Content

Introduction……………………………………………………………………......3

Chapter 1 Phraseology as branch of linguistics

1.1 Etymology of English Proverbs….………………………………………...…..5

1.2 Proverbs in the English language.……………………………………………...9
1.3 Proverbs in the Kyrgyz language……………………………………………...11
1.4 Educational role of proverbs in the Kyrgyz and English languages…………..13

Chapter 2 Comparative analysis of proverbs with “truth” component in English and

Kyrgyz

2.1 Proverbs with component “Truth” in English………………………………..16

2.2 Proverbs with component “Truth” in Kyrgyz………………………………..20

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..23

Bibliography……………………………………………………………………...24

2
Introduction
A proverb is a brief, simple, and popular saying, or a phrase that gives advice and
effectively embodies a commonplace truth based on practical experience or
common sense. A proverb may have an allegorical message behind its odd
appearance. The reason of popularity is due to its usage in spoken language, as
well as in folk literature.

People use proverbs in everyday life. And also proverbs are very popular among
the literature and lyric poetry.

Proverbs play very important role in different types of literary works. 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.

And every language has its own proverbs, very specific to its culture, tradition and
history. But the one thing is common between proverbs of different languages, it is
the function that they serve and the aim for that they were created by wise men.

The aim of this course paper is to compare proverbs with “Truth” component in
the English and Kyrgyz languages.

The tasks are:

1. To determine the etymology of English proverbs

2. To describe the proverbs in English and Kyrgyz
3. To identify the educational role of proverbs in the English and Kyrgyz
languages
4. To compare proverbs in English and Kyrgyz

Topicality of the work is that proverbs are of great importance in the study of any
language (in particular, English and Kyrgyz). Proverbs carry the foundation of folk
philosophy. They are ethnographic delight, verbal pearls and the decorators of the
speech. The great writer Maxim Gorky advised writers to learn the conciseness and
expressiveness of proverbial language. The figurative form of expression of the
proverb’s idea makes up their distinctive feature and gives them poetic character.
Verbal expression in proverbs is distinguished by a special measured repository
and harmony of words.
3
Theoretical value of the study is seen, first of all, in the possibility of applying the
development theoretical apparatus and research methodology to other categories
and constructions of the language (especially of a folkloric nature), which also
have a metalanguage aspect and the pragmatic-cultural dimension associated with
it. Another theoretical point is that opens up further research prospects, the
elucidation of the mechanisms and conditions for the transformation of produced
speech formations into reproducible (clashed) language units.

Proverbs themselves, of course, even if they might be regarded as a folk epigram,

are not really literature, since they belong to the province of oral tradition.
However, proverbs bear an especially intimate relationship with written epigrams.

An exemplary scholar of the use of proverbs in literature is Frank de Caro, who has
subtly examined E.M. Forster’s 1924 novel “Passage to India”, Graham Green’s
1940 novel “The Power and the Glory”, and each of four short stories: Katherine
Mansfield’s “Bliss” (1918), Ruth Suckow’s “A start in life” (1924), J.F. Power’s
“The Valiant Woman” (1947), and Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to
Find”.

Concerning the works of Kyrgyz writers that widely used proverbs in their works,
the literary tradition of Kyrgyzstan for a long time mainly included works
transmitted orally, and they were recorded only in the 19-20 centuries. The most
famous works were composed by poets, akyns, who often read their works to
musical accompaniment. Written form of literature came by the Soviet Union.
During this period of time Kyrgyz language got its current alphabet (before it was
Arabic alphabet). Also at this time poets and writers Aaly Tokombaev and Alykul
Osmonov worked. A.Osmonov has translated a lot of famous works (including
Shakespeare and Pushkin) into Kyrgyz, and also wrote poems that helped to the
transition of oral poetry to the written form. Tokombaev wrote poems about
injustice to Kyrgyzstan under the Soviet regime. And , the fact is that , these
authors used proverbs in their every single works.

Practical value of the study lies in the possibility of using its results in the process
of learning the native (Kyrgyz) and foreign (English) languages, in extracurricular
activities. In particular, at proverbial philological seminars, at the stylistics and
lexicology lessons, etc.

Novelty of the work consists, primarily, in the fact that, it is, for the first time,
systematically analyzed the pragmatic functions of proverbs. Based on our
observations, little research has been done in this area. We attempted to do a

4
comparative analysis in these two languages (English and Kyrgyz), which, from
our point of view, are of great linguistic interest.

