Space in English proverbs

Proverbs have always been the significant part of human’s life. They help us to get the insight into folk heritage and culture. Proverbs can be characterized as the mirror of the culture, because they keep knowledge about the world and about a person in that world. Everything that is hidden inside a proverb creates the proverbial outlook of the world.

Proverbs fulfill the human need to summarize experiences and observations into the nuggets of wisdom that provide ready-made comments on personal relationships and social affairs. There are proverbs for every imaginable context, and they are thus as contradictory as life itself .1

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was the first who depicted the proverbial outlook of the world in his well-known painting «Netherlandish Proverbs». Proverbs were very popular in Bruegel's time, they often were compiled together in big collections. As for the painting itself, it comprised more than 100 proverbs and idioms; some of them are still in popular use.

Nowadays proverbs can be compared with metaphors, as metaphors are characteristics of the language too. According to George Lakoff, metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in the language but in thought and action .2

Although proverbs representation in paintings or pictures is valuable and important, the majority of researchers still turn to dictionaries because they contain a great deal of significant information. The analysis of the most popular proverb collections and dictionaries lets us know that the first collection was published in 1539 by R. Taverner (Proverbs or adagies with new addicions gathered out of the Chiliades of Erasmus). Between the 16th and the 20th centuries more than 37 editions were published. Most of them were published in London, Oxford and Cambridge. It stands for reason, since these cities are still considered to be the main educational centers not only in the UK but in Europe. Among the authors there are such famous ones as W. Mieder, A. Taylor, A. Henderson, O. Dykes and others. Some of the researchers edited more than one writing, for example G. Torriano (Second alphabet consisting of proverbial phrases (London, 1662); Select Italian Proverbs (Cambridge, 1642)) and B. Whiting (Modern Proverbs and Proverbial Sayings (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1989); Proverbs, Sentences, and Proverbial Phrases from English Writings mainly before 1500 (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1968)).

When analyzing the proverbs it is possible to outline several concepts: family, home, house, time, destiny, space etc. Proverbial space and time have universal and integral character. That’s why such concepts, in our opinion, should be thoroughly researched.

«Space» is a cross functional category which makes the basis of the proverbial outlook of the world. This definition gives an opportunity to reconstruct the special features of human’s being throughout a specific era. The concept claims to fix the coordinates and borders of the proverbial outlook of the world.

According to the Russian researcher Ivanova E. V., English proverbs about «Space» can be divided into several groups. The first group is united under the characteristics of the landscape. Among all characteristics, the «sea» component is mentioned more frequently:

He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea.

He that forecasts all perils, will never sail the sea.

It is hard to sail over the sea in an egg-shell.

The main ideas of such proverbs can be described in simple concepts: «the sea is dangerous», «sailing». The idea of fish living in the sea is represented in such proverbs as:

There are as good fish in the sea, as ever came out of it.

Hatred blasts the crop on the land, envy the fish in the sea.

The «river» component is mentioned in such proverbs as Rivers need a spring, Even a weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea, Fame, like a river, is narrowest at its source and broadens afar off.

The «hill» and «mountain» components have an association with a high position in a society or with difficulties a man needs to overcome:

Great winds blow upon high hills.

The higher the hill, the lower the grass.

He that stays in the valley, shall never get over the hill.

The «field» concept characterizes landscape. However, it can describe a battle or a farm field.

A bad bush is better than the open field.

It’s a hard-fought field, where no man escapes unkilled.

A field requires three things: fair weather, sound seed, and a good husbandman.

The «wood» component also represents the idea of danger, besides it is described as a place where animals and birds live.

He that fears leaves, let him not go into the wood.

Hunger drives the wolf out of the wood.

A servant that is diligent, honest, and good, must sing at his work like a bird in the wood.

In general, «Space» in the English proverbial outlook of the world is poorly described. There is a lack of wholesome and complete descriptions of the landscape in comparison, for example, with the Russian proverbial perception of the world.

As for the other proverbial representations of «Space», the «distance» component plays an important role in the making of this concept. It is verbalised by the corresponding words of «far» and «near».

A near neighbor is better than a far-dwelling kinsman.

Far from court, far from care.

Don’t go near the water until you learn how to swim.

The idea of distance can be expressed by more precise names or collocations and such descriptions of the space in proverbs feature the environment that surrounds humans.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Better a sparrow in the hand, than a pigeon on the roof.

The «world» component of the space is the most common component in proverbial outlook of the world. This component comprises the idea of space with all countries, peoples, natural features on the Earth.

The world is a long journey.

The world is a wide place.

With Latin, a horse, and money you may travel the world.

Next important part of the English proverbial outlook of the world is proverbs about countries and cities, because both these items also describe space. The analysis of such proverbs gives an opportunity to know about any contacts between British people and other nations. Moreover, it helps to represent the comparative analysis of the English and other cultures in order to distinguish their specific features.

The majority of English toponymic proverbs are about parts of the UK and its main cities. The proverbs emphasize the superiority of Great Britain over all countries.

All countries stand in need of Britain, and Britain of none.

With all the world have war, but with England do not jar.

There is more good victuals in England, than in seven other kingdoms.

England is a little garden full of very sour grapes.

There are also several proverbs about London. They describe British capital as an attractive, rich city where people can work and have leisure at the same time.

The streets of London are paved with gold.

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.

London Bridge was made for wise to go over, and fools to go under.

Mainly, the big amount of proverbs contain descriptions of regions specific features: England is the ringing island, Suffolk is the land of churches, Oxford is the home of lost causes, The Isle of Wight has no monks, lawyers, or foxes.

The rest of the proverbs depict European foreign countries:

A man would live in Italy, but he would choose to die in Spain.

Finland is the devil’s country.

The cold is Russia’s cholera.

Learn in Italy, clothe yourself in Germany, flirt in France, banquet in Poland.

He who hasn’t seen Seville, has not seen a wonder.

In conclusion, English proverbs about countries and cities have informative and descriptive functions.

In general, the analysis of English proverbs about «Space» helps to denote special features of the English proverbial outlook of the world. First, the «sea» component is the most common among «landscape» components. Second, the English proverbial «map» is very different and contains lots of proverbs about other countries. Third, proverbs about England denote the specific features of the country.

At present proverbs are in the focus of the research in such fields of science as Folklore Studies, Philology and History. Scientists analyze the use of proverbs during knowledge at different historical periods. Nowadays the usage of proverbs in England is degrading, proverbs and idioms have definitely become a part of history. The majority of people have already lost the connection with history because they often inquire about the meaning of the proverb and its origin. Today people do not consider proverbs untouched and sacrosanct. Proverbs are losing their nature in modern parodies, in communication, in TV-shows, in modern books and in advertising slogans. Gradually they are changing into anti-proverbs.

However, the English proverbs are still the significant key for the understanding of the cultural history of the country. According to W. Mieder, proverbs have been used as teaching tools for centuries to teach moral values and social skills. He claims that there is a specific range of proverbs that deal with such matters as the mind, wisdom, experience, learning, authority, and the teacher.3 Proverbs contain the knowledge about educational wisdom and cultural traditions, they also symbolize the heritage of the English language and culture itself. Undoubtedly, the modern English world is based on the knowledge of the previous generations, therefore proverbs are still considered to be cultural heritage of the British people.