The Origins and the Rhetorical Function of English Proverbs 谚语来源及其修辞功能 23页

ContentsAbstractIIIntroduction11.TheOriginsofEnglishProverbs21.1IntroductionofProverbs21.2PopularProverbs41.3LearnedProverbs61.3.1LiteraryClassics61.3.1.1TheBible71.3.1.2Shakespeare’sWorks71.3.1.3OtherLiteraryBooks81.3.1.4FableandNurseryRhyme81.3.2ReligiousLiteratures92.RhetoricalFunctionofEnglishProverbs112.1Contrast122.2Repetition132.3Rhyme142.4Coparison153.MajorUsesofEnglishProverbs183.1ToPersuade193.2ToSpreadExperiences19Conclusion21WorksCited2221 英语谚语的来源及修辞功能摘要：作为一种普遍的语言现象，谚语承载了一个民族的智慧和文化，并在跨文化过程中起到相当重要的作用。本文对英语谚语的起源及其修辞功能进行了探讨。本文第一部分是介绍英语谚语的来源，它主要来源于民间口语，文学作品及宗教文献等。第二部分则是对英语谚语修辞功能的介绍。英语谚语丰富多彩，应用了大量的修辞格。因而第三部分是介绍英语谚语的用法。本文期望通过对英语谚语的研究可以对跨文化交流起到指导和促进的作用，引导人们采取正确的态度对待生活。关键词：英语谚语；来源；修辞功能；修辞格TheOriginsandtheRhetoricalFunctionofEnglishProverbsAbstract:Asacommonlanguagephenomenon,proverbsserveasalanguagecarrierofhuman’swisdomandcultures.Theyplayanimportantroleincross-culturalcommunication.ThisthesiswilldiscussoriginsandtherhetoricalfunctionofEnglishproverbs.Firstly,itintroducestheoriginsofEnglishproverbs.Theyoriginatedfromfolkoral,literaryworksandreligiousliteratures.Secondly,itfocusesontherhetoricalfunctionofEnglishproverbswhichareprettyrichandcolorful.Thirdly,itdescribestheuseofEnglishproverbs.ThisthesisisintendedtoguideandpromotecrossculturalcommunicationthroughitsstudyofEnglishproverbsandtohelptoadoptaproperattitudetowardslife.Keywords:Englishproverbs;origins;rhetoricalfunction;rhetoricaldevices21 IntroductionAsacommonlinguisticphenomenon,Englishproverbsplayanimportantroleinourdailylife.“Thegenius,wit,andspiritofanationarediscoveredinitsproverbs”,FrancisBacononcesaid.SoitisnecessarytodiscussEnglishproverbs.Atthemeantime,whenChinahasopeneduptooutsideworld,peopleneedtounderstandeachotherbetterincross-culturecommunication.What’smore,peoplecangatherexperiencefromEnglishproverbs.Astudyonoriginsofproverbsmaythrowonlightonthatmatter.InChina,mostscholarspaymoreattentiontoidioms.Theydon’tdiscussproverbsindetail,thusmaterialsofproverbsshortedseriously.Although,therearesomanyarticlesdiscussedproverbs.Generallyspeaking,thearticlesjustconcernoneaspectofproverbs.Therefore,puttheoriginsandrhetoricalfunctionofproverbsasatitlewhichwillimprovetheunderstandingofstudentsandhelpthemgraspmoreinformationofproverbs.Onlyknowingtheirbackground,youwillknowhowtousethem.Englishproverbsaccompaniedbytheappearanceofthetext,graduallyenteringintoawrittenliterature,intheprocessoftransmissionstream.The“learnedproverbs”intheancientbooksandrecordscanbetracedbacktofolkloreoftheproverbs,somehavenottest,buttheinitiationinfolkoralorextractedfromordinaryargumentswhichisanindisputablefact.Englishproverbsmostlyoriginatefromfolkoral,fromliteralworks,historicaleventsaswell.Theyhavealonghistorywhosenewideas,tobeconstantlyenrichedanddeveloped.Afterthoroughlytempered,theybecamesimple,vividandmeaningful.Finally,theybecomephilosophicalessenceofEnglishlanguage.ButtheextraordinarycharmofEnglishproverbsliedintherhetoricaluse.ThisthesiswillexploretheoriginsofEnglishproverbsandrhetoricalfunctionofEnglishproverbs,soastodeepenpeople’sunderstandingofEnglishproverbs,torevealthehumanproduction,lifehistory,valueandmeaningbeyondtimeandspace.21 1.TheOriginsofEnglishProverbs1.1IntroductionofProverbsProverbsaretheexpressionsinalanguagedevelopedinthepopulace’sphysicallifeandwidelyacceptedandusedamongacommunityofpeople.Theyare,inessence,theoutcomeofculturalgrowthandethnicalevolution.Asaspecializedformoflanguage,proverbswillnaturallyreflectitscultureevenmoreprofoundlyandintenselythanallotherkindsofwords.Asproverbsaretypicallylocalizedinaculture,learningproverbswellinalanguagewillundoubtedlyinvolveknowledgeofitsculture.Usingaproverbisamannerofspeakingthatisnaturaltonativespeakersofthelanguage.Onlythosewhoareverygoodatspeakingthatlanguagecanadequatelyandtothepointuseexpressionsintheirspeech.Accordingly,itshouldbenotedthatlearningproverbspresentsahostofdifficultiestoEnglishlearners,primarilybecausetheydon’tknowthecultureandhistorybehindtheproverbs.That’swhytheyoftenfailtouseproverbsincongruouswiththesituation.ProverbsareusedinbothspokenandwrittenEnglish,andoftenappearinfamousbooksanddailylife;theyarefrequentlyusedbylaboringpeople.Theyfindproverbseasytounderstandandmemorize.Sopeoplecanutilizethemineverydaycommunication,theyknowtheirmeaningandfeelwhereitisappropriatetouseproverbs.Undoubtedly,thecorrectusageofEnglishproverbsisfinesse,whichmakesthelanguageofthespeakermorevividandexciting.What’smore,theyhaveimportantfunctioninpeople’slife.Whatisaproverb?Althoughsomepeoplehavedifficultiesincitedproverbsintheirdailylife,thematterofdefiningaproverbisproblematic.Inthe15thcentury,MichaelApostoliusofByzantiumwrote:“Aproverbisastatementwhichconcealstheclearintheunclear,orwhichthroughconcreteimagesindicatesintellectualconcepts,orwhichmakesclearthetruthinfurtivefashion”.Theseearlyattemptscouldnotprovidetheoverallelementsforacomprehensivedefinition.Partofthedifficultiesindefiningtheproverbisthatproverbsdon’tformacategorizedgenre,sincetheirform,origins,content,purpose,structure,21 