(LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ) Towards better understanding and using English proverbs

However, understanding and using English proverbs effectively is very difficult for many reasons: differences in culture and history, poor background knowledge of learners, techniques an

M.A thesis – program I

Field: english linguistics

Code: 602215

Hanoi, 2008

M.A thesis – program I

Field: english linguistics

Code: 602215

Supervisor: Assoc.Prof.Dr Phan Văn Quế

Hanoi, 2008

PART A: INTRODUCTION 01

II.3.1 Rhythm 27

Chapter III: Implications towards better proverb translation 46

III.1 How to translate English proverbs into Vietnamese ones

III.3.1 We can add or omit words to create rhyme ( rhyme in succession,

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

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

I.1 Origin of proverbs

“Where do proverbs come from?” is a question which is certainly still in

the forefront of debate today, yet, it remains controversial and no one can answer for sure Thus, it is no easy task to clearly point out the origin of proverbs I, therefore, propose accepting what many researchers in some most well- researched books agree

According to Vietnamese authors, there are two theories about the occurrence of proverbs

 The first theory: Proverbs were composed by poets

 The second theory: Proverbs were created by unknown folk authors

We can see clearly that the number of proverbs created by folk authors outweighs the number of proverbs composed by poets if these two theories are true

According to English authors, there are three theories about the occurrence

 The third theory generally: Proverbs began that we stipulate the act of daily

life from our experience and proverbs are useful to each of culture and social education

The truth is still not known, but the third theory seems the most appropriate

I.2 Definitions of proverbs I.2.1 Introduction:

The collection of proverbs dates back to millennia, to Sumerian cuneiform tablets, and the theory of proverbs has also a long history Many papers have been published e.g on the origin, definition, use, classification, structure, language, logic, meaning of proverbs etc In this paper some aspects of the definition of proverbs will be dealt with and some notes on the main types and content of proverbs will be presented

I.2.2 The definition of proverbs in the literature

In the corresponding papers many definitions can be found Professor

Mieder in one of his papers with admitted overstatement- puts that “We can almost state that there are more definition attempts than there are proverbs” (Mieder 1989, p.13.)

In the 12th century, Mathieu de Vend«me (quoted by Bautier 1984) wrote

“A proverb is a popular phrase, accredited by custom accepted by the general opinion, expressing a truth that has been proved genuine”

In 1932, Bertlett Jere Whiting gave the following description: “A proverb is

an expression which, owing its birth to people, testifies its origin in form and phrase It expresses what is apparently a fundamental truth, - that is a truism- in homely language, often adorned, however, with alliteration and rhyme It is usually short, but need not to be; it is usually true but need not to be Some proverbs have both literal and figurative meaning, either of which makes perfect sense; but more often they have but one of the two A proverb must be venerable;

it must bear the sign of antiquity, and, since such signs may be counterfeited by a clever literary man, it should be attested in different places and different times.” (Whiting 1932 p 302)

Many previous definitions are listed in Whiting‟s mentioned paper, in the book of Lutz Rohrich and Wolfgang Mieder (Rohrich-Mieder 1972) 55

“popular” definitions have been collected by Wolfgang Mieder in 1985 and the recent paper of Peter Barta should also be mentioned in this context (Barta 1995)

If a classification of the proverb definitions is attempted, the following main categories can be distinguished

I.2.2.1 An open or implied denial of the possibility of defining proverbs

Archer Taylor states that “The definition of a proverb is too difficult to repay the undertaking… an incommunicable quality tells us this sentence is proverbial and that other is not” (Taylor 1931)

Needless to say, such an incommunicable quality does not exist In 1996, during a discussion of the Tokyo International Proverb Forum, professor Mieder mentioned that Archer Taylor has probably considered it a joke Unfortunately, it has been taken seriously and is quoted over and over again, as it was done in Tokyo too It might be enough to mention that not a mysterious

“incommunicable quality”, but – among other- the currency decides that a sentence is a proverb or not If we change only one word, e.g the word “gold” in the English proverb “All that glitters is not gold” to diamond, then it is not an English proverb any more, although all the so-called “makers” would indicate it

as such Its currency is zero, it is not told so in this form

Matti Kuusi‟s well-known statement that the proverbs are “documenta humana” belongs to the same category: Thus the proverbs are defined by an undefined term, implying the possibility of defining proverbs

