to learn more about the Proverbs Project
Our Project
The Proverbs Project is an anthropological and sociolinguistic exploration of seven diverse cultures and languages of the world, using proverbs as a tool to gain insight into human nature and behavior.
Our Mission
To answer a rather novel question: Does the culturally accepted wisdom embedded in a particular Spanish proverb have an equivalent in all of these widely spoken languages?
English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili
To create a community of collaborators around the world
How we did it
Step 1: We randomly selected 53 commonly used Spanish proverbs
For example:
Vístame despacio, tengo prisa / Dress me slowly, I am in a hurry
A perro flaco, todo son pulgas / To a skinny dog, everything is fleas
A la tercera, va la vencida / On the third time goes the winner
Step 2: Then, we searched for and found the equivalent proverbs in all 6 other languages
English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili
Step 3: We realized the answer to our mission question was a resounding – Yes.
The wisdom conveyed by every one of the 53 Spanish proverbs do have an equivalent expression in the other 6 other languages.
One example of this shared human wisdom
#29 Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion
Spanish: Es mejor ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león
Hindi: छोटे तालाब में बड़ा मेंहदीप
Swahili: Ni bora kuwa kiongozi wa umma kuliko kuwa mfuasi wa mfalme
Chinese: 宁做鸡头，不做凤尾
Russian: Лучше быть первым в деревне, чем последним в городе.
Arabic: رأس الفار ولا ذنب الاسد
How to navigate the full list of 53 proverbs in 7 different languages?
1. If you click on any language below, for ex. Swahili, you’ll to see the full list of 53 proverbs in Swahili, which are the Swahili equivalents of the original 53 Spanish proverbs.
So, each proverb on the list is displayed like above and you are encouraged to make comments on the proverb. Click here to learn more about how to collaborate.
2. If you click on any of the 53 proverbs, you’ll see the equivalent proverbs in all 7 languages, just like you see in the example above.
So, the list of 53 Swahili proverbs are NOT translations of Spanish nor English proverbs. They are Swahili proverbs that convey the same meaning as the other 6 languages.
You will see a literal English translation below each Swahili proverb on the full list of 53. The same is true for Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Hindi.
Full List of 53 Proverbs in 7 Languages
The Universality Index
The striking conclusion of the Proverbs Project is that every proverb on our list of 53 randomly selcted Spanish proverbs has an equivalent in all of the other 6 languages:
English / Russian / Chinese / Arabic / Hindi / Swahili (Total number of proverbs = 392)
Click here to see: Full List of Proverbs
To measure how close the seven versions of a proverb are, we have developed a
Universality Index.
The Universality IndexAra: ﺔَﺘِﺑﺎﺛ ُ ﺔَﺜِﻟﺎﺜﻟا
The third is certain
100% coincidence in the use of professions (blacksmith / shoemaker / street vendor /
barber / weaver)
43% coincidence in shoemaker (Spanish / Russian / Hindi)
Proverb #44: In the house of the blacksmith, wooden spoon
Let’s use the following example below to explain what we mean by universality.
Proverb #44 expresses the idea that quite often people don’t apply in their personal
life things they know or do well.
Spanish: En casa del herrero, cuchillo de palo
Hindi: कबीरा ख़ार-जा, चप्पल छूर.
Swahili: Kinyozi hajinyoi.
Chinese: 卖盐老婆喝淡汤
Russian: Сапожник без сапог.
Arabic: الإسكافي حافي وباب النَجَّار مَخْلوع
Shared Wisdom: Familiarity breeds complacency.
Percentage represents common usage of key words
Professions, several - 100% coincidence (7 of 7 languages)
Shoemaker - 43% coincidence (3 of 7 languages)
UNIVERSAL PROVERB = 100% use of a key word
What we want to do
To create a community of collaborators around the world
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!
Learn more about how the multiple ways you can collaborate and contribute to the Proverbs Project