application,andarangeofotheraspectsaresovaried,thatitisnoteasytofindsuchsingleentityasaproverb.Butsomescholarshavebeentryingtomodifythedefinitions.Thefollowingaredefinitionsofaproverbfoundinsomedictionaries:Webster’sCollegiateDictionarydefinesitasashortsayingincommonusethatstrikingexpressessomeobvioustruthorfamiliarexperience.AndTheLongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglishgivesthisdefinition，”Aproverbisabrieffamiliarmaximoffolkwisdom,usuallycompressedinform,ofteninvolvingaboldimageandfrequentlyajinglethatcatchesthememory.”“Aproverbisashortpithysayingingeneraluse,statingageneraltruthorapieceofadvice”wasfoundinOxfordDictionaryofEnglish.Inshort,proverbsareshortsayingsoffolkwisdomandwell-knownfactsortruths,expressedsuccinctlyandinawaythatmakesthemeasytoremember.Thesefactsandtruthsoftenexpoundtheprofoundtruthsfromthesimplemattersindailylife.Fromalinguisticview,aproverbisphonological,syntactic,semantic,pragmaticandsemioticentity.Itisusedwithbrevity,fixedandmetaphoricalform,philosophicaltoneandeaseofquotation.Tobeexact,proverbs,mostoutstandingpartofalanguage,representtheuniquecharacteristicsandculturalfeaturesofanation.Inform,theyaremostly,ifnotcompletely,presentedbysentencesthatcannotbesubstitutedrandomly.Inscopeofusage,theyareemployedbythegrassrootsintheirdailyoralcommunication,butatthesametimevariousliteraryformshelpthemtobehandeddownthroughgenerations.Knowthedefinitionandoriginofproverbsisveryimportant.Informerpassages,weknowaboutthedefinition.Themainoriginsofproverbscandivideintotwoparts,threeaspects.Thetwopartsrefertopopularproverbsandlearnedproverbs.Thethreeaspectsarethatpopularproverbsoriginatedfromfolkoral,whilelearnedproverbsoriginatedfromliteraryclassicsandreligiousliteratures.1.2PopularProverbsProverbisafixedstatementthatispopularamongthemasses,withsimplepopularwordsreflectedthedeeptruth.ThevastmajorityofEnglishproverbsoriginatedfromthe21 communityandthesummaryofpeople’slivingexperience,soitcondensedthewisdomofthemasses.TherearealargenumberofEnglishproverbsontheagriculturalproduction,meteorology,fishery,animalhusbandry,huntingsayings,suchasweatherproverbs,festivalsproverbs,farmingtips,usuallyreferredtoas“popularproverbs”.Atthemeantime,popularproverbsusuallyoriginatedfromfolkoral,collectedtheexperienceoffarmersandshowedthewisdomofpeople.Theynotonlycontainedscientifictruth,butalsoincludedlivingphilosophictheory.Owingtotheshortsentencesandeasytounderstand,theyoftenusedindailylife,becomethepopularexpressedmethod.Folkoralisproducedbylaboringpeopleintheirlife.Whentheyworkedtogether,theyneedshort,simplewordsandsentencestoexpressthoughtsthatwererelatedtopeople’sjobsandlabor.Sotheymightfindthosewordsorpatternsthatpeopleknowwelltoconveyvividinformationandcreatevividandvigorousmetaphor.Folkoralinproverbsusuallychangedasweatherproverbs,festivalsproverbs,farmingtipsorrelatedtootherfieldsinpeople’sdailylife.1.Proverbsaboutweather“Othercountrieshaveaclimate;inEnglandwehaveweather.”Thestatement,oftenmadebyEnglishmentodescribethepeculiarclimaticconditionsoftheircountry,isbothrevealingandtrue.InnocountryotherthanBritain,ithasbeensaid,onecanexperiencefourseasonsinthecourseofasingleday!Daymaybreakasabalmyspringmorning;anhourorsolaterblackcloudsmayhaveappearedfromnowhereandtherainmaybedown.Atmiddyconditionsmaybereallywintrywiththetemperaturedownbyabouteightdegreesormorecentigrade.Andthen,inthelateafternoontheskywillclear,thesunwillbegintoshine,andforanhourortwobeforedarknessfalls,itwillbesummer.Accordingtotheseexperiences,therearesomeweatherproverbs.Forexample,“Itneverrainsbutpours”,itimpliesthatwhentroublescometheycometogether.Wecanunderstandtherealmeaningoftheseproverbsfromashortstory.“Whatadayit’sbeen,”sighedMrs.Wood.