Malcolm Jones openly proposes a tautology involving an implied

possibility of definition: “I shall take refuge in the tautology that a proverb is an expression we recognize as a proverbial”

I.2.2.2 A proverb is identical with its text

Some examples:

 “A proverb is a short sentence of wisdom” (quoted by Mieder 1989 p.15)

 “A proverb is a standard statement of moral and colloquial imperatives in fixed metaphorical paradigmatic form, it deals with fundamental logical relationships” (Barley 1972 p.741)

 “A proverb is a general statement or judgement, explaining, classifying or assessing a situation” (Harald Burger, quoted by W Mieder 1877 p.2)

 “A traditional propositional statement consisting of at least one descriptive element consisting of a topic and a comment” (Dundes 1975)

 “Proverbs are popular fixed sentences expressing a rule of conduct or a wisdom in a vivid, short form” (Rohrich-Mieder 1977 p.2)

It has, however, been pointed out repeatedly that e.g “two major ingredients… traditionality and currency should be part of any definition” (Mieder 1996 p.597) The importance of the implied general meaning (general idea) was stressed by Matti Kuusi (Kuusi 1996) and Vilmos Voigt (Voigt 1970) The implied scope and limitation of application has been mentioned before

(Paczolay 1996 p.282)

I.2.2.3 More complex definitions

In addition to the definition of Whiting given previously, as examples some definitions are mentioned that include several, sometimes frequent, but not absolutely necessary characteristics, like poetic form, while important ones, like currency or the absence of a known author are missing Some examples: “A short pithy saying in common and recognized use, a concise sentence often metaphorical or alliterative in form, which is held to express some truth ascertained by experience or observation familiar to all, an adage, a wise saw” (Whiting 1932)

 “A proverb is a popular set phrase having no author, known mostly in different languages, expressing in one sentence a principle, advice, a genuine

or assumed truth in a general, concise form, its basic idea being of general validity, or at least its user considers it as such” (O Nagy 1979 p.645)

 “A proverb is a stereotype linguistic entity expressing a fixed idea On the linguistic level it is an artistic picture, on the level of ideas a judgement As a work of art of folklore it belongs to the secondary semiotic systems It is a communication system with a double code, a carrier of information at the level of language, but at the same time the information carries another content too, becoming an instrument of poetic expression” (Voo 1989)

 “Proverbs are short, generally known sentences of the folk that contain wisdom, truths, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorizable form and that are handed down orally from generation to generation” (Mieder 1996 p.597 )

 “A short well-known sentence or phrase that states a general truth about life

or gives advice” (A S Hornby- Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary of current English- Oxford University Press- 1995)

 “A proverb is a short sentence that people often quote and that gives advice or tells you something about human life and problems in general” (Collins Cobuild- English Language Dictionary- Collins London & Glasgow- 1988)

 “Proverb: a short, well-known, supposedly wise, saying usually in simple language” (Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture- Addison Wesley Longman- 1986)

 “Proverb: a short pithy saying in common use; especially one with a moral” (Wester‟s new dictionary)

 “Proverb: a short popular saying of unknown authorship, expressing some general truth or superstition Proverbs are found in most cultures and are often are very ancient” (The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literature Terms- Chris Baldick- Oxford University Press- 1991)

 “Proverb is a short sentence that people often quote, which gives advice or comments on life” (BBC English Dictionary- Harper Collins Publishers 1992)

 “Proverb: a short and memorable saying which expresses a piece of experience, often in vivid language” (A Student‟s Dictionary of Language and Linguistics- R L Trask 1997- Oxford University Press Inc.)

 “Tục ngữ là những câu nói ngắn, gọn, có ý nghĩa hàm súc, do nhân dân lao động sáng tạo nên và l-u truyền qua nhiều thế kỷ.” (Đinh Gia Khánh & Chu Xuân Diên-

Văn học dân gian- NXB Đại học và trung học chuyên nghiệp- 1991)

Literally translated: Proverbs are short sayings, rich in meaning, created by working people and passed down from generation to generation

 “Tục ngữ là thể loại văn học dân gian nhằm đúc kết kinh nghiệm, tri thức, nêu lên những nhận xét, phán

đoán, lời khuyên răn của nhân dân d-ới hình thức những câu nói ngắn gọn, giản dị, súc tích, có nhịp

điệu, dễ nhớ, dễ truyền” (Hoàng Tiến Tựu- Văn học dân gian Việt Nam- Tập II- NXB Giáo dục- 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

 “Tục ngữ là những câu hoàn chỉnh, có ý nghĩa trọn vẹn, nói lên một nhận xét về tâm lí, một lời phê phán (khen hay chê), hoặc một câu khuyên nhủ, hoặc một kinh nghiệm về nhận thức tự nhiên hay xã hội” (Nguyễn Lân- Từ điển thành ngữ và tục ngữ Việt Nam- NXB Khoa học xã hội- 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

 “Tục ngữ là những câu cực kì bình dị, chắc nịch răn

đời, bằng những điều luân lí sâu xa hoặc tổng kết ngắn gọn những kinh nghiệm về công việc làm ăn” (Hoàng Trinh- Đối thoại văn học- NXB Hà Nội- 1986)

Literally translated: Proverbs are simple sentences that may be either teachings about life with profound ethics or briefly-summarized experiences about jobs

 “Tục ngữ là một câu nói ngắn gọn, có cấu trúc t-ơng

đối ổn định, có cách diễn đạt phúng dụ (ngụ ý) đúc kết tri thức, kinh nghiệm sống và đạo đức của một

d©n téc” (Lª §øc Träng- Tõ ®iÓn gi¶i thÝch thuËt ng÷ ng«n ng÷ häc- NXB Thµnh phè Hå ChÝ Minh- 1993)

Literally translated: Proverbs are short sayings with quite stable structure and overtoned way of expression through which a nation‟s intellect, morality and view toward life are revealed

Until now, there has not been any definition of proverbs, which is considered to be the most standard and accurate

I.2.3 A proposed definition I.2.3.1 The necessary and sufficient conditions of a proverb definition

According to the theory of definitions, any definition should include the

“genus proximum” and the “differentia specifica”, i e it should refer to the set including the item to be defined and to its special characteristics The conditions should be necessary and sufficient ones

Considering the proverbs, any definition should distinguish them from other

“similar items”, like quotations and aphorism, having single authors, standard expressions of special fields and simple sentences

Any definition must include the following recognized and necessary characteristics of proverbs Proverbs appear in the form of short sentences, having a standard text, allowing sometimes some standard variants too, where the orders of words may be changed or some of the words may be replaced by others that can be considered synonyms in that particular context Sometimes additions and omissions also appear Being short, it excludes the possibility of including explicitly the scope and limitation of validity found in scholarly statements

Proverbs have – in common knowledge – no known author or literacy source Proper research can and does discover that a considerable part of the well-known proverbs may be traced back e.g in Europe to Greco-Roman classics

and the Hebrew and Greek Bible, (Taylor 1931 p.52-65 ), e.g “One swallow does not make a summer” to Aristotle, “He that sows the wind, will reap the whirlwind” to the book of Hosea in the old Testament, “Time is money” was

coined by Benjamin Franklin in 1748 In the Far-East the literary sources are mainly the Chinese classics, the Historical Records (Shi Ji), the Book of Zhuang

Zi and the Confucian Analects (Lun Yu), and in part to some Sanskrit classic, like the Panchatantra, the Nirvana Sutra etc (Paczolay 1994 p.135) In the process of folklorization the sources have fallen into oblivion and in due time- sometimes in a slightly changed form- the quotations became genuine proverbs

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

even after some of the sheep have been found lost/stolen (Paczolay 1994

p.28/2.5), i e “Better late than never”

A proverb may refer to some typical general, or typical rare field of human

conditions, attitudes or actions, like “As you make your bed so you must lie on it”

or “A bad shooter may sometimes hit the mark” Proverbs of special fields, arts

and trade, like agriculture, weather etc are excluded, but they may become genuine “general” proverbs if they acquire a general meaning related to human

conditions, like “Let the shoemaker stick to his last” Beside the implied

meaning there is the equally important implied scope and limitation of the validity (area b) known to the users They well know e g when one or the other

of the “contradicting proverbs” is valid, corresponding to the concrete conditions

(Clothes make the man – Clothes do not make the man – Strike the ion till it is hot – Everything comes to him who waits – etc.) (Paczolay 1996) In a few cases the scope and limitation is not implied, but it is included in the text, e g “All that glitters is not gold” includes the possibility that something that glitters is in

fact gold

I.2.3.2 The proposed definition

The proposed definition: A proverb (pv) is a short, standard, spoken, written or stored statement (sometimes allowing for one or a few standard variants too and sometimes in a poetic form), having an evident or implied general meaning (or general idea) (GI) related to a particular typical common or typical rare field of general human conditions (hc), attitudes or actions, with implied proper scope and limitation of validity The reference to the general meaning/idea may be direct (maxim-type proverb) or implied (metaphoric proverb) It has a currency (cr), i e it is well known and often quoted in a period

of time (t) in a certain small or large language community (lc) (or in a part of the community), sometimes in a short form (the rest being implied) In common knowledge it has no known author or literary source

A short form of the definition: a proverb is a short standard statement, having on evident or implied general meaning, related to a certain typical field of general human conditions, attitudes or actions, where it is valid with implied limitations It is known and often quoted in a period of time in a certain language community, sometimes in a short form (the rest being implied) In common knowledge it has no known author or literary source

A formal description:

pv = (short, standard statement) cr, t, lc + (implied general meaning) hc + (implied field of validity) + (no known source)

 Note: If the definition is intended to include “special”, like agricultural, weather, legal, medical etc proverbs too, then the text should read:

…general or special human conditions, attitudes or actions, or other conditions

I.2.4 The main types of proverbs

It was mentioned previously that the proverbs may be metaphoric and maxim type ones, to which proverbial phrases or comparisons can be added

The mental process taking place during the application of metaphoric proverbs (concrete-abstract-concrete), maxim-type proverbs (concrete-abstract) and proverbial comparisons where the general idea is replaced by a general

characteristic (GC) like “of little value” (Not worth a straw), “flat” (Flat as a pancake) “Only a little part is revealed” (A tip of iceberg) can be represented as

follows:

A-plane (abstract)

B-plane (concrete)

horse in the mouth be done by Flat as a pancake GI= One should not criticise a present GC= flat

I.2.5 A note on the content of proverbs

As the basic experience of mankind on human behaviour is the same from time immemorial, a considerable part of proverbs even in independent cultures express the same basic ideas Some examples: reciprocity and the lack of it, cause and effect relationship, appearance and reality, related and unrelated phenomena, human errors and virtues etc The number of common proverbs is greatly increased by cultural contacts, involving the appearance of loan-proverbs

In Europe, 106 proverbs were found to exist in 28 to 54 languages of the continent, being present in all its main geographic regions In Chinese, Korean and Japanese so far 169 common proverbs were found, some of them having close equivalents in Vietnamese, Thai and Malay too Some European proverbs

like “Time is money” have since made their way into Far-Eastern languages too

I.3 Differences between proverbs and other related terms

For “better understanding and using English proverbs”, differences

between proverbs, idioms and “ca dao” are also mentioned because in proverbs

“there is a part consisting of the ambiguous sentences”, very similar/close to both idioms and “ca dao” <Quoted from Dictionary of Literary Terms- Tõ ®iÓn thuËt ng÷ v¨n häc- Lª B¸ H¸n (chñ biªn)- Natioal University Publishing House- 1997>

I.3.1 Differences between proverbs and idioms

Nowadays, the problem of how to distinguish proverbs from idioms is still

on hot debate Basing on definitions of proverbs mentioned above and through the process of collecting and analyzing, I distinguish proverbs from idioms according to two main criteria: content and function

I.3.1.1 Content

Proverbs are complete sentences, with adequate meanings, which express a remark; a prediction, an experience or a moral while idioms are “only a part of a sentence, or a phrase, quite stable Idioms do not express a complete meaning or

a remark like proverbs, they show a concept with interesting and attracting forms” <Dictionary of Literary Terms- Lª B¸ H¸n- Hanoi National University Publishing House- 1997>

We can see this difference clearly through the following examples:

1 In Vietnamese, the idiom “§Ñp nh- tiªn” (As beautiful as a fairy) simply generalizes a nature but the proverb “§Ñp nh- tiªn kh«ng tiÒn còng Õ” (As beautiful as a fairy but having no money is

worthless) generalizes the law of life

2 In English, the idiom “Birds of a feather” only tells a fact, while, the proverb “Birds of a feather flock together” generalizes a certain law of

life: those who share the same opinions, the same characteristics will easily become close friends

I.3.1.2 Function

Proverbs have the informing and educating function <bring people knowledge, a lesson in life> but idioms do not have this function They only

show an event Let‟s have a quick look at the example below to understand more clearly about this difference:

1 The idiom “To put all one‟s eggs in one basket” only tells an action while the proverb “Don‟t put all your eggs in one basket” contains an

advice

2 The idiom “Bình chân nh- vại” only shows an attitude but the proverb “Cháy nhà hàng xóm bình chân nh- vại” means a

criticism and a reminder

Briefly, content and function are two main criteria to distinguish proverbs from idioms

I.3.2 Differences between “proverbs” and “ca dao”

In English, there exists no kind of Folklore as “ca dao” However, in Vietnamese, sometimes it is very difficult to identify the “bond” of proverbs and

“ca dao”

We can easily realize a proverb when it is a short and succinct sentence and

it lies on one line

For example:

ở hiền gặp lành Cha mẹ sinh con trời sinh tính Tin bợm mất bò

ở sao cho vừa lòng ng-ời

But when the proverbs exist under the forms of the six-eight meters (a poem

in which the lines are alternatively of six and eight feet), the distinction is generally very difficult as the characteristics of proverbs decrease much and the characteristics of “ca dao” increase much (According to Nguyễn Thái Hoà- Cấu trúc và Thi pháp Việt Nam- Nxb Khoa học Hà Nội- 1997)

For example:

- ở hiền thì lại gặp lành Những ng-ời nhân đức trời dành phần cho

- Sinh con ai nỡ sinh lòng Mua d-a ai biết trong lòng quả

d-a

- Tin bợm mất bò Tin bạn mất vợ nằm co một mình

- ở sao cho vừa lòng ng-ời

ở rộng ng-ời c-ời, ở hẹp ng-ời chê

Nowadays, the criteria that many people base on to distinguish the “bond” between proverbs and “ca dao” are:

- Proverbs are inclined to reason, “ca dao” are inclined to emotion

- Proverbs are tied with daily sayings of people; “ca dao” are tied with

“diễn x-ớng” <they are recited to express the feelings, the emotion

of the singers>

Moreover, to distinguish them accurately and clearly, we have to put them

in the concrete contexts When they are recited to express the feelings of the singers, they are considered “ca dao” but when they are mentioned to tell about

an experience, a remark or the objective reason, they are exactly proverbs

I.4 Characteristics of proverbs

The characteristics of proverbs will be analysed through three main points

I.4.1 Forms:

 Proverbs are short utterances (short sayings or phrases) Most of the proverbs have rhyme (only a small amount of proverbs do not have rhyme) On average, a proverb often contains four to ten words

For example:

Better late than never Blood is thicker than water

<Muộn còn hơn không> <Một giọt máu đào hơn

ao n-ớc lã>

Càng đông, càng vui Ng-u tầm ng-u, mã tầm mã

<The more, the merrier> <Birds of a feather flock together> However, there are some long proverbs, which contain at least ten words

For example:

 A man is as old as he feels and a woman is as old as she looks

<Đàn ông già là do cảm giác, đàn bà già hiện trên nét mặt>

 Siêng đi tát, nhác đi câu, muốn cho đầy bầu thì đi nhủi

 Mây kéo xuôi cầm gầu tát n-ớc, mây kéo ng-ợc cầm cuốc phá bờ

<No English equivalents>

However short or long it may be, each proverb is a sentence

- Proverbs have a quite stable structure They hardly change under any circumstance

- Proverbs are not only pithy but also poetical (they have rhyme and overtoned way of expression)

I.4.2 Content:

Proverbs appear to have adequate meaning (through which people‟s knowledge, predictions, advice are experimentalized in such a plain but meaningful way of saying)

For example:

English proverbs:

 Birds of a feather flock together (knowledge)

