浅谈英语谚语的来源、功能及其修辞 19页

　　浅谈英语谚语的来源、功能及其修辞Thispapercontainsthreeparts:thesourcesofEnglishproverbs、thefunctionsofEnglishproverbsandtherhetoricaldevicesofEnglishproverbs.Firstly,itintroducesthesourcesofEnglishproverbs.Proverbshavealonghistory.Theyarebriefandbeddedinphilosophicalideasconcerningdifferentaspectsoflife.Theyarethesummaryofpeopleexperienceineverydaylife,sotheyoriginatedfrompeople’sdailylifeandexperience.Tobespecific,theyefromfolklife,religion,mythology,literaryous,anation’shistoryandsoon.Secondly,itmentionsthefunctionofEnglishproverbs.Itsfunctionistoteachandadvisepeopleeotherproverbstellpeoplethem,peoplemaybroadentheirknooftheEnglishproverbs,therearemanydifferentreasons.Themostimportantoneistheextensiveuseofrhetoricaldevicesandrhythmaticalageandvividnessandhas astrongartisticbeautyandpoofakesthemeasytoremember.Becausetheproverbsaresobrief,theyhaveuniversalappeal.Manypeoplelovetopickupproverbs.Theuseofoneortinorvictoryforthebeginningforeignlanguagelearners.Proverbsmayprovideinterestinglittleglimpsesorcluestoapeople’sgeography,history,socialorganization,socialvieoftheelders.Andinsocietiesen’sstatusisloberofsayingsdemeaningthem.Proverbstellmuchaboutapeople"straditionalstheelderspressonthemindsoftheiryoung.Theimportantcharacterofproverbs‘theshorterthebetter’makesiteasytomitthemtomemoryforreadyrecallorousmentorblefolkandgreatauthors,borroancientorneighboringcultures,proverbshavebeenaccumulatingovermanycenturies.SomeareonlylocallyknoanyaresharedaroundtheiliarfolklifeProverbsarethesummaryofpeopleexperienceintheireverydaylife.Thesummarizedexperienceandreasonareabstractedfromthepracticeofpeople’ slifeandpleandhealthythoughts,feelingsandsentiments.Moreoftenthannot,itrevealsauniversaltruthfromaparticularpointsoastoenlightenpeople.Agreatnumberofproverbsen,hunters,farmers,en,houseiliartermsthatple,Livingislikesailingen;Ifyourunafterters;Nesanycooksspoilthebrothbycooks,etc.Suchexpressionsalandonceconfinedtoalimitedgroupofpeopleengagedinthesametradeoractivity.Buttheyulating,solatertheybrokeoutoftheirboundsandgraduallygainedeanyhaveetobeepartofthemoncoreoflanguage,noeproverbsarerelatedtosomefolkpracticeandcustoms.Forexample,GoodanancientpopularEnglishpractice.Inthepast,Englisherchantstendedtohangsomeivybushesorapictureofivybushesontheirdoorsasasymbolofemerchant’sonpracticethatmerchantsofdifferenttradespleisinvolvedostprobablyenjoyahappymarriagelife.Otherisfortunesandtragedies,EnglishpeoplehavegotaproverbHappyisthebridethatsunshineson.[2]Thisproverb originatedfromthemonpracticeinancientChina.Inthepast,younggirlsdidn’thavetherighttodecidetomarry.Theirparentshadthefinaldecisionintheirmarriage.Usually,theparentsatchmakerforhelp.Thematchmakeriliesandpassedonthemessages.Finally,thegirl’sparentsmadethefinaldecisionarrythechosenboyornot.Thisisknoarriage.Suchamarriage,moreoftenthannot,orevenneversaanners,letalonehis/herpersonalityorvirtues.Itarriage.Someproverbscamefromancientpeopledeeplyrootedbeliefssuchastheirsuperstitioustendencyandbelief.Inthepast,Englishpeoplebelievedthatifapersonspoiledsaltfromthesaltbottle,misfortuneandbadluckustscatterthespoiledsaltfromtheirleftshoulderssoastodriveofftheirillluck.Inturn,EnglishpeoplehavegottheproverbHelpmetosaltandyouhelpmetosorroeproverbsefrompeople’sdistinctionbetinationagainsten.Itesfromadeeplyrootedtraditionalvieenandagoosemakeamarket;Longhairandshortoreenlookintheirglass，theless