Филологические науки /9. Этно-, социо- и психолингвистика

Zavolodko M.P.

National Technical University of Ukraine “KPI”

Proverbs as signs of American culture

It is commonplace that proverbs are cultural signs for recurrent social situations. They are employed as verbal strategies to assure meaningful communication, albeit in a metaphorical and indirect fashion [5]. The wisdom contained in these utterances is based on observations which are believed to be of a general nature and they merit couching into memorable and repeatable statements. Over time these sentences gain general currency among people, from ethnic, professional or social groups on to regions and countries. Some traditional proverbs have reached people throughout the world by means of loan translations and the powerful modern mass media, indicating that at least some proverbs like Time flies; One hand washes the other or Big fish eat little fish express universally recognized truths [6]. But there are, of course, also countless proverbs that have not reached such broad geographic distribution. In fact, many proverbs have remained confined to nationally and linguistically defined areas. In a large country like the United States, one might indeed speak of proverbs that pertain primarily to certain minorities or regions.

There are many studies that have looked at proverbs in a more balanced fashion, trying to ascertain whether folklore in general and proverbs in particular do express “folk ideas”, “cultural axioms”, “essential postulates”, “worldview”, or a certain “mentality”, to use a term that has been applied to such investigations more recently. All cultures have underlying assumptions and it is these assumptions or folk ideas which are the building blocks of worldview. Any one worldview will be based upon many individual folk ideas and if one is seriously interested in studying worldview, one will need first to describe some of the folk ideas which contribute to the formation of that worldview. Sometimes, folk ideas may be articulated in a particular proverb [3; 4].

Proverbs accomplish both conceptual and pragmatic work, they express generalities based on experiences and observations and are used to make moral or ethical recommendations in socio-cultural contexts. By means of numerous examples, he shows that Americans in general have a positive attitude toward solving problems, a trait that is epitomized by their frequent use of the proverb Where there is a will, there is a way. Alan Dundes succeeded splendidly in illustrating that such proverb as Forgive and forget and Seeing is believing indicate a future and visual orientation in the American worldview as we [1]. By means of thousands of proverb references found in giant databases of the mass media that the following proverbs are among the most frequently used: Time will tell; First come, first served; Forgive and forget; Time is money; Time flies; Better late than never, and Out of sight, out of mind. Clearly they relate to American cultural values, indicating in particular that time entertains a primary position in American culture. It should not be surprising that these proverbs belong to the so-called paremiological minimum of those three hundred proverbs that are employed with high frequency both in oral and written communication in the United States [1; 2]. The United States are a country of immigrants, and while the English language connects various ethnic and social groups linguistically, there is a plethora of native languages used in this giant land with Spanish gaining ever greater prominence. All of the people who came to America brought their proverbs with them, and it is thus difficult to speak of “American” proverbs as such, especially since a large number of those proverbs current in the United States go back to English sources. There are also proverbs from antiquity, various religions, and the Middle Ages that had entered English and other languages through loan translations for centuries before the new settlers carried them across the ocean. Proverbs like Big fish eat little fish; Man does not live by bread alone or Strike while the iron is hot are known throughout most European languages and their currency is widespread in American communication as well. There are, of course, also typically English proverbs, as for example The early bird catches the worm; Make hay while the sun shines; A penny saved is a penny earned, and A stitch in time saves nine. And to be sure, America has its very own proverbs as well: Paddle your own canoe (expressing the spirit of independence), One picture is worth a thousand words, What is good for General Motors, is good for America (big business), Life begins at forty (youthfulness), Garbage in, garbage out (world of computers). In other words, proverbs are still being coined today, while others drop out since they do not fit modern attitudes and mores any longer. Proverbs like A woman’s tongue wags like a lamb’s tail or Spare the rod and spoil the child have disappeared or are on their way out, while such proverbs as A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle or There is no free lunch are steadily gaining in currency [1;2].

Just as certain ethnic and immigrant groups have their own proverbs, the different professions have also formulated proverbs that fit their interests. Proverbs like An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and An apple a day keeps the doctor away are old health rules, while If you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras is a modern piece of advice to young physicians who might be looking too hard for rare diseases rather than common ailments. Just as medical doctors, lawyers have legal rules to fall back on, such as A man’s home is his castle; First come, first served, and even that infamous proverbial statement If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit [4]. But there are as well proverbs that are current among farmers, teachers, business people, artists, trades people, soldiers, athletes, politicians, etc. A few examples would be If the farmer fails, all will starve; Experience is the best teacher; Business before pleasure; Art is long, life is short; Two of a trade seldom agree; Old soldiers never die; Winning isn’t everything, and You can’t beat city hall. But aspects of the American worldview are also expressed in certain lines of popular songs that have become proverbs, as for example The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and It takes two to tango. Popular culture, films, and the entire mass media use plenty of proverbs, and they certainly create new ones to fit innovative attitudes, as for example Hindsight is twenty-twenty; Life is just a bowl of cherries; Shit or get off the pot, and You’re only young once. While proverbs continue to be cited in their standard wording in the modern age, they quite often get changed into so-called anti-proverbs that intentionally vary the wording of the traditional wisdom, as for example Nobody is perfect; Curiosity grilled the cat, and Chaste makes haste [5]. Journals enjoy playing with proverbs in their headlines, and such altered proverbs are also often found in advertisements to draw attention to a special product. Some of these anti-proverbs do become new proverbs. After all, there is no reason why the playful thought of Home is where the computer is should not be a new insight in a world where everybody is connected to a computer most of the time.

References

1. Dundes A. Toward New Perspectives in Folklore /Alan Dundes. – Texas: University of Texas Press, 1982. – 214 p.

2. Dundes A. Life is Like a Chicken Coop Ladder. A Portrait of German Culture through Folklore / Alan Dundes. – New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. – 189 p.

3. Grzybek P. Foundations of semiotic proverb study / Peter Grzybek. – New York, 1987. – 156 p.

4. Hayes K.J. Proverb in Early America / K.J. Hayes. –Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press, 1997. – 214 p.

5. Mieder W. Wise Words. Essays on the Proverb / W. Mieder. – New York: Garland, 1994. – 174 p.

6. Norrick N.R. How Proverbs Mean: Semantic Studies in English Proverbs / N.R. Norrick. – Amsterdam: Mouton Nussbaum, 1985. – 251 p.