“FirstIburntoutthekettle,thentheelectricityfused,thenMrs.Moppdidn’tarrive,thenthebutcherdidn’tdeliverthemeatintimeforlunch,thenthedoctorcalledandsaidTommy’sgotmeasles.Itwasonethingafteranother.Theysayitneverrainsbutitpours.”Otherproverbslikethese:Eveningredand21 morninggreyarethesignsofafineday.Aredskyatnightistheshepherds’delight.Rainfromtheeast;wettwodaysattheleast.TheseproverbsreflectedMeteorologicalsense,suchasthermalcycling,sunset,themorningmistandsoonwhicharetheunderstandingofancestorswhohaveaccumulatedexperienceintheformationoflong-termweatherawareness.2.ProverbsabouthomeInancienttimes,productiontoolswerebackward,livingconditionswerepoor,theyalwaysfaceddeathanddiseasewhichbroughtbysnakesandwildbeasts.Inaddition,thebadtraffic,thewater-resistinghills,andthelimitedactivities,sopeople’s“home”conceptisverystrong.Facingtheharshnature,theyareonlyinthe“home”wheretogetsolaceandfindasenseofsecurity.Thefollowingproverbisafew“home”orareflectionoftheirancestralhomelands.Suchas:Eastorwest,homeisbest.Thereisnoplacelikehome.Betterathomethanamileawayfromit.Everyoneseekshisownhouse.Aboveproverbsshowthatnomatterhowhumbleitmaybe,homeistheplacewhereonefeelshappiest.3.ProverbsaboutfishingandhuntingInadditiontoheavylaborinagriculturalproduction,peoplealsohuntedorfishedtomakeuptheirlife,experienceinthisareaisalsoreflectedinEnglishproverbs.Suchas:Abirdinhandisworthtwointhebush.Ifahunterhasshotonebird,heshouldbesatisfiedwiththatandnotgoofflookingfortheonesthatflewaway.Peopleusesuchproverbtomeanthatitisbettertoacceptsomethingsmallthantorejectitandhopetogetmorelateron.Anotherexample,ifyourunaftertwohares,youwillcatchneither.Don’ttrytodotwothingsatonce.Concentrateononeortheother.Earlyhumansareweak,whetherfarmingorhunting,aresentouttogroups,group-basedcollaboration,andsomeEnglishproverbsarereflectedinthecollectivewisdomoflifetogether.Suchas:Somanyheadssomanywits.Manyhandsmakelightwork.Theseproverbsmeanthatthemorepeopletherearetocarryoutatask,thelesseachhastodo,andthemorequicklyistheworkfinished.4.ProverbsaboutmoralandmoneyFromfolkproverbs,inadditiontopeople’sexperienceinproductionandlabor,italsoreflectedtheirexperienceofthesocialstruggleandnotionsofmoral,rightandwrong.Suchas:Thereisablacksheepineveryflock.Thisimpliesthatthereisascoundrelineveryfamily21 whoisadisgracetohisparentsandrelatives.Theseproverbsareasummaryofpeopleinthereal-lifestruggle.Asthehumanprimitiveaccumulationreachedacertainlevel,materialswererich,thepopulationincreased,communicationbecamefrequently,carryingoutphysicalexchangewhichhasbecomeaninevitableandindispensable.Thefirstexchangeisbarterexchange,andthengraduallydevelopedintotheuseofcoins.Asmoneyisimportantandscarce.Peoplehaveastrongdesiretopossess,andthenhaveauniquefeelingandunderstanding.InEnglishproverbs,withregardtoalotofmoney,itisthedeepreflectionofpeople’sconceptofmoney.Suchas:Moneymakesthemarego.Moneygovernstheworld.Moneyisthekeythatopensalldoors.Theseproverbsreflecttheconceptofmoneyworship.FolkProverbsbasedonexperience,whicharethemicrocosmofpeople’slifeandproduction,alsotheaccumulationandsummaryoftheirexperience,revealingtheirknowledgeandunderstandingoftheobjectiveworld,showingtheirpsychologicaldemandsandprays.1.3LearnedProverbsThemainoriginsofproverbscandivideintotwoparts,threeaspects.Thetwopartsrefertopopularproverbsandlearnedproverbs.Thethreeaspectsarethatpopularproverbsoriginatedfromfolkoral,whilelearnedproverbsoriginatedfromliteraryclassicsandreligiousliteratures.Nextpartisaboutlearnedproverbs.1.3.1LiteraryClassicsEnglishproverbs,alongwiththeliteralwords,begantoappearinvariousliteraryworks.PartsofEnglishproverbscomefromthewrittenliterature,mainlyfromGreekandRomanmyths,fables,Shakespeare’splaysandanumberoffamousworks.These“learnedproverbs”originatedfromliteraryclassicswhichformedandrefinedonthebasisoffolkproverbs,whileothersareunique,withdistinctculturalflavor,stylisticscharacteristicsandtheroleofeducationalcaution.1.3.1.1TheBibleAlotofproverbsoriginatedfromTheBible,Thatistosay,proverbsareborrowedfrom21 otherbooks.BibleistranslatedfromHebrew,proverbswhichoriginatedfromBiblereflectedthewisdomofHebrew.Inancienttime,peoplehavereadTheBible,Bibleproverbshavebecomesuchimportantpartofpeople’swisdomthatafewofpeopleknowproverbsoriginatedfromBible.What’smore,alotofthoughtfulpeopleliketocitebibleproverbstoexplaintheiropinions.Generallyspeaking,EnglishproverbsciteddirectlyfromBible.Forexample,Sparetherodandspoilthechild.Itmeansthatitdoesnotimproveachild’scharacterifheisnotpunishedwhenhehasdonewrong.Otherexamples:Youcannotmakebrickswithoutstraw.Youcan’tserveGodandmarnmon.1.3.1.2Shakespeare’sWorksShakespeareisamasterwhoseplayshadbecomefertilegroundforproverb,whichreflectsoneaspectofShakespeare’sworksthatithasatruereflectionofsocialreality,andreflectshispositioninliterature,thus,peoplelovedverymuch.Insixteenthandseventeenthcenturies,itwastheeraoftheriseofcapitalism;someofShakespeare’splaysarereflectionoftheemergingbourgeoisworld,suchasmaterialism,money-orientedandsoon.Forexample,theworldisanoyster.ThisproverbfirstappearedinShakespeare’scomedyTheMerryWivesofWindsor,meaningthatifyouhavealotofmoney,whatyouwanttohave,youwillpossess,thewholeworldismanipulatedbyyourself.ProverbsappearedinShakespeare’splays,apartofthemarenotoriginal,buthaveexistedpreviously.Suchproverbs,Shakespeareciteddirectlyoradaptedtomeetthepersonalitiesoftheplay.Otherexamples:Lovemelittle,lovemelong.Thismeansthatdonotletyourpassionforapersonbecometoostrong,foritmaysoonburnitselfout.Mildaffectionismorelikelytobelong-lived.1.3.1.3OtherLiteraryBooksSomeEnglishproverbsoriginatedfromotherliterarybooks,theyareconciseandcomprehensive,andhaveprofoundimpliedmeaning.Forexample,hitchyourwagontoastar.Itisthathavehighideals.Makeityouraimtoriseaboveworldlythings.ThisowetoRalphWaldoEmerson,theAmericanphilosopher.Anotherexample:Thechildisfatheroftheman.Thisinversionofthenaturalorderofthingsmeansthatbystudyingthecharacterofachildwecantellwhatsortofamanheisgoingtobe.AsMiltonwroteinParadiseRegained:Thechildhoodshowstheman,asmorningshowstheday.ThissourceoftheproverbisashortpoembyWordsworth.21 1.3.1.4FableandNurseryRhymeExcepttheoriginsofBible,Shakespeare’sWorks,thereisanotherorigin,fableandnurseryrhyme.Forexample,thegrapesaresour.Peoplewhocannotgetwhattheywantareinclinedtopretendthattheyneverwantedit,inordertosaveface.Thiscomesfromthefableofthefoxthattriedhardtoreachabunchofgrapes,butfailed.Hethensaidtheywerecertainlyunripe,sothathewasabletogoawaysatisfied.Don’tkillthegoosethatlaidthegoldeneggs.ThisproverbcanbetracedbacktotheancientGreekwriterAesop’swell-knownfable,“thegoosewiththegoldeneggs”.Suddenlyfarmer’sgeeselaygoldeneggs,butthefarmerisverygreedywhowantstogetalotofgoldatatime.Aesopwrote:Thinkingtogetatonceallthegoldthegoosecouldgive,hekilleditandopeneditonlytofind—nothing.ThemeaningofthisEnglishproverbisclosetoChineseproverb“killthegoosethatlaysthegoldeneggs”.If‘ifs’and‘ans’werepotsandpans...Ifwecouldachieveouraimsbymerelywishing,lifewouldbeveryeasy.Thearchaicconjunction‘an’meansthesameas‘if’.ItcomesinoneofmotherGoose’snurseryrhymes:If‘ifs’and‘ans’WerepotsandpansThere’dbenoworkfortinkers!Tinkersaremendersofpotsandpans,andif‘if’weremagicallytransformedintoanewkitchenutensileverytimeitwassaid,therewouldbenoneedfortheirservices,butthereisalways“if”.1.3.2ReligiousLiteraturesWesterncountries’beliefismainlyChristianity.Christianityinitslongdevelopmentprocesshasgonebeyondthenarrowreligioussignificance,formingakindwayofWesternlife,valuesandtremendousculturalphenomenoncausedbyethicalprinciples.ChristianEducationalCodeisanothersourceofWesternculture,theimpactofEnglishcancomparabletoShakespeare’sworks,fortheenrichmentanddevelopmentofEnglishproverbsplayasignificantrole.TherearemanyproverbsinEnglisharederivedfromthebiblestory,somereflectedthereligiousthought,whichisdeeplyrootedamongreligiousideas,manipulatedpeople’s21 spiritualworld.CommonhumanityofChristianityandfraternityarealsoreflectedinEnglishProverbs.Thereisachapter“Bible,OldTestament,”(Thebookofproverbs),isarecordofwisemaxim,whichisveryrich,withcautionaryexhortation,lastbecomeexquisiteproverbsintheprocessofspreading.Suchas:Avirtuouswomanisacrowntoherhusband.Agoodnameisbetterthanriches.Englishproverbsalsofromotherchaptersin“theBible”,suchas“Job”,“Ecclesiastes”andsoon.Allriversrunintothesea.Theloveofmoneyistherootofallevil.Thepriceofwisdomisaboverubies.Lovebegetslove.SomeproverbsoriginatedBiblewhichkepttheoriginalforms,forexample:thou,thy,doeth,doestandsoon.Whenthoudoestalms,letnotthylefthandknowwhattherighthanddoeth.TheBiblewasoriginallywritteninHebrewandlatertranslatedintoseverallanguages.Therearemultipleversionsofthebible,whichhavesamesemanticmeaningbutdifferenttranslationvariants.Suchas:Stolenwatersaresweet.Ithasseveralvariants:Stolensweetsarealwayssweeter.Stolenpleasuresaresweet.Stolenfruitissweeter.SomeEnglishproverbsoriginatedfromthe“Bible”butthelanguagewasdifferentfromtheoriginallanguageform,somechangedorusethecreativityofstatementinBibletoproducenewproverbs.Asyourow,soshallyoureap.Thisoriginatedfrom“Whatsoeveramansoweth,thatshallhealsoreap.”Themajortermwhatsoeverandsowethdisappeared.Anotherproverb:ThussaiththeLordGod:Anevil,anonlyevil,behold,iscome.Someproverbswereevolvedfromthissentence.Suchas:Misfortunesnevercomesingle.Onemisfortuneridesuponanother’sback.Hardshipsnevercomealone.SomeEnglishproverbs,relatedtostoriesfromtheBible.TheBiblecontainsastrongreligiouswordthatoftenappearsintheEnglishproverbs.Suchas:cross,forbiddenfruit,God,Devil,Forbiddenfruitissweet.Everymanmustcarryhiscross.EvilandgoodareGod’srighthandandleft.TheDeviltakethehindmost.Thecrossonthebreast,andthedevilintheheart.Helliswhereverheavenisnot.Wordsinreligiousliteratureareabsorbedbyanationallanguagerelatedtotheirreligiousfaith.ManyEnglishproverbscomefromthe“Bible”whichisagoodillustrationofthispoint.Inadditiontofolkoral,culturalbooksandreligiousliteraturethethreemainsources,the21 