theylooktotheirhouse.2.2OriginatingfromreligionBibleisessentialforBritishandAmericancultures.ItissaidthattheirculturesarenotintegratedanysayingsandsentencesinBiblehavebeenpopularlyaccepted.Theyhavebeendeeplyrootedamongpeopleandpeoplefrequentlyusethemtociteatruthorexpresstheirideasore.ThesesayingsarenolongeronlyconfinedtoreligionandtheyhavebeeproverbsanmustcarryhisoBible,Mattheainideaislikethis:“AsthesoldierseuponamanfromCyrenenamedSimon;theypelledthismantocarryJesus’cross.AndetoaplacecalledGolgotha(eansPlaceofaskull),theyofferedJesusixed,theydividedhisclothesamongthemselvesbycastinglots;thentheysatdo.Overhisheadtheyputthechargeagainst,this,eanssufferings.Theproverbtendstotellusthateveryoneshouldputupiseryindailylifeandundertakethelife’sburden.AnotherproverbisalsofromtheBible:Onedoesn’tliveonlybybread.ItisfromtheBible, Deuteronomy，thegeneralideais:“Rememberthelongbleyou,testingyoutoknoandments.Hehumbledyoubylettingyouhunger,thenbyfeedingyouakeyouunderstandthatonedoesnotlivebybreadalone,butbyeverythemouthoftheLord.”[5]Fromthis,aterialisnottheonlythingthatisindispensabletomen.Spiritisalsoveryimportant.Isoneisonlysearchedformaterial,heals,forthemostdistinctivecharacteristicbetenandanimalsisthatmenhavepursuitofspiritbutanimalshaven’t.Manyimagesintheseproverbshavedidacticmeanings.EnglishpeoplebelieveinChristianity,ostinfluentialreligioninthean’slifeistouchedbythisreligion,sothatithasbeepartofentandtheNeent,isregardedasthescriptures.AlmosteveryfamilyhasaversionofBible,soithasetobeoneofthemajorsourcesofEnglishculture.ManyEnglishproverbsshople,Letnotthylefthandknoanbeingsarebrothersandsisters,andtheyshouldhelpeachother.Soemorythatyouhavehelpedthem.Anotherexample,Iftheblind leadtheblind,bothshallfallintotheditch.[7]Itimpliesthatifonehaslittleknototeachotherssomeusefulthings.Evenifhetriedtohelpothers,he.2.3OriginatingfromliteraryShakespeare.Shakespeare’sinsightintohumanbeings,hissensitivitytotheproblemofstate,andhisgeniusarkontheEnglishlanguageandthethinkingofEnglish-speakingpeopleallovertheanyEnglishproverbsfromhisplaysarecitedmonlyindailyEnglish.Shakespeare’sostcolorfulliteratureoriginofproverbs.Forexample,Allisnotgoldthatglitters.Thisproverbisfromthegreatple,Patienceperforceismedicineforamaddog[8]isfromShakespeare’sperlikesamaddog.ManyEnglishproverbsarealsofromTheFablesofAesop.Theseproverbsareveryconciseandhumorous,andtheyreflecttheessenceandthetruemeaningoflife.Itisveryeasyforpeopletounderstandthemandtoputthemintopractice.Manyofthemarepasseddople,Thecamelgoingtoseekhorns, losthisears.[9]Thegeneralideaoftheallusionis:acoel.Thecamel.ZeuseladeadecisionthatheletthecamelhavehornsbuttheFablesofAesop.“Thegrapesaresour”,asthefoxsaid.[10]Theallusion,efrom,isgenerallylikethis:oneday,ahungryfoxsaself,“Thegrapesaresour”,thefoxsaideoneethingondtoacock.[11]Theallusion’smainideais:ond.Thecocksaidtothediamond:“Tosomeoneiresyou,youareapreciousthing;buttome,youhavenovalueatall,forallvaluablethingcannotmatchonsense,adiamondisfarmorevaluablethanabarley-corn.Buttoahungryman,especiallytosomeoneach.Sothisproverbtendstoimplythatdifferentpeoplehavedifferentvieething.Thesubmittingtooneefrom,isgenerallylikethis:asnakethatifhebitsomeonepledonhim,thenextoneplehim.Itshoistakehemadeatthefirsttime,heakeanothersimilarmistake.Sotheaboveallusionsoastoavoidmakingthesamemistakes.2.4OriginatingfromGreekandRomanmythology“anyideasnoan.GreekandRomanmythologiesare onsourceofEnglishproverbs.”[13]SomeproverbsarefromGreekandRomanmythology.Eachofthemhasanallusion.Forexample,TheDeviltoohasAchilles’heel.[14]AccordingtotheHomer,anisabsolutelypoilarexamplefromRomanmythology.NotevenHerculescouldcontendagainsttanmythology.Hehadincredibleforce,gaintents.Althoughheberofenