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Proverbs around the world
Apr. 27th, 2007 06:28 pmWhen wandering through a library the other day, I picked up As they say in Zanzibar, by David Crystal – a thick, chunky book full of proverbs from around the world
I like proverbs. In his intro., he says that they are going out of fashion. Many people disdain them as cliches. However, if they are cliches, they are very useful ones, that allow us to convey whole sentences of meaning in a few words: "Needs must…" "And pigs might fly!" Plus, they are part of our shared cultural heritage. Like quotations from Star Wars, the Simpsons, Tolkien, or whatever, they're part of the social glue – the shared frame of reference – that binds us together.
( Some proverbs from around the world )
I like proverbs. In his intro., he says that they are going out of fashion. Many people disdain them as cliches. However, if they are cliches, they are very useful ones, that allow us to convey whole sentences of meaning in a few words: "Needs must…" "And pigs might fly!" Plus, they are part of our shared cultural heritage. Like quotations from Star Wars, the Simpsons, Tolkien, or whatever, they're part of the social glue – the shared frame of reference – that binds us together.
( Some proverbs from around the world )