<Ng-u tầm ng-u, mã tầm mã>

 Blood is thicker than water (advice)

<Một giọt máu đào hơn ao n-ớc lã>

 A certain fact of life:

<Càng đông, càng vui>

 A man can die once

<Đời ng-ời chỉ chết một lần>

 He who laughs best is last

<C-ời ng-ời chớ có c-ời lâu C-ời ng-ời hôm tr-ớc hôm sau ng-ời c-ời>

 Diamond cuts diamond

<Vỏ quýt dày có móng tay nhọn>

In Vietnamese proverbs:

 A prediction:

 Sinh sự, sự sinh

<Don‟t trouble trouble till trouble troubles you>

 Dễ đến, dễ đi

<Easy come, easy go>

- Proverbs also have educational function (they give out ethics, advice or morals)

For example:

<All is not gold that glitters>

- Besides, proverbs are traditiona

CHAPTER II:

FACTORS LEADING TO DIFFICULTIES

IN UNDERSTANDING AND USING ENGLISH PROVERBS

II.1 Difference in culture II.1.1 Definitions of culture

The word “culture” has various meanings

According to “The Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary”, culture means art, literature, music and other expression of a particular society or time

Richard in Dictionary of Language¬ Teaching and Applied Linguistic, Longman (1996; p 94) has gone “culture is the total set of beliefs, attitudes, customs, behaviours, social, habits, etc

In Hudson‟s opinion, “culture is the term used differently by different anthropologists but always refers to some property of a community, especially those, which might distinguish it from other communities”

L White in “The Science of Culture” considered “culture” a scientific category indicating a special field of activity, which exists only in societies of human beings and its own rules of development”

Above all, TrÇn Ngäc Thªm’s definition (in Vietnamese Culture - 1999) is believed to be the most complete one It is an organic system of material and spiritual values created and stored up by human beings during the process of practical activities in the contact between them and their own natural as well as social environment”

It should be mentioned that there is a close relationship between proverbs and culture, maintaining they were inextricably related so that you could not understand or appropriate the one without knowledge of the other

The word “culture” has a very broad meaning Here, we only analyse some aspects of it related to proverbs

II.1.2 Differences between English culture and Vietnamese culture

All cultures have certain things in common, in other words, all cultures have similarities These similarities may deal with the material aspects of life, such as shelter or they may involve such non- material activities as maintaining a government or creating myths In a recent study, Tr-ơng Ngọc Khanh in

“An investigation on some cultural differences on social contacts between Vietnam and some countries it has relations with” shows that elements common

to all cultures include: (1) technology, (2) institutions, (3) languages and (4) the arts

Besides, differences also exist as a- matter- of- course cross- cultural factors And these differences are exactly one of the factors leading to difficulties

in understanding and using English proverbs of Vietnamese intermediate students

of English

Why do differences exist as a – matter – of – course cross – cultural factors? The answer is simple and clear People of different countries differ greatly from each other Moreover, different regions in the same country are made up of people with their own customs, conventions and also beliefs that differ from each other greatly This results in the fact that there is a big variety in culture among countries in the world

There are two main types of culture They are agricultural and nomadic cultures Though both the former, located in the East including Vietnam and the latter, belonging to the West, including England, are now no longer completely agricultural or nomadic; they still have a great impact on people‟s socio- linguistic life

For example:

In agricultural regions, buffalo is the most common symbol We, therefore, can see many proverbs appear this kind of cattle

Con trâu là đầu cơ nghiệp

<Literary translated: Buffalo is the most valuable thing in the family>

Trâu chậm uống n-ớc đục

<The early birds catch the worm>

While in the West, the culture of which is nomadic, horse is to govern this position Followings are some examples

Zeal without knowledge is a runaway horse

<NhiÖt t×nh mµ kh«ng cã kiÕn thøc th× nh- ngùa bÊt

kham>

You can take a horse to the water but you can‟t wait him drink

<Anh cã thÓ d¾t ngùa xuèng n-íc nh-ng kh«ng thÓ

b¾t nã uèng n-íc>

That‟s a horse of another colour

<§ã lµ chuyÖn kh¸c>

Especially, there is one specific example of this difference That is:

“Tr©u buéc ghÐt tr©u ¨n”

