Proverbs

• Proverbs have many names: they can be called axioms, old saws, sayings and adages.

• A proverb is a short, pithy saying that expresses a traditionally held truth or piece of advice, based on common sense or experience.

• Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language, and the element of language that best encapsulates a society's values and beliefs is its proverbs.

In convertation

Proverbs are used in conversation by adults more than children, partially because adults have learned more proverbs than children.

In literature

Many authors have used proverbs in their writings, for a very wide variety of literary genres: epics, novels, poems, short stories.

In drama and film

Similarly to other forms of literature, proverbs have also been used as important units of language in drama and films.

• The most important function of proverbs is to teach and educate the audience.

• They often contain expert advice, with a role for educating the readers on what they may face if they do something.

• Hence, proverbs play a didactic role, as they play a universal role in teaching wisdom and sagacity to the common people.

• Since proverbs are usually metaphorical and indirect, they allow writers to express their messages in a less harsh way.

Asian Proverbs

• "The old horse in the stable still yearns to run" - (this means that those who are older still have things they would like to accomplish.)

• "A spark can start a fire that burns the entire prairie" - (this means that a small problem can snowball into a huge problem that can cause major damage.)

• "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - (this means that teaching people is better in the long run because it gives them the skills to provide for themselves as opposed to you doing things for them.)

American Proverbs

• "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" - (this means that when you separate from someone that you love by putting distance between you that you will inevitably love them more and yearn to see them.)

• "All that glitters is not gold" - (this means that just because something looks good, does not necessarily mean that it is good.)

• "A monkey in silk is a monkey no less" - (this means that just because someone dresses fancy does not necessarily mean that they are fancy or of good character.)

English Proverbs

• Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

• See a pin and pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck; see a pin and let it lie, bad luck you'll have all day.

• It's no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

African Proverbs

• "A tree is known by its fruit" - (of Zulu origin - this means that success is shown by the deeds.)

• "I have been bitten by a tsetse fly" - (of Tanzanian origin - this means that a person will continuously be a pest until you pay off a debt.)

• "The word of friend makes you cry - the word of an enemy makes you laugh" - (of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger - this means that a friend will tell you the truth and sometimes the truth hurts, whereas an enemy will only lead you down the wrong path by giving you advice that seems good but is not.)