Englishproverbalsocomefromotherlanguages.Asthegeographicalandhistoricalreasons,intheirdevelopmentprocess,Englishisundertheinfluenceandimpactofforeignlanguage,makingEnglishabsorbedalargenumberofwordsfromforeigncultures,Englishproverbsarenoexception.AsignificantproportionofEnglishproverbsarefromLatin,French,German,Spanish,andChineseandsoon.Partoftheproverbsstillpreservedinforeignlanguagesprototype,somehavebeentranslatedintoEnglish.such“ascherchezlafemme”(findtroubles)isaFrenchproverb,butremainFrenchforminEnglish,translatedintoEnglish:findthewoman,meaningthatnomatterwhattroubleis,thereisalwayswomeninvolved.Otherssuchas:Familiarpathsandoldfriendsarethebest.Thosewhoknowdon’tspeak;thosewhospeakdon’tknow.Giveahelpinghandtoamanintrouble.TheseforeignEnglishproverbshavebeenacceptedbytheEnglishpeople,hasbecomeanintegralpartoftheculturaltreasures.FrancisBacononcesaid:“Acountry’sintelligence,witandspiritarereflectedinitsproverbs”.Intheformationofthousandsoftheologicalprocess,theEnglishproverbsgatheredfromdifferentsourcesandconstantlyenriched,finallybecomedazzlingcollectionsofgemstones.Thesewell-knownproverbsuseimageandmetaphorswhichfamiliarwithpeoplereflecttheexperienceofpeoplefromgenerationtogenerationandformationofvalues.Asasocialcompactversionoftheoralliteraturewhichhasbeenquotedhundredsoftimesandbecomeargumenttoconvinceothers,oruseittoguidetheirdailylives.Theculturesofvariousnationshavetheirowncharacteristicsandthehistoricalbackground,soeachproverbcarriesitsownculturalimprint,reflectingthedifferentideasandvalues.Therefore,learningEnglishproverbsandthesourceoftheresultantsolutionwillhelpusunderstanditsinnermeaning,andknowabouttheEnglishnation,eventhewholeSpanishnation’sideology,customs,andemotionalqualities,whichopenawindowtounderstandandstudyWesternculture.Itisalsohelpfultothepromotionofcross-culturalcommunicationandcommunicationfromEasternandWesterncultures.21 2.RhetoricalFunctionofEnglishProverbsInaccordancewithmodernviewsofrhetoric,thepurposeofrhetoricistoimprovetheeffectivenessoflanguageexpression.Rhetoriccandivideintonegativeandpositiverhetoric.Theformerisalsoknownascommunicativerhetoric,whilethelatterknownasaestheticrhetoric.Communicativerhetoric,theexpressionofthecontentemphasisonrefiningthewordsentence,clearfluid,whileintheformofstructure,itemphasisonuniform,rigorousneatandsmooth,theoverallstresseslogicalthinking,theaccurate,incisive,inordertoplaythelanguagecommunicativefunctioneffectively.Aestheticrhetoricuselogicalthinking,emphasisonthescenewiththesituation,usingimaginationandassociation,throughthefiguresofspeechtoarousevividimagery,makinglanguagefreshlively,andimplicated,thusplaygreatinfluenceandpersuasiveroletogetartisticeffects.EnglishProverbisamodelofaestheticrhetoric,isagemoftheEnglishlanguage,thewisdomofEnglishnation.Englishproverbsuseextensivefiguresofspeechtomaketheimagevivid,simple,concise,andrichwithbeautyofrhythmwithoutlosingtheprofoundmeaning,ithasastrongvisualappealtodisplayedarteverywhere.RhetoricinEnglishproverbscanbedescribedasbrilliant.TheirperformanceinEnglishproverbsisthebeautyofsound,formandmeaning.Sumup,rhetoricfunctionsofEnglishproverb,wasreflectedinthecontrast,repetition,rhymes,metaphorsandotherrhetoricaldevices,thereforemakingitbest-known.2.1ContrastContrastisthatsomewordsorsentenceswhichhaveoppositemeaningarrangedparalleled.Socontrastsmakethingshaveprominencecharacteristics.Therhetoricalopposingorcontrastingofideasbymeansofgrammaticallyparalleledarrangementsofwords,clauses,orsentences.Thisrhetoricdevicealsocalledantithesis.Theuseofantithesis,ormakingoppositethingsclear,outstanding,orrevealingtheessence,givingaprofoundlesson,make21 oppositethingscomplementeachother,sogivingadeepimpression.Suchas:Tobepreparedforwarisoneofthemosteffectualmeansofpreservingpeace.ItismadebytheUSApresidentGeorgeWashingtonforcongressinthefirstannualspeechabouttherelationshipbetweenwarandpeace.Herehenotonlyput“war”and“peace”together,butalsoput“prepareforwar”and“themaintenanceofpeace”totherelativeposition,incontrasttotheopposites,pointedouttherevolution.Otherexamples,speakissilver,silenceisgold,whichmeansthatgoldismorepreciousthansilver,andtherearetimeswhenitisbettertobesilentthantospeak.Thissentence,speakincontrasttosilence,silvertogold,puttheabstractthingsasconcretethings,thusleavingadeepimpressionforpeople,makingthemeasytounderstandtheproverbs.2.2RepetitionRepetition,asapositiverhetoricaldevice