We can see clearly that this proverb uses the symbol “buffalo” but its English equivalent is “Tied horse hates free horse” The symbol “horse” has taken the symbol “buffalo”‟s position

Thus, this difference between agricultural and nomadic culture is one of the main factors leading to difficulties in understanding and using English proverbs

II.2 Differences in using metaphor in English and Vietnamese proverbs

Most proverbs (both Vietnamese and English proverbs) use metaphor expression The Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary defines “metaphor” the imaginative use of a word or a phrase to describe somebody or something as another object in order to show that they have the same qualities and to make the description more forceful

And Nguyen Hoa, in his “An Introduction to Semantics”, shows

“metaphor” is the transference of meaning name” from one object to another based on similarity between these two “objects” i e we can call one object by the name of another because we compare these objects and find some common features between them This is the association of similarity

For example, a cunning person is often referred to a fox; an aggressively and unpleasantly behaving woman is as a bitch- a female dog used with negative connotations

In short, in a metaphor, no function words are used; something is described

by stating another thing with which it can be compared

It can be withdrawn from those mentioned above that in a metaphor, symbolism is the way one thing (often concrete) is said to imply one other thing Fox is just a symbol for one person‟s characteristic instead of saying that person

is cunning, secretly tricky It is symbolism that makes metaphor a lively and beautiful art of expression by word

Hence, most proverbs choose metaphor expression Many animals and things exist in proverbs instead of human beings and their feelings Many proverbs of this kind can be seen:

It means the old are the most experienced

“Một giọt máu đào hơn ao n-ớc lã”

It means brothers are always dearer and closer than friends and neighbours Similarly, in English, we have:

“Birds of a feather flock together”

<Vietnamese equivalent: Ng-u tầm ng-u, mã tầm mã>

“Every bird loves to hear himself sing”

<Vietnamese equivalent: Văn mình, vợ ng-ời>

It means, “People always consider them and theirs are the best”

In all the proverbs mentioned above, the symbol animal is used to show human beings

II.2.1 English and Vietnamese animal system in proverbs in comparison II.2.1.1 Animal components in English

Many researchers have done the work to find out how many animal components used metaphorically in English and they have shown that there are

seventy-five They are presented in alphabetical order as follows:

Ant, ape, ass Bat, bear, beast, beaver, bee, beetle, bird, bitch, bug, bull, butterfly Calf, camel, cat, chicken, cock, cow, coot, crocodile, crow

Devil, dog, donkey, dragon, dove, duck Eagle, eel, elephant

Fish, fly, flea, fox, fowl, frog Ghost, goat, goose

Hare, horse, hen, hawk, hound Kitten

Lamb, lark, lion

Mare, mole, monkey, mouse, mule Owl

Arrow, peacock, pig, pigeon Rabbit, rat, rhinoceros Sardine, sheep, snail, snake, stag, swan, swine Tiger, turkey

Whale, wolf, and worm

II.2.1.2 Animal components in Vietnamese:

It seems that Vietnamese animal components that are used metaphorically are richer than those of English with the doubled figure: 126 animal components They are arranged alphabetically as followings:

Bìm bịp, beo, bò, bồ nông, bọ, bọ chó, bọ mèo, bọ xít, bọ mạt, bọ hung, bọ ngựa, bọ cạp, bồ câu, b-ớm

Cà cuống, cá, cá đối, cá sấu, cá mè, cá giếc, cá vàng, cáo, cáy, cắt, chấy, chim, chim chích, chích choè, chạch, chó, chó săn, chó cái, chuồn chuồn, châu chấu, chuột, chuột nhắt, chuột chù, cò, cóc, công, cú, cua, cun cút, cuốc, chèo bẻo,

Dã tràng, dê, diều hâu, dơi

Đỉa, đom đóm, đ-ời -ơi

én ếch

Gà, gà trống, gà mái, gà chọi, gà rừng, gấu Giời, giun

Hạc, hét, hến, hổ, hùm, cọp, h-ơu Kiến, khỉ, kh-ớu

Loan, lợn, lừa, l-ơn

Ma, mèo, muỗi Nai, nòng nọc Ngoé, ngỗng, ngựa Nghé

Nhái, nhạn, nhện

ó, ong

ốc Ph-ợng

Qu¹, quû R¾n, rËn, rÕt, rång, ruåi, rïa S¸o, s©u, sÎ, sªn, sÕu, sãc, sãi, s- tö T»m, tÐp, t«m, tu hó, tª gi¸c, tß vß Th»n l»n, thá, thuång luång, thó Tr©u

