101 American English Proverbs presents in everyday English 101 commonly used proverbs, enabling students to use proverbs appropriately and encouraging cross-cultural understanding.
101 American English Proverbs
Understanding Language and Culture Through Commonly Used Sayings
Proverbs, by stating basic principles of folk wisdom and conduct, have become an essential and enduring part of daily speech in all societies. Very often the precepts of one culture are precepts of another, for they are an outgrowth of common experiences.
Each language has its own proverbs. The phrasing is unique and contributes to the color of the language. But whatever the phraseological turns, many proverbs convey similar meanings in different forms. For example, the Spanish proverb Dime con quien andas y te dire quien ares (“Tell me with whom you associate, and I’ll tell you who you are”) finds an equivalent
in the English proverb A man is known by the company he keeps. The French Jamais deux sans trois (“Never two without three”) corresponds to the English It never rains but it pours.
Proverbs are relatively easy for nonnative speakers to learn and use. Once the concept of the proverb is understood, students can often relate it to similar concepts, in their own languages—whereas correct, natural usage of idioms requires more practice and a better “feel” for the language.
101 American English Proverbs is designed to help students of English understand and use proverbs that relate to everyday situations. The proverbs in this book are grouped in nine thematic sections, in order to facilitate student understanding and acquisition of proverbs for use
in particular contexts. Within each section the proverbs are listed alphabetically.
The proverbs included in 101 American English Proverbs are among those that are most familiar to and most frequently used by native speakers of English. Each proverb is presented in its most common form together with a standard English definition. It must be noted that many of the proverbs have variant forms as well as more than one possible meaning.
Students are unlikely to be troubled by this flexibility if they reflect on its presence in the proverbs of their native languages. The wordings and definitions selected for this book are intended to help students achieve a basic understanding of each proverb.
A cartoon and a short paragraph or dialogue are provided to help illustrate the meaning and usage of each proverb. The paragraphs and dialogues serve two purposes: to give an understanding of the proverb in a normal everyday setting and to enhance the student’s awareness of natural American speech. To this end they include many contemporary
expressions.
These expressions should not deter from the basic comprehension of the proverb.
The illustrations add an element of humor while helping to convey the meaning of each proverb. An index is included to facilitate recall and location of the proverbs. The standard English definitions for the proverbs are also listed in the index.
101 American English Proverbs is an excellent tool for teaching an aspect of English that is such an integral part of the language. This book also serves as a springboard for conversation about some of the similarities and differences between various languages and cultures. Both nonnative and native speakers of English will benefit from and enjoy the wealth of linguistic and cultural information to be found in this selection of 101 American English proverbs.
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