We would like you to become part of an engaging community dedicated to exploring the anthro-linguistic significance of proverbs and how they reflect the common values and beliefs of billions of people around the globe.
Click here to register and become of a Friend of the Proverbs Project.
You can contribute by doing the following:
- Tell anectdotes / stories about proverbs you often use, find curious, epitomize human behaviour or …
The first time I heard the Spanish proverb about haste – Dress me slowly, I’m in a hurry / Visteme despacio, tengo prisa – I really didn’t get it because it seemed contradictory. Then a Spanish friend explained to me that the contrarian aspect was just what made it so funny and so “Spanish.”.
- Share insights into the cultural peculiarities of a proverb
The Kiswahili proverb – A fancy hat doesn’t identify the head beneath / Kofia ya juu haitambulishi kichwa kilicho chini:
Kofia refers to a commonly worn white hat, while a marker of social or religious status, it becomes a metaphor for outward appearances. The proverb warns that this external symbol (a “high hat”) does not necessarily reveal what lies beneath (the character or mind of the person). So, while the kofia is culturally meaningful, the proverb uses it to teach humility and critical discernment.
- Recommend further resources (books, research papers, websites, etc…) about proverbs.
The Polish linguist Anna Wierzbicka published a book entitled Understanding Cultures Through Their Key Words using research she conducted on English, Russian, Polish, German and Japanese. I found many connections between key words in a language and its proverbs.
- Help us add another language – i.e. French, South Korean, or German, etc …
- Provide a proverb that has the same meaning to an existing one in our list
For example: #10 in English: “All that glitters is not gold.” could also be “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
- Invite a friend to visit our webpage, register and contribute to the Proverbs Project.