V¹c, ve, vÞt, voi, v-în, vÑt

II.2.1.3 Animal components in Vietnamese and English in common:

From these two lists of animals in each culture mentioned above, it is very easy to withdraw the common animals existing in both clarified There are 53 animal components in common, a not too small figure Alphabetically, we have:

rång, vÞt

chã s¨n

II.2.1.4 Animal components existing only in English:

Twenty-two is the exact number of metaphorically used animal components which exist in English Here are they, ordered alphabetically:

<Cừu non, chim chiền chiện>

Mare, mole, mule

<Ngựa cái, chuột chũi, con la>

Sardine, stag, swan, swine

<Cá xac-đin, h-ơu nai đực, thiên nga, con lợn>

II.2.1.5 Animal components existing only in Vietnamese:

Seventy-five is the number of animals which are found used metaphorically only in Vietnamese They surely do not exist in English Let‟s have a quick look at them:

Bìm bịp, bọ chó, bọ nẹt, bọ mạt, bọ ngựa, bọ cạp,

bồ nông, báo

Cà cuống, cá đối, cá mè, cá giếc, cá vàng, cáy, cắt, chấy, chim chích, chạch, chó cái, chuồn chuồn, châu chấu, chuột nhắt, cò, cóc, cốc, cua, cun cút, cuốc, chèo bẻo

Dã tràng, diều hâu

Đỉa, đom đóm

Gà chọi, gà rừng Giòi, giun

Hạc, hét, hến, h-ơu Kh-ớu

Loan Muỗi Nhạn, nhện Nghoé, nghé Nòng nọc

ó Ph-ợng Rận, rết, rùa Sáo, sếu, sóc Tằm, tép, tò vò, tôm, tu hú Thằn lằn, thuồng luồng

The animal component structure also reveals the difference between the two cultures Though ordinary animals (dog, fish, elephant, bird…), wild animals (ant, beaver, hare…) and on-land animals (dog, cat, bird, cow…) are found used metaphorically at high frequency in both the two cultures, the rates of wild and on-land animals used in Vietnamese are much higher than those in English Perhaps, this difference results from the difference in living condition, geography, belief, religion, etc of the two countries The Vietnamese live more closely to nature than the English and Vietnamese legend treasure is undoubtedly very abundant because the people‟s imagination is quite rich Belief and religion

of the two cultures are also different, which leads to animal conceptualism This difference is also a big problem for intermediate Vietnamese students of English

in understanding and using English proverbs accurately For one thing, many of them are not sure about this main difference in the two cultures that is revealed clearly through proverbs with the metaphor expression For another thing, they may be confused when they see an English proverb with an animal and its Vietnamese equivalent with another animal

For example:

 Tied horse hates free horse

Vietnamese equivalent: Trâu buộc ghét trâu

ăn

 When the cat is away, the mice will play

Vietnamese equivalent: Vắng chủ nhà, gà mọc

đuôi tôm

 Birds of a feather flock together

Vietnamese equivalent: Ng-u tầm ng-u, mã tầm

mã

 Dog does not eat dog

Vietnamese equivalent: Gà cùng một mẹ chớ

hoài đá nhau

 Don‟t count your chickens before they are hatched

Vietnamese equivalent: Đừng đếm cua trong

lỗ

 Dogs that put up many hares kill none

Vietnamese equivalent: Bắt cá hai tay

We, therefore, cannot link this English proverb with its Vietnamese equivalent Sometimes, we come across a very familiar proverb in English but

we are not sure whether it has the same meaning as a proverb in Vietnamese The result is we do not dare to use that proverb in their writings or use wrongly, or they do not know how to understand it in that reading This difference also results in the reason we hardly remember English proverbs and we also find it difficult to acquire English proverbs

II.3 Difference in rhythm and rhyme

One main factor that makes it difficult to understand and use English proverbs accurately is the difference in rhyme and rhythm between English proverbs and Vietnamese proverbs