Chapter 1 Phraseology as branch of linguistics

1.1 Etymology of English Proverbs

The lexicology of a language is enriched not only by words but also by word-
equivalents (I. Arnold) or phraseological units. Phraseological units are word-
groups that cannot be made in the process of speech; they exist in the language as
ready-made units. They are compiled in special dictionaries. The same as words
phraseological units express a single notion and are used in a sentence as one part
of it. The lexicographers call such units as "idioms".

Phraseological units can be classified:

a) according to the ways they are formed;

b) according to the degree of the motivation of their meaning;

c) according to their structure and according to their part-of-speech meaning

A.V. Koonin claims that phraseology has to be an independent linguistic science

and not as a part of lexicology. In lexicology there is great ambiguity of the terms
phraseology and idioms. Opinions differ as to how phraseology should be defined,
classified, described and analyzed. The word "phraseology" has very different
meanings in this country and in Great Britain or the United States. In linguistic
literature the term is used for the expressions where the meaning of one element is
dependent on the other, irrespective of the structure and properties of the unit with
other authors it denotes only such set expressions which do not possess
expressiveness or emotional coloring, and also vice versa: only those that are
imaginative, expressive and emotional. N.N. Amosova calls those expressions as
fixed context units, i.e. units in which it is impossible to substitute any of the
components without changing the meaning not only of the whole unit but also of
the elements that remain intact. In English and American linguistics, the situation
is very different. No special branch of study exists, and the term "phraseology" is a
stylistic one meaning, according to Webster's dictionary, "mode of expression,
peculiarities of diction, i.e. choice and arrangement of words and phrases
characteristic of some author or some literary work". The word "phrase" is no less
polysemantic. The term "set expression" is on the contrary more definite and self-
explanatory, because the first element points out the most important characteristic
5
of these units, namely, their stability, their fixed and ready-made nature. The word
"expression" suits our purpose, because it is a general term including words,
groups of words and sentences, so that both ups and downs and that's a horse of
another color are expressions. That is why in the present chapter we shall use this
term in preference to all the others. The most salient semantic feature of a pure or
semi-idiom is its semantic unity. The non-literal idiomatic meaning is opposed to
the literal meaning of a free word-combination. Reproducibility is regular use of
phraseological units in speech as single unchangeable collocations. Idiomaticity is
the feature of phraseological unit, when the meaning of the whole is not deducible
from the sum of the meanings of the parts. The term idiomaticity is also understood
as lack of motivation from the point of view of native speakers. Criteria of stability
(idiomaticity) fined as non-motivated word-groups that cannot be freely made up
in speech but are reproduced as ready-made units. This definition proceeds from
the assumption that the essential features of phraseological units are stability of the
lexical components and lack of motivation. It is consequently assumed that unlike
components of free word-groups, which may vary according to the needs of
communication, member-words of phraseological units are always reproduced as
single unchangeable collocations. The information is additive and each element has
a much greater semantic independence. Each component may be substituted
without affecting the meaning of the other: cut bread, cut cheese, and eat bread.
Information is additive in the sense that the amount of information we had on
receiving the first signal, i.e. having heard or read the word cut is increased, the
listener obtains further details and learns what is cut. The reference of cut is
unchanged. No substitution for either cut or figure can be made without completely
ruining the following: I had an uneasy fear that he might cut a poor figure beside
all these clever Russian officers (Shaw). He was not managing to cut much of a
figure (Murdoch).

Origin and sources of English proverbs are very diverse and are determined by the
peculiarities of the historical dynamics of the English language, national specificity
of British culture and the results of its contacts with other cultures in the world.
According to its origin, English proverbs (as in any other European language) are
traditionally divided into native and borrowed (mainly from Latin and French).
The main sources of origin of English proverbs are well known: folklore, the Holy
Scripture, literature (especially the works by William Shakespeare) (Zimovets,
Matveeva, 2013: p27–29). However, a number of important questions remain
unclear: the languages the proverbs were borrowed from, the texts that served as
the sources of the proverbs, the functional, stylistic and genre variety of literary
sources of proverbs, the authors who introduced many proverbs into English, etc.
6
The problem of distinguishing the etymological and functional approaches to
determinine the origin and source of proverbs wasn’t solved. This fact creates very
serious difficulties in description of English paremiological units, as well as their
comparison with the proverbs of other languages, especially in the aspect of the
opposition «national vs. universal», which is one of the most significant problems
of today’s paremiology. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify the
rankings (based on the proportion of paremiological units) of languages of origin,
personal, functional and stylistic and genre affiliation with textual sources of
English proverbs. The actual data for study were 800 proverbs that are most
commonly used in the modern English language, according to the explanatory
dictionary «English Proverbs Explained» (1969) R. Rideout and C. Witting
(Rideout, Witting, 1969).

In determining the origin and textual sources of proverbs we strictly follow the
etymological approach, taking into account that many modern native English
speakers may not know who it belongs to or to what literary text the proverb
originated from. However, basing on the knowledge of native speakers (functional
approach) only, it is very difficult characterize accurately the source of origin of
the proverb. First, this knowledge differs significantly among different speakers,
and second, to identify this knowledge it is required to hold the mass experiment,
aimed to precise determination of the presence / absence in linguistic
consciousness of the individual of the local association with the source of each
proverb (author, text and so on), which is practically impossible. The exact origin
of proverbs can’t be always determined by special etymological analysis because
of their predominantly verbal existence in speech, ancient origin of single proverbs
and a number of productive proverb models and extralinguistic factors of
paremiological borrowings. In this regard, the empirical material for the etymology
of proverbs are mainly its written fixation, as well as the results of comparison of
paremiological units of different languages and / or dialects. It should be noted that
the written fixation of a proverb cannot be the only sufficient basis to determine its
origin and history. So, the proverb Call a spade a spade functions widely in modern
English from the beginning of the twentieth century, according to R. Rideout and
C. Witting, who refer to its use in the novel «The Card» (1911) by Arnold Bennett
(Rideout, Witting, 1969: 67). It is possible to conclude that it has a relatively recent
origin, especially as it occurs in the same form and the same meaning in the
famous novel «The picture of Dorian Grey» (1890) by Oscar Wilde. However, this
proverb was also used in the commentary to the Bible «Mellificium theologicum,
or the marrow of many good authors» (1647) by John Trapp (cf .: Gods people
shall not spare to call a spade a spade, a niggard a niggard), so that this fact
7
significantly increases the history of the proverb, but it also may indicate its
literary origin, since it has not been previously recorded. Nevertheless, we can not
say that Trapp was the first to use this proverb, that he didn’t borrow it from an
unknown text of another author, or borrowed it directly from the oral speech. For
example, we find a similar saying in the play «The Poetaster» (1601) by Ben
Johnson: Ramp up my genius, be not retrograde; But boldly nominate a spade a
spade (act 5, sc. 1). There is also a version according to which the origin of this
proverb originates from classical Greek (“Apophthegmata Laconica” by Plutarch,
178B). It was a mistaken translation of Ancient Greek phrase τὰ σῦκα σῦκα, τὴν
σκάφην δὲ σκάφην ὀνομάσων (‘calling figs figs, and a trough a trough’) by the
medieval scholar Desiderius Erasmus. He mistranslated the word σκάφη (skáphē –
in English trough) as σκαφείον (skapheíon – in English digging tool). The phrase
was introduced to English in 1542 in Nicolas Udall‘s translation of Erasmus
“Apophthegmes, that is to saie, prompte saiynges. First gathered by Erasmus”:
Philippus aunswered, that the Macedonians wer feloes of no fyne witte in their
termes but altogether grosse, clubbyshe, and rusticall, as they whiche had not the
witte to calle a spade by any other name then a spade. It is evident that the word
spade refers to the instrument used to move earth, a very common tool. The same
word was used in England, Denmark, and in the Netherlands, Erasmus’ country of
origin. If we look for it in the paremiological funds of other languages, it turns out
that the model of “Call / call whom / what by their right names” (and converse
model with the same semantics «Do not call / Do not call whom / what by their
right names) is productive in proverbs of various European languages, including
the Russian language, cf .: Fr. Appeler un chat un chat; Gr. Die Dinge beim rechten
Namen nennen; Sp. Llamar al pan, pan y al vino, vino; Рус. Называть вещи
своими именами, Зови / Называй белое белым / черное черным and so on. This
paremiological model is not only international, but also has a very ancient origin (it
was widely used in ancient China, ancient Greece in philosophical debates about
the relationship of names and things). Thus, cross-language comparison proves
folk, not literary origin of the proverb Call a spade a spade. When we were
analysing contemporary English proverbs from the etymological point of view, we
primarily relied on wide comparison of paremiological funds of European and a
number of non-European languages (Permiakov, 1988: pp. 143–169; Gluski, 1971;
Mieder, 1986; Strauss, 1994; Paczolay, 1997; Ley, 1998; Kotova, 2000; Ivanow,
2009) and we also used all available data on written fixation of proverbs
(Browning, 1989; Knowles, 2009; Simpson, 1998). We chose the most ancient
sources of proverbs (their written fixation) as an empirical basis for the
identification and quantitative classification of their origin. In many cases, the
history and etymology of modern English proverbs supplemented with new data.
8
The etymological analysis of the most common paremiological units of modern
English established that there are 61.5 % native English proverbs of among them
(including 2.5 % in American English) and 38.5 % borrowed from other languages.
Borrowed proverbs can be differentiated into three groups – from classical
European languages (26 %), from modern European languages (11.5 %), from
non-European languages (0.5 %). Of the two classical languages, the Latin
language quantitatively dominated (20 % of the units), as it was the intermediate
language of the majority of borrowings from the Greek language (6 %). Modern
European languages as the origins of English proverbs can be divided into two
nonequilibrium groups – Languages of the United Kingdom (2 %) and the
languages of continental Europe (9.5 % units). The first group of languages
includes Scottish (1.5 %) and Irish (0.5 %), the second – French (7 %), German
(0.5 %), Spanish (0.5 %) and Italian (1, 5 %). Chinese and Persian (0.25 % and
0.25 % of the units respectively) belong to the group of non-European languages.
The origin of a number of borrowed proverbs (0.5 %) could not be properly
determined

