Paremiography
Encyclopedia
Paremiography is the study of the collection and writing of proverb
s. It is a sub-field of paremiology, the study of proverbs.
There are many published collection of proverbs, ranging from ancient Akkadian clay tablet
s to internet sites. Published collections of proverbs are formatted in a variety of ways. Some are simply alphabetized lists, some are arranged by topic (e.g. laziness, respect for elders), others are arranged by key word (e.g. dog, rain). Some are from single languages (e.g. Russian), others are multilingual but from a single country (e.g. Nigeria), others are collections from around the world. Others are collections of anti-proverbs
rather than the more standard proverbs (Reznikov 2009). Some have collected proverbs and sayings of a certain structure, such as wellerisms
(Mieder and Kingsbury). Some collections are a combination of these, such as proverbs about women from around the world (Schipper 2003). Every year, the journal Proverbium
contains a listing of newly published (or newly discovered) collections of proverbs from around the world.
Collecting proverbs in languages with a literate heritage is usually done by looking for examples in the available literature. There are published collections in many languages with long written traditions, Greek, Latin, Russian, French, German, Greek, Chinese, etc. In addition, there are published collections from languages that do not have a long written tradition, such as Temne, Oromo, Bambara, Bassa.
There has been a call for collecting and documenting the proverbs of undocumented languages, especially those that are endangered (Himmelmann 1998), as part of the broader task of language documentation
. However, when scholars collect proverbs from languages without a literate history, it requires different approaches than for languages with a written heritage, such as described by Yankah (1989), Unseth (2008), and Tadesse Jaleta Jirata (2009).
However, the collection and documentation of proverbs even in languages with a literate history is never completely done, new proverbs are constantly being created and old ones fall into disuse. No collection is either totally complete or up to date (Taylor 1969).
Some scholars list the proverbs used by certain authors or speakers, such as Chaucer
, Martin Luther
(Cornette 1997), Abraham Lincoln
(Mieder 2000), and Agatha Christie
(Bryan 1993).
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s. It is a sub-field of paremiology, the study of proverbs.
There are many published collection of proverbs, ranging from ancient Akkadian clay tablet
Clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
s to internet sites. Published collections of proverbs are formatted in a variety of ways. Some are simply alphabetized lists, some are arranged by topic (e.g. laziness, respect for elders), others are arranged by key word (e.g. dog, rain). Some are from single languages (e.g. Russian), others are multilingual but from a single country (e.g. Nigeria), others are collections from around the world. Others are collections of anti-proverbs
Anti-proverb
An anti-proverb is the transformation of a stereotype word sequence – as e. g. a proverb, a quotation, or an idiom – for humorous effect. To have full effect, an anti-proverb must be based on a known proverb...
rather than the more standard proverbs (Reznikov 2009). Some have collected proverbs and sayings of a certain structure, such as wellerisms
Wellerism
Wellerisms, named after Sam Weller in Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers, make fun of established clichés and proverbs by showing that they are wrong in certain situations, often when taken literally. In this sense, wellerisms that include proverbs are a type of anti-proverb...
(Mieder and Kingsbury). Some collections are a combination of these, such as proverbs about women from around the world (Schipper 2003). Every year, the journal Proverbium
Proverbium (journal)
Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship is an academic journal devoted to paremiology, the study of proverbs. It is published annually by the University of Vermont and has been edited by Wolfgang Mieder, professor of German and folklore at the university, since the journal's...
contains a listing of newly published (or newly discovered) collections of proverbs from around the world.
Collecting proverbs in languages with a literate heritage is usually done by looking for examples in the available literature. There are published collections in many languages with long written traditions, Greek, Latin, Russian, French, German, Greek, Chinese, etc. In addition, there are published collections from languages that do not have a long written tradition, such as Temne, Oromo, Bambara, Bassa.
There has been a call for collecting and documenting the proverbs of undocumented languages, especially those that are endangered (Himmelmann 1998), as part of the broader task of language documentation
Language documentation
Language documentation is the process by which a language is documented from a documentary linguistics perspective. It aims to “to provide a comprehensive record of the linguistic practices characteristic of a given speech community”...
. However, when scholars collect proverbs from languages without a literate history, it requires different approaches than for languages with a written heritage, such as described by Yankah (1989), Unseth (2008), and Tadesse Jaleta Jirata (2009).
However, the collection and documentation of proverbs even in languages with a literate history is never completely done, new proverbs are constantly being created and old ones fall into disuse. No collection is either totally complete or up to date (Taylor 1969).
Some scholars list the proverbs used by certain authors or speakers, such as Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
, Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
(Cornette 1997), Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
(Mieder 2000), and Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
(Bryan 1993).
Further reading
- Bryan, George B. 1993. Black Sheep, Red Herrings, and Blue Murder: The Proverbial Agatha Christie. Peter Lang.
- Cornette, James C., Jr. 1997. Proverbs and Proverbial Expressions in the German Works of Martin Luther, edited by Wolfgang Mieder and Dorothee Racett. (Sprichwörterforschung. Bd. 1.) Peter Lang.
- Himmelmann, Nikolaus. 1998. Documentary and descriptive linguistics. Linguistics 36:161-195.
- Mieder, Wolfgang. 2000. The Proverbial Abraham Lincoln. Peter Lang.
- Mieder, Wolfgang and Stewart Kingsbury (eds). 1994. A dictionary of Wellerisms. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Reznikov, Andrey. 2009. Old wine in new bottles: Modern Russian anti-proverbs. (Supplement series of Proverbium, 27.) University of Vermont.
- Tadesse Jaleta Jirata. 2009. A contextual study of the social functions of Guji-Oromo proverbs. Saabruecken: DVM Verlag.
- Schipper, MinekeMineke SchipperMineke Schipper is a Dutch author and researcher best known for her non-fictional studies on women's literature.-Description of the author:...
. 2003. Never marry a woman with big feet: Women in proverbs from around the world. New Haven: Yale University Press. - Taylor, Archer. 1969. How nearly complete are the collections of proverbs? ProverbiumProverbium (journal)Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship is an academic journal devoted to paremiology, the study of proverbs. It is published annually by the University of Vermont and has been edited by Wolfgang Mieder, professor of German and folklore at the university, since the journal's...
no. 14:369-371. - Unseth, Peter. 2008. How to collect 1,000 proverbs quickly: field methods for collecting proverbs. Proverbium 25: 399-418. http://www.gial.edu/GIALens/vol1-1/Unseth-Proverbs-Article.pdf
- Yankah, Kwesi. 1989. Proverbs: problems and strategies in field research. Proverbium 6:165-176.
External links
- Video of Wolfgang MiederWolfgang MiederWolfgang Mieder is professor of German and folklore at the University of Vermont, in Burlington, Vermont, USA. He is a graduate of Olivet College , the University of Michigan , and Michigan State University...
calling for ongoing collecting of proverbs http://videos.sapo.pt/p0KhHHgqf6k3dn8i8wHY