,differsfromredundancy.Theformerisemployedonpurposetoemphasizeastatementortoexpressastrongemotion,whilethelatterisakindoffaultywordingthatresultsfromideologicalconfusion.Therearetwokindsofrepetition,namely,repetitioninwritingandrepetitionindialogue.Repetitioninwritingcanbedividedintoimmediaterepetitionandintermittentrepetition.Andintermittentrepetitioncanbedividedintoanaphora,epiphora,simploce,epanalepsis,anadiplosis,climax,antistrophe,andploce.Therepeatedpartsmaybewords,phrasesorclauses.Repetitionistorepeatandstress,thusithasemotion.Repetitionalsocalledduplication,referstoaphraseorasentencethatuserepeatedly.Repetitionoftenusedinconjunctionwiththeparallelstructures,sosomepeoplecallitparallelrepetition,andeventakeitasaparallelstructure.Parallelstructureisthestudyofthesameorsimilarstructure,meaning,roughlythesametermsofbalance,ratherthanontherepetitionofwordsandstructures.Itreferstothesameorsimilargrammaticalstructuretoexpressasimilarmeaning.Thatis,belongingtothesameseriesorbyconnectingthevariouselementsassociatedwiththewordinasentenceplacedinthesameorsimilargrammaticalstructure,itsfocusisthebalance.Repetitionnotemphasizebalance,itemphasizesthesamewordorre-useofsynonyms.RepetitionhasvariousformsinEnglish,suchasanaphora,concersion,epidiplosis,epanalepsis,anadiplosis21 andsoon.1.AnaphoraThisalsocalledepanaphora,itisrepetitionofawordatthebeginningofsuccessiveclauses.Suchas:Easycome,easygone.Allilllife,allillend.Likefather,likeson.Newlords,newlaws.Aboveproverbshavethesamecharacteristicthatthefirstwordsarerepeated.Thesesentencesnotonlyeasytoberemember,butalsohavebeautyofsound.2.ConcersionItalsocalledepiphora,whichisrepetitionofawordattheendofsuccessiveclauses.Suchas:Bejusttoall,buttrustnoall.Graspall,loseall.Suchproverbsrepeatedthelastwords.Suchrepetitioncanbeeffectivemeanstoachieveclarityandemphasis.3.EpidiplosisItuseofthesamewordatthebeginningandattheendofasentence.Suchas:Diamondcutsdiamond.DoastheRomansdo.Moneybegetsmoney.Loveistherewardoflove.Theseproverbsemphasizetheimportantofbothsides.4.EpanalepsisItderivesfromGreekmeaning”atakingupagain”.Itisafigureofspeechwhichcontainsarepetitionofawordorwordsafterotherwordshavecomebetweenthem.Suchas:Agreattalkerisagreatliar.Takecareofthepenceandthepoundwilltakecareofthemselves.5.AnadiplosisItderivesfromGreek,meaning“doubling”.Itistheuseofthesamewordattheendofoneclauseandatthebeginningofanothertogainaspecialeffect.Suchas:Followloveanditwillflee,fleeloveanditwillfollowthee.Foolslearnnothingfromwisemen,butwisemenlearnmuchfromfools.Usingrepetitioncanenhancepotential,expressthestrongfeelings,expressprofoundideas,andimprovethelanguagerhythm.Suchas:Nopain,nogain;nothorns,nothrone;nogall,noglory;nocross,nocrown.Inthissentence,“no”repeatedseveraltimes,thusenhancedvisualbeautyandrhythm.Throughadoublenegativethatillustratesthedialecticalrelationshipoflaborandharvest,sufferingandhappiness,gloryandshame,hardshipandpleasure.Undoubtedlyrepetitionplayedarolethatenhancedrhythmoflanguageandrendertheatmosphere.21 2.3RhymeUsingrhymetoshowthebeautyofsoundandauditoryimageisperfect.Rhymesrepeatedthesamepronunciationorletterstoexpressrhetoriceffectswhichmakeproverbshasrhythm.Whenreadit,itissonorousandforceful.Rhymeincludesalliteration,endrhythm,eyerhyme,consonance,assonance,pararimeandsoon.Alliterationreferstotherepetitionoftheinitialsound,usuallyaconsonant,oravowelatthefirstposition,intwoormorewordsthatoccurclosetogether.Suchas:Fairfeathersmakefairfouls.Inthissentencefour“f”letterscameinthefirst,formingaqueue,duetothesamepronunciation,resultedinrhythm,enhancedexpression.Endrhythmreferstorepeatthesameletterorpronunciation.Suchas:Offenceisthebestdefense.Thesentence,offenceanddefenseareendrhythm,sothataharmoniousandbeautifulsoundproduced.Eyerhymereferstowordsinsimilarmeans,buthasdifferentpronunciation.Suchas:Wordscutmorethanswords.Wordsandswordschargeaseyerhyme,bringingvisualaesthetic.Consonancemeansthattherepetitionofthelastconsonantsofthestressedwordsattheendofthelines.Itisalsoknownasslantrhymeorhalfrhyme.Suchas:Stillwatershavedeepbottoms.Watersandbottomschargeasconsonance,thetwoendingconsonantshavesamepronunciation,butdifferentmeaning,oneispositive,heotherisnegative,increasingimplicitbeautyandhumorous,andenhancedtheexpression.Assonancereferstotheuseofthesame,orrelated,vowelsoundsinsuccessivewords.Itcancreateharmoniouseffect.Suchas:Eatatpleasure,drinkwithmeasure.Pleasureandmeasurechargeasassonance,makingthesentencethathasnotpleasuresuddenlycametosenseofrhythmandpoetry.Pararimemeansthatlettersinbeginningandtheendrepeated,butthemiddlevowelaredifferent.Suchas:Everybullethasitsbillet.Thereisrhymebetweenbulletandbillet,duetoheadandtailletterscorrespondtohomogeneousrepeat,resulting“eyesight”image,enhancedthedynamismofthestatement,aesthetics,andexpression.21 2.4CoparisonEnglishproverbsuseextensivecoparisontomaketheimagevivid,simple,concise,andrichwithbeautyofrhythmwithoutlosingtheprofoundmeaning,ithasastrongvisualappealtodisplayedarteverywhere.RhetoricfunctionsofEnglishproverbwerereflectedinthecontrast,repetition,rhymes,coparisonandotherrhetoricaldevices.Coparisonincludesimile,metaphor,analogy,allegory,metonymy,andsynecdoche.1.SimileAsimileisafigureofspeechinwhichtwoquitedifferentthingsarecomparedbecausetheyappeartobesimilarinatleastonecharacteristic.Similesarearuleintroducedby“like”or“as”.Usingsimiletoseektheimage,whichrevealingtherelationshipbetweensignifiedandsignifier.Ithasabasisandfourelements(i.e.thesignified,thesignifier,similarities,anddifferentpoints).Generallyspeaking,theartisticvalueofsimilehasapositivecorrelationwiththedissimilarity,andinverselyproportionaltosimilarity.MoreSimilarity,moretedious,moreimpotence;whilemoredissimilarity,morefresh,moreexpressive;theconditionisacceptability.Itmakesthelanguageclear,conciseandsuggestalong,deep,thought-provoking.Soproverbsalsomakethethingsmorevivid.Forexample,asawolfresemblesadog,soaflattererafriend.Thisproverb,whichconsideringhumanasanimal,revealingtheircharacteristicsdistinctlyandlively.2.MetaphorMetaphor,perhapsthemostimportantandmostfrequentlyusedfigureofspeech,pointsoutresemblancebutwithnoacknowledgingword.Itisafigureofspeechinwhichonethingisdescribedintermsofanother.Itisanimpliedcomparisonbetweentwo(ormore)unlikethings;achievedbyidentifyingonewiththeother.Itistheapplicationofanameofdescriptivetermtoanobjectoractiontowhichitisnotstrictlyapplicable.Forexample,“Moneyisthelensinacamera”.“thelensinacamera”inthesentencecanreflectthedifferentappearancesofaperson,somoneycanreflectthedifferentcharacteristicsofaperson.Thereexistsasimilaritybetweenthetwo.Comparedwithsimile,metaphorhasstrongertongue,thusmakingobjectsmorevivid.3.AnalogyAnalogy,whichcomesfromtheGreekwordwhichmeans“accordingtoratio”,like21 simileandmetaphor,isalsobasedoncomparisonbetweentwosubjects.Itisacertainlikenessintwothingsthataredifferentinotherways,asimilarityinfunctionbutnotinorigin.Allmetaphorsandsimilesarebasedonanalogy.Butananalogycomparestwothingsnotonlyinoneaspectasasimileorametaphordoes,butalsotapsbetweenthetwothingsasmanysimilaritiesaspossibleandthendevelopsthemsoastomakethecomparisonsmoreoutstandingandeffective.Forexample,makehaywhilethesunshines,whichmeansthatdonotwaituntiltomorrow,forrainmayruintheharvest.Inotherwords,weshouldalwaystakeadvantageoffavorablecircumstances.Proverbsoftenusethusrhetoricaldevicetomakepeopleeasytogatherexperience.4.AllegoryAllegoryderivesfromaGreekwordmeaning“speakingotherwise”.Asarule,anallegoryisastoryinverseorprosewithadoublemeaning:aprimaryorsurfacemeaning;andasecondaryorunder-the-surfacemeaning.Itisastory,therefore,thatcanberead,understoodandinterpretedattwolevels.Itisthuscloselyrelatedtothefableandtheparable.Suchas:Allisnotgoldthatglitters.Themoralofthissentenceisthatbeautifulthingsnotalwayshavevalues.Usingconcretethingstoexplainabstractmeaning,soproverbseasytoenlightenpeople,andmakethemcatchtheessenceofthingseasily.Allegoryinproverbsusuallyhasdoublemeaning.5.MetonymyMetonymy,whichisfromGreekmeaningnamechange,isafigureinwhichthenameofanattributeorathingorisusedtostandforanotherthing.Thetwothingsinvolvedinametonymyarenotofthesamekindbutarecloselyrelated.Inotherwords,therelationbetweenthetwothingsisnotthatofsimilaritybutthatofcontiguity.Suchas:Keepyoureyeswideopenbeforemarriage,halfshutafterwards.“Keepyoureyeswideopen”meansthatyoumustbecautionbeforemarriage.“Halfshut”meansyoushouldbeself-effacingaftermarriage.Thisrhetoricaldevicehasafunctionthatithelpspeopleplantheirgoalthroughexplainingtheoldstories.6.SynecdocheSynecdoche,whichoriginatesfromGreek,meaning“takinguptogether”,isafigureinwhichawordliterallydenotingapart,usuallyanimportantpart,whichissubstitutedforthe21 whole;orthewholeforapart,oraspecificwordisusedtostandforabstractoneorviceversa.“Manyhandsmakelightwork”,thismeansmanypeopleworktogethercandothingseasily.Synecdocheisdesignedtohighlightthecharacteristicsdescribedintheobject;triggeringpeoplegetadeepimpression.Proverbsusuallyusethusrhetoricaldevicetomakepeopleeasytoexpresstheirfeelingandunderstanding.21 3.MajorUsesofEnglishProverbsTheusesofEnglishproverbsarethattheyexpresssomeprinciplesandoftenconveysomeadviceorpersuasion.Thatistosay,mostEnglishproverbshavephilosophicdepthoreducationalfunction.ForthousandsofyearstheyhavebeeninstructingandinspiringEnglishpeople,sotheyhavebeenregardedastheguidelineofpeople’sthoughtsandbehaviours,whichmeanspeopleoftenthinkordothingsbyfollowingthedirectionoftheirproverbseitherconsciouslyorunconsciously.Englishproverbshavebecomeimportantsourcesofinspirationjustbecausetheycontainprinciples,truth,wisdom,persuasion,etc.FollowingsaretwousesofEnglishproverbs.3.1ToPersuadeUsually,thepurposesofEnglishproverbsaretopersuadeandeducatepeople.Topersuadeistopraisejustice,tocriticizeevil.Toeducateistoguidepeopletoadoptacorrectattitudetowardslife,totakeaproperwaytogetalongwellwithothers.Forexample:Betterdiewithhonorthanlivewithshame.Don’thavecloaktomakewhenitbeginstorain.Suchproverbssoundveryfirmandresoluteandtheycanstrengthenpeople’sconvictionandawakenconsciousnessofpeopleinlifeorimprovetheirthinking.Theycanhelppeopletomakedistinctionbetweenrightandwrong,toclearaboutwhatshouldloveandwhatshouldhate.Generallyspeaking,theyaregoodforpeople’sself-cultivationandtheycancallfordeepthought,somanypeopleputtheseproverbsastheirlifemotto.Someotherproverbsrevealandcriticizethedarksideofsociety.Theyattackthedarknessofthesocietyinordertoremindpeopletokeepconsciousandmaintainsharpwarning.Forexample:Thefoxchangeshisskin,butnothishabit;Aleopardcannotchangeitsspots.Peopletendtorecitesuchproverbswhentheyaredisclosingtheevilinthesocietyorwhentheyareremindingotherstokeepalert.21 3.2ToSpreadExperiencesMostproverbssummarizeexperiencesofpeople’sdailylife.Suchas:Thebestwinecomesoutofanoldvessel;Softfiremakessweetmalt.Suchproverbsarenumerouswhenpeople’sdailylifeiscomplicatedandextremelytrifling.Peopleliketosummarizeexperiencesintheirlifeandtheytellotherswhatshoulddoandhowtodoit.Proverbsarejustlikeanencyclopediatoguidepeople’sdailylife.Fromthem,peoplecanenlargetheirknowledge,sotheycanavoidunnecessarymistakes.Someproverbsareconnectedwithaparticularfield,likefarmerproverbsandmeteorologicalproverbs.Peasantsindifferentageswhooftenpracticeandprovethefarmingexperienceandproductiverulesintheirwork.Fromgenerationtogeneration,theysumuptheirexperiencesandfarmingruleswhichlaterbecomeproverbsthatarevivid,conciseandlively.Thesesentencesarefarmerproverbswhicharepracticedandtestifiedyearafteryear.Theyreflectthepeasants’farmingexperienceandagriculturalrulesandrevealtheworkingpeople’swisdom.Farmerproverbsarepreciouspartofagriculturaldata.Peasantsindifferentagesusesomeofthemasguidelinesintheirfarmingwork.Whilemeteorologicalproverbs,whichsummarizethefundamentalmeteorologicalknowledgeofgenerations,alsohavegreatfunctioninpeople’slife.Inthefirstpartofthisthesis,suchproverbshavebeenmentioned.Forexample,AprilshowersbringforthMayflowers;AcoldMayandawindymakesafullbarnandafindy;DryAugustandwarmdoesharvestnoharm;Afairdayinwinteristhemotherofastorm;Amistymorningmayhaveafineday;Cloudymorningsturntoclearevenings.Whenpeoplelearntheseproverbs,atthesametimetheyknowthedailyexperiences.21 ConclusionFrancisBacononcesaid:“Thegenius,witandspiritofanationarediscoveredinitsproverbs”.Intheformationofthousandsoftheologicalprocess,theEnglishproverbsgatheredfromdifferentsourcesandconstantlyenriched,finallybecomedazzlingcollectionsofgemstones.Thesewell-knownproverbsuseimageandmetaphorswhichfamiliarwithpeoplereflecttheexperienceofpeoplefromgenerationtogenerationandformationofvalues.Asasocialcompactversionoftheoralliteraturewhichhasbeenquotedhundredsoftimesandbecomeargumenttoconvinceothers,oruseittoguidetheirdailylives.Theculturesofvariousnationshavetheirowncharacteristicsandthehistoricalbackground,soeachproverbcarriesitsownculturalimprint,reflectingthedifferentideasandvalues.Therefore,learningEnglishproverbsandtheoriginsoftheresultantsolutionwillhelpusunderstanditsinnermeaning,andknowabouttheEnglishnation,eventhewholeSpanishnation’sideology,customs,andemotionalqualities,whichopenawindowtounderstandandstudywesternculture,alsoitishelpfultothepromotionofcross-culturalcommunication.Englishproverbscomefrompractice,andreflectedthepractice,whichhavephilosophyandlifeflavor,melteducationalvalueinthelivelyformoflanguage,withtimelesscharm.Itisthemodelofideologicalcontentandart,thuspeopleliketoaccept,forthousandsofyearsfromgenerationtogeneration.WhyEnglishproverbshavesucheternalcharm?Thereareavarietyofreasons.Themainoneistheextensiveuseofrhetoricaldevices.Theadvantageofusingrhetoricaldevicesisthatitcanexpresscomplexreasonwithsimplewords,makeitmoreconducivetospread.RhetoricinEnglishProverbsarecolorful,theyusuallybecomefinishingtouch,understandingandmasteringthesefiguresofspeechwillundoubtedlyfacilitatetheunderstandingofEnglishproverbs,helpustodigestandabsorb.21 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