1.2 Proverbs in English language

This is a list of popular English proverbs. Proverbs are also known as sayings.
Proverbs give some form of life advice. Every language and culture has them, and
many proverbs exist in more than one language. It is important not to miss any of
the words in most proverbs because the meaning can be lost if even one word is
changed or left out. This list of English proverbs includes definitions and
examples, and is meant to improve English vocabulary and English cultural
knowledge

1 Proverb: Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Meaning: Being away from someone or something for a period of time
makes you appreciate that person or thing more when you see
them or it again
Example: “I used to hate going to my aunt’s house, but now I kind of
miss it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

2 Proverb: Actions speak louder than words.

Meaning: What you do is more important than what you say
Example: “Don’t just tell me you’re going to change. Do it! Actions
speak louder than words.”

9
3 Proverb: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
Meaning: You must begin something if you hope to finish it; something
that takes a long time to finish begins with one step
Example: “If you want to lose weight, you need to stop eating junk, and
you need to start exercising. Today. Not tomorrow. A journey
of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

4 Proverb: All good things must come to an end

Meaning: Everything ends; good times don’t last forever
Example: “I wish this vacation would go on forever. It’s too bad that all
good things must come to an end.”

5 Proverb: A picture is worth a thousand words

Meaning: An image can tell a story better than words
Example: “I wasn’t sure that he loved her, but then I saw them hugging at
the airport. A picture is worth a thousand words.”

6 Proverb: A watched pot never boils

Meaning: If something takes time to do, it doesn’t help to constantly
check on it. You just have to give it time.
Example: “I know you think he’s going to be a great guitar player one
day, but stop criticizing him so much. He just started taking
lessons two weeks ago! A watched pot never boils.”

7 Proverb: Beggars can’t be choosers

Meaning: If you’re in a bad situation and someone offers to help you, you
have to take whatever they give you and shouldn’t ask for more
Example: “I was unemployed, and they offered me a job cleaning prison
toilets. I didn’t like the job, but I accepted it. Beggars can’t be
choosers.”

8 Proverb: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Meaning: What is “beautiful” is different for each person
Example: “I think their house is ugly, but they seem to like it. Beauty is
in the eye of the beholder.”

9 Proverb: Better late than never

Meaning: It’s better to finish something late than to never do it at all
10
 Example: “Hello, Mr. Jameson. Here is my final essay. Better late than
never, right?”

10 Proverb: Birds of a feather flock together

Meaning: People who are similar spend time together
Example: “I think we all started hanging out because we all liked anime.
Birds of a feather flock together.”

11 Proverb: Cleanliness is next to godliness

Meaning: It’s good to be clean. God is clean, and you should be too.
Example: “Go take a shower before your date. You know what they say;
cleanliness is next to godliness.”

12 Proverb: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

Meaning: Don’t make someone angry or hurt someone who is helping
you or paying for you
Example: “You had a fight with your boss? Are you stupid? Don’t bite
the hand that feeds you.”

