for many reasons: differences in culture and history, poor background
knowledge of learners, techniques and strategies in studying proverbs…
These ideas give me a tremendous impetus to implement the study
„Towards better understanding and using English proverbs’’. This study is
an investigation into factors leading to difficulties in understanding and using
English proverbs. As an investigation, it brings insights into some of the most
common factors which, to some extents, hinder learners from mastering English
proverbs. Hopefully, this study will bring considerable effective contributions to
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better understanding and using English proverbs. In my view, the sooner learners
can start to enjoy English proverbs in their new language, the better.
2. Objectives of the study
The objective of this study is to find out some common factors leading to
difficulties in understanding and using English proverbs.
3. Scope of the study
As there so many factors leading to difficulties in understanding and using
English proverbs, the study by no means investigates all factors concerned. Some
of factors are not included in this study. They are omitted simply because of
limitations of time, necessary, qualified and reliable resources, and of course the
knowledge of mine. Furthermore, exploring and mastering English proverbs is
quite a large field, I, therefore, limit my study in a smaller one “Towards better
understanding and using English proverbs’’. My study only looks for some
very main and common factors leading to difficulties in understanding and using
English proverbs. In addition, the study is confined to the context of
understanding and using English proverbs in Vietnam. The problems discussed in
the study may be irrelevant or inappropriate in other contexts.
4. Methods of the study
During the implementation of the study “Towards better understanding
and using English proverbs‟‟, three main following kinds of methods were
employed: strategic methods, tackling methods and supporting methods. Let‟s
have a look at these methods respectively.
4.1. Strategic method
The strategic method contains inductive methods. As for inductive
method, facts and figures which were relevant and essential for better
understanding and using English proverbs were collected carefully and analyzed
thoroughly in order to draw common factors leading to difficulties in
understanding and using English proverbs.
4.2. Tackling methods
On the way to realize and decide the objectives of the study, I also
employed a number of tackling methods namely description, classification,
statistics, analysis and syntheses of data. Facts, figures and also examples
illustrated for English proverbs were fully described and classified and then I put
them directly into the analyzing and synthesizing process. The results of the data
analysis, synthesis and findings have helped me draw some factors leading to
difficulties in understanding and using English proverbs.
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PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I:
LITERATURE REVIEW
V¨n häc d©n gian- NXB §¹i häc vµ trung häc chuyªn
nghiÖp- 1991)
Literally translated: Proverbs are short sayings, rich in meaning,
created by working people and passed down from generation to
generation.
“Tôc ng÷ lµ thÓ lo¹i v¨n häc d©n gian nh»m ®óc kÕt
kinh nghiÖm, tri thøc, nªu lªn nh÷ng nhËn xÐt, ph¸n
®o¸n, lêi khuyªn r¨n cña nh©n d©n d-íi h×nh thøc
nh÷ng c©u nãi ng¾n gän, gi¶n dÞ, sóc tÝch, cã nhÞp
®iÖu, dÔ nhí, dÔ truyÒn”. (Hoµng TiÕn Tùu- V¨n häc
d©n gian ViÖt Nam- TËp II- NXB Gi¸o dôc- 1990)
Literally translated: Proverb is a kind of folklore through which
people‟s knowledge predictions, advices are experimentalized in such a
plain but meaningful, rhythmed, easy to remember and spread way of
saying.
“Tôc ng÷ lµ nh÷ng c©u hoµn chØnh, cã ý nghÜa trän
vÑn, nãi lªn mét nhËn xÐt vÒ t©m lÝ, mét lêi phª
ph¸n (khen hay chª), hoÆc mét c©u khuyªn nhñ, hoÆc
mét kinh nghiÖm vÒ nhËn thøc tù nhiªn hay x· héi”.
(NguyÔn L©n- Tõ ®iÓn thµnh ng÷ vµ tôc ng÷ ViÖt Nam-
NXB Khoa häc x· héi- 1989)
Literally translated: Proverbs are complete sentences, with adequate
meaning, which can be a remark about people‟s psychology, a comment
(either a compliment or a criticism), an advice or a knowledge about
nature or society.
“Tôc ng÷ lµ nh÷ng c©u cùc k× b×nh dÞ, ch¾c nÞch r¨n
®êi, b»ng nh÷ng ®iÒu lu©n lÝ s©u xa hoÆc tæng kÕt
ng¾n gän nh÷ng kinh nghiÖm vÒ c«ng viÖc lµm ¨n”.
(Hoµng Trinh- §èi tho¹i v¨n häc- NXB Hµ Néi- 1986)
Literally translated: Proverbs are simple sentences that may be either
teachings about life with profound ethics or briefly-summarized
experiences about jobs.
“Tôc ng÷ lµ mét c©u nãi ng¾n gän, cã cÊu tróc t-¬ng
®èi æn ®Þnh, cã c¸ch diÔn ®¹t phóng dô (ngô ý) ®óc
kÕt tri thøc, kinh nghiÖm sèng vµ ®¹o ®øc cña mét
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Proverbs have a currency; they are known and often quoted in a small or
large region in one or several linguistic communities or in a part of such a
community. They may be known in several languages and continents, i. e. they
are internationally disseminated as Mieder put it (Mieder 1991. p.155.) but
sometimes they can be found only in one region or dialect of a linguistic
community. According to the size of the area where a proverb is known, we may
distinguish universal, regional (e. g. regional European, Far Eastern or Black-
African) and local proverbs (Pactrolay 1996).
Proverbs have a history; they “come and go” (Mielder 1991. p.155). Their
existence is related to a certain period of time (t), starting with the first known
use or recording. In historical terms, it is a “terminus ante quem” if no author can
be detected, e. g. if the first recording includes the remark: “… as the well-known
proverb puts it.” Part of the Biblical ones also belong to this category. It may also
be, however, that it is a “terminus post quem” if it is a folklorized quotation, like
“Time is money”. On the other hand it is also well known that several once
popular proverbs have fallen into oblivion or their use became restricted to one
region of the linguistic community.
On the level of abstraction (A) proverbs (pv) represent an abstract meaning
or abstract idea (AI) known to the users. In the case of metaphoric proverbs this
is implied. E. g. in case of proverb “Do not look at a gift horse in the mouth” it
may be “One should not criticize a present” or at a higher level of abstraction:
“In return for good will do not return an offence”. In case of maxim-type
proverbs this abstract idea is identical with the text of the proverb, like “Do as
you would be done by” or “Every beginning is hard”.
Due to the ignorance of the implied meaning (abstract idea), those who
know the text only, may misunderstand a proverb. E. g. a Hungarian proverb puts
that “It is better to fear than to be frightened (by surprise) – Jobb fÐlni, mint
megijedni- the meaning of which is the same as that of the English proverb
“Forewarned, forearmed”. Once somebody who knew only the text of the
proverb maintained that it is a bad proverb, as it is a bad thing to fear.
In some cases, there is no doubt about the meaning of a proverb, like “All
that glitters is not gold” but on the other hand in Europe the proverb “To close
the stable/barn door after the horse has been stolen”- dating back to Medieval
Latin- indicates a belated, futile action. The implied meaning of the
corresponding 2000 years old Chinese, Korean and Japanese proverb “To mend
the pen after the sheep was lost/stolen” is that “It is not late to repair the fold
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