13 Proverb: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Meaning: Don’t expect a positive result before you actually see it
Example: A: “This idea is going to make me millions of dollars!” B:
“Whoa. Let’s slow down. Don’t count your chickens before
they hatch.”

1.3 Proverbs in Kyrgyz language

Proverbs of Kyrgyz language have the same functions as the proverbs of any other
language. The educational role of the saying and proverbs is obvious. In addition,
proverbs serve as an example for people. Proverbs of my mother tongue, Kyrgyz
language, are the purl that is left us from our ancestors. They have a great print of
history on them, and their meaning is very deep.

1 Proverb: Агасын коруп ини осот, эжесин коруп синди осот.

Meaning: Our elder siblings are usually example for us. And it is not a
secret that children try to copy their sisters and brother. That is
why we have to be a good example for our siblings
Example: Look at this boy. He is so rude, as his brother is. No wonder
people say “Агасын коруп ини осот, эжесин коруп синди
осот”

11
2 Proverb: Адам корку адеп
Meaning: Knowledge makes people better. And the inner beauty (your
knowledge, experiences, your wise thoughts) is more important
that our appearance.
Example: Sonya is very clever girl. There is always an interesting topics
to talk with her. The saying “Адам корку адеп” is about her.

3 Proverb: Адамды бузган- байлык менен бийлик

Meaning: There are two things that spoil a man- wealth and power
Example: To my mind Richard was really good boy before, when he was
a poor man. But now, he is rich and selfish. That’s true that
“Адамды бузган- байлык менен бийлик”

4 Proverb: Агын сууда арам жок

Meaning: Running water is not unclean

5 Proverb: Адам болуу аста-аста, акмак болуу бир паста

Meaning: It is really hard to become a good man, but to become a bad
man is easy as a pie.
Example: Look, my son, “Адам болуу аста-аста, акмак болуу бир
паста”! You have to work on your bad behaviors every single
day.

6 Proverb: Адамдан акыл качып кутулбайт

Meaning: If you really want to learn something, you will do it in any
condition.
Example: Why are you wasting your time? You have prepare to your
exams
But I have no material to read and prepare
“Адамдан акыл качып кутулбайт”, the only thing you need
is desire to study!

12
1.4 Educational role of proverbs in the Kyrgyz and English languages

There is a widespread opinion that the proverb plays an important role in language
teaching as a part of gaining cultural knowledge, metaphorical understanding and
communicative competence.

Proverbs are a part of every language as well as every culture. Proverbs have been
used to spread knowledge, wisdom and truths about life from ancient times up until
now. They have been considered an important part of the fostering of children, as
they signal moral values and exhort common behaviour. Proverbs belong to the
traditional verbal folklore genres and the wisdom of proverbs has been guidance
for people worldwide in their social interaction throughout the ages. Proverbs are
concise, easy to remember and useful in every situation in life due to their content
of everyday experiences.

Here there is the general description of the proverb: “A proverb is a short,

generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and
traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorizable form and which is
handed down from generation to generation.”

According to the paroemiologist Wolfgang Mieder (2004), proverbs have been

used and should be used in teaching as didactic tools because of their content of
educational wisdom. When it comes to foreign language learning, proverbs play a
role in the teaching as a part of cultural and metaphorical learning. Linguists also
claim that the use of proverbs in the teaching of English as a second or foreign
language is important for the learners’ ability to communicate effectively.

The use of proverbs and its declining in the teaching of modern languages has long
been discussed.

Durbin Rowland (1926) points at some arguments pro the use of proverbs in
language teaching. Rowland says that proverbs “stick in the mind”, “build up
vocabulary”, “illustrate admirably the phraseology and idiomatic expressions of
the foreign tongue”, “contribute gradually to a surer feeling for the foreign tongue”
and proverbs “consume very little time”.

It was also said that proverbs are not only melodic and witty, possessed with
rhythm and imagery; proverbs also reflect “patterns of thought”. As proverbs are
universal, there are analogous proverbs in different nations that have related

13
cultural patterns. Proverbs are therefore useful in the students’ discussions of
cultural ideas when they compare the proverbs’ equivalents in different languages.

But as the experience shows the incorporation of proverbs in the foreign language
classroom is rare. When proverbs are included, they are often used as timefillers
and not integrated into a context. The proverbs that are used are often randomly
picked from dictionaries, which often include archaic proverbs and new proverbs
might therefore be missed. The suitability of proverbs in teaching is due to their
form; they are pithy and easy to learn, they often rhyme and contain repetition
figures like alliteration and assonance.

Some scholars propose the use of proverbs in a range of areas within language
teaching: grammar and syntax, phonetics, vocabulary development, culture,
reading, speaking and writing. They state that proverbs, besides being an important
part of culture, also are an important tool for effective communication and for the
comprehension of different spoken and written discourses.

The person who does not acquire competence in using proverbs will be limited in
conversation, will have difficulty comprehending a wide variety of printed matter,

radio, television, songs etc., and will not understand proverb parodies which
presuppose a familiarity with a stock proverb.

It is considered that both the structure and the content of proverbs are useful in
ESL teaching especially when it comes to teaching and understanding of culture, as
proverbs conveys the values and metaphors shared by a culture. Proverbs are also
useful in teaching the differences between spoken and written language, something
that often confuses language learners; they use conversational style when they
write. Proverbs are one way to help the students to clarify the distinction between
oral and written English.

One of the scholars compares the content of proverbs, which includes the
metaphors contained in them, to “a microcosm of what it means to know a second
language”. He points out that proverbial competence both requires knowledge of
the linguistic structure of a target language (i.e. morphology, syntax, lexicon,
pronunciation, and semantics) and of the rules and regulations that are necessary to
be able to use a proverb accurately.

His conclusion is that the processing of proverbial language involves all the
functions of both the right and the left hemisphere of the brain. The function of the
left hemisphere is to interpret the incoming linguistic data, i.e. text, while the right
hemisphere supports the understanding of context. Due to the metaphorical content
14
of a proverb, the function of the right hemisphere is to create a literal meaning with
the help of the contextual features in which the proverb is used, while the left
hemisphere processes the linguistic structure of the proverb. Proverbs therefore
serve an important purpose in the second-language classroom.

Proverbs change with time and culture. Some old proverbs are not in use any
longer because they reflect a culture that no longer exists, e.g. Let the cobbler stick
to his last, which has vanished more or less, because the profession of the cobbler
nowadays is rare. However, new proverbs that reflect the contemporary society are
created instead, e.g. Garbage in, garbage out, a proverb created due to our
computerised time. Old proverbs are also used as so called anti-proverbs today, i.e.
“parodied, twisted, or fractured proverbs that reveal humorous or satirical speech
play with traditional proverbial wisdom”. One example is Nobody is perfect, which
as an anti-proverb is changed to Nobody is perfect.

Work with proverbs and sayings at the lessons not only helps to diversify
educational process and to make its brighter and interesting. Moreover, it helps to
solve a number of very important educational problems: proverbs in the classroom
can improve students’ learning experiences, their language skills, and their
understanding of themselves and the world. This happens because:

• Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to be knowledgeable experts as

well as learners.
• Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to learn about each other and
their shared values.
• Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to gain insight as they discuss
their experiences and work out their understanding of proverb meanings.
• Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to use their home culture as a
stepping stone into school culture.
• Proverbs provide an opportunity to improve thinking and writing as students
both provide and receive information.

15
Chapter 2 Comparative analysis of proverbs with “truth”
component in English and Kyrgyz
2.1 Proverbs with component “Truth” in English

be honest, be open, be
frank, come clean, be
straight, talk straight,
speak the truth, give
the true story

falsehood,
falsness, falsity,
ignorencefallacy

facts, true,
predicate,
reasoning,
belief

Thruth

16
“A speaker of truth has no friends” (African proverb)

The truth sometimes maybe not so pleasant, and people don’t like those who
always say the truth.

Example:

X: John is really frank man, he always says the truth

Y: But nobody likes him. I think he is stubborn and annoying.

X: Hmm, to my mind, it’s true that “A speaker of truth has no friends”

“Love truth even if it hurts you, and hate lies even if they help you” (African
proverb)

Man has to try to tell the truth always, and to take the truth as well. Sometimes a
lie can be more pleasant than the ugly truth, but anyway, it is better to live with the
truth.

“A lie has many variations, the truth none”

There can be a lot of variants of lie, but the truth is unique.

“Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it”

It is more sufficient when you’ve tried a lot to find out the truth. You will learn a
lesson, from your journey in finding the truth.

X: Oh, Marcus, I am so nervous. I have spent a lot of time to find out the truth!

Y: Calm down, Aizat, “Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it”

“Appearances can be deceptive.”

Outward appearance may not be what you believe them to be.

Example:

X: He was well-mannered, suave, and good to talk to, but he turned out to be a
cheater.

Y: Well, appearances can be deceptive.

“All that glitters is not gold”.

Things that look good outwardly may not be as valuable or good.

17
Example:

X: I want to be a movie star when I grow up.

Y: Film industry looks good from the distance, but it has its own problems.
Remember, all that glitters is not gold.

“Among the blind the one-eyed man is king.”

An incapable person can gain powerful position if others in the fray are even more
incapable.

Example: Despite his obvious lack of exposure and skills, he became head of the
department because he is one-eyed among the blind.

“Honesty is the best policy”.

It’s always better to be truthful and honest, even if the opposite may get you the
benefits.

Example: I think you should just explain what happened, rather than trying to
cover your tracks. Honesty is the best policy, after all.

“It’s never too late to mend.”

It’s never too late to change your wrong ways or habits.

Example:

X: I still miss my best friend, but it’s been a year since our fight and we haven’t
spoken to each other since.

Y: Well, it’s never too late to mend; why don’t you call him up and apologize?

“Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open”.

Speak only when necessary and remain alert and observant at all times.

Example: We’re in a hostile territory. So, to avoid problems, keep your mouth shut
and your eyes open.

“Out of sight, out of mind”.

If someone or something is not seen for a long time, it’ll be forgotten.

18
Example: Many celebrities find a way to appear in media because they know that
out of sight is out of mind.

“The end justifies the means”.

A desired result is so important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be
used to achieve it.

Example: He’s campaigning with illegal funds on the theory that if he wins the
election the end will justify the means.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right”.

You shouldn’t harm a person who has harmed you, even if you think that person
deserves it.

Example: Just because he insulted you doesn’t mean it’s OK for you to start a
rumor about him – two wrongs don’t make a right.

“What goes around comes around”.

If someone treats other people badly, he or she will eventually be treated badly by
someone else.

Example: He tormented me back in high school, and now he has his own bully.
What goes around comes around.

“You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.

It’s easier to win people to your side by persuasion and politeness than by
confrontation and threats.

Example:

X: The courier service has taken more time to deliver than they had promised. I
want to take the issue up with them and get a refund.

Y: I would suggest you deal with them politely. You can catch more flies with
honey than with vinegar.

“Truth will out”

The truth will become known eventually.

Example:

From Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, 1596:

19
Launcelot: Nay, indeed, if you had your eyes, you might fail of

the knowing me: it is a wise father that knows his

own child. Well, old man, I will tell you news of

your son: give me your blessing: truth will come

to light; murder cannot be hid long; a man's son

may, but at the length truth will out.

“There's one law for the rich and another law for the poor”

This proverbial saying express the opinion that the poor are treated harshly by the
law whereas the rich, with their access to clever lawyers and bribes, usually escape
punishment.

2.2 Proverbs with component “Truth” in Kyrgyz

чыркыраткан
чындык, ачуу
чындык, таттуу калп,
чындык акыры
ачыка чыгат

калп, алдам,
адилетсиздик,
азатсыздык,
жалган

калп эмес, азаттык,

туура соз, адал соз,
адилеттулук,
калыстык

чындык

20
Чындык- тууралык , жалган эместик, кандайдыр бир создун, окуянын ж.б.
туурасы, чыны, акыйкат, болгон натыйжа.

Жылдызкан бул иштин чындыгын он беш кун откондон кийин билди

(Байтемиров).

Жумушчу адам ар дайым иштин тууралыгын, чындыгын суйот (Жантошев).

Сураган суроого чындыкты айтып жооп бер (Жантошев).

Чындык деп ооруп калган адамдарга, чырактай акыр бир жангылачы

(Абдалова).

Чындыгында- чынында, туурасы, чынын айтканда, туурасын айтканда.

Чындыгында да жагдайы начар болуучу.

Чынчыл- чындыкты суйлогон, чындыкты суйгон, калп айтпаган.

Булар журогу орт чынчыл пионерлер эмеспи (Бейшеналиев)ю

Чынчыл адамга жугун. (макал)

Proverbs with component “чындык”:

Чын айтып залал тап- акыры жетерсин муратка, калп айтып, пайда тап-
акырында калаарсын уятка.

You have to tell the truth all the time, even if it hurts you. At the end you will gain
dignity. And you can lie for your own pleasure, but at the end you will become a
laughing stock.

Чындап ыйласа, сокур коздон жаш чыгат.

The truth can make a blind man cry.

Чындык жерде калбайт.

The truth will not remain unnecessary.

Чындык кудайдан кучтуу.

The truth is stronger than God

Чындык кундон жарык.

Truth is brighter than the sun.

21
Чындык- сегиз, бакыт- эгиз.

Everybody has one’s truth, but happiness is one for two.

Чындык создун душманы коп.

Truth has many enemies. The English proverb“A speaker of truth has no friends”
can be its equivalent.

Чындыкты жарадар кылууга болот, бирок аны олтуро албайсын.

The truth can be distorted, but not destroyed.

Чындыктын куюшканы кабат.

Чындыкты танууга болбойт, достукту чанууга болбойт.

Truth can not be recognized, and friend can not be betrayed.

Чындык чычалатат.

Truth can tease you

Чын жакшыга жолуксан, суу ордуна бал берер, чын баатырга жолуксан, сен
учун ал жан берер.

If you meet a really good person, he will give you honey instead of water. And if
you meet a real hero, he will give his life for you.

Чынчыл адамга жугун.

Worship a person who tells the truth

Чыныгы акындын тулку бою ыр, чыныгы дыйкандын тулку бою нур.

Чыныгы дос уялаштан атрык (же тууганга тен).

A real poet has a song in his heart, a real farmer has a ray of sun in his heart

Чынын айткан киши ак.

A man who speaks the truth is pure

22
Conclusion
Proverbs and sayings are a part of the culture of a people and always have been and remain
relevant, despite the development of economy and technology, progress. Culture is the most
important aspect in intercultural communication. Eventually, a new linguistic concept as lingua
cultural studies emerged, which gives explanations to this or that cultural feature of the language.
At any time, proverbs and sayings will be characteristic of a people and the object of attention
and research:

1. Some English proverbs:

a) fully correspond to the Kyrgyz

b) partially translated equally into Kyrgyz

c) which are completely different interpretations into the Kyrgyz language.

2. Proverbs and sayings in English are rather difficult to translate into other languages

3. Analysis of the collected materials which I have been researching showed that some
proverbial education, traditionally presented in dictionaries and references as variants of larger
units, are in fact, independent.

4. Proverbs and sayings develop creativity, enrich students' vocabulary, help them to learn the
structure of the language, and to develop memory and the emotional expressiveness of speech

Thus, proverbs and sayings are multifunctional tools for teaching English. Their lexical and
grammatical fullness allows the teacher to use them not only to explain and enhance many
grammatical phenomena and enrich vocabulary, but also for the development of language skills.
Using well-known proverbs and sayings greatly facilitates communication, helps to overcome
the language barrier and reach a new level of cross-cultural communication by addressing the
problems of understanding without explanation, namely to form communicative competence.

23
Bibliography

Mieder, W. (2004). Proverbs: A handbook. London: Greenwood Press.

Dahl, V.I. (2003). Russian proverbs. – Moscow: Eksimo Press.

Egan, R. & Whiting, R. (1924). The grass is always greener in the other fellow’s yard. Retrieved
from http://www.mudcat.org.

Harmer, J. (1991). The practice of English language teaching. New York: Longman.

Mollanazar, H. (2001). Principles and methodology of translation. Tehran: SAMT.

Norrick, N.R. (1985). How proverbs mean? Semantic studies in English proverbs. Amsterdam:
Mouton.

Browning, D.C. Everyman Dictionary of quotations and proverbs. London: Chancellor Press,

1989. 745 p.

Gluski, J. Proverbs: A Comparative Book of English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and

Russian Proverbs with a Latin Appendix. New York: Elsevier Publishing, 1971. 486 p.

Ivanow, Ja. Ja. Anglo-belaruski parjemijalagichny slownik. [English-Belarusian

Paremiological Dictionary]. Magiljow: MDU imja A.A. Kuljashova, 2009. 240 p.

Knowles, E. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 7th ed. USA: Oxford University Press,

2009. 1184 p.

Адабий- корком басмасы «Эл адабияты» сериясы 10 том, макал-лакаптар. Тузгон Жумаш

Койчуманов Ыбырай уулу. Бишкек «Шам» басмасы. 186-190 бет.

Bonk C.J. & Graham C.R., 2005. Handbook of blended learning: Global Perspectives, local

designs, Pfeiffer Publishing.

Bender T., 2003. Discussion-based online teaching to enhance student learning, Stylus

Publishing.

Hockly N. Clandfield L., 2010. Teaching Online: Tools and Techniques, Options and

Opportunities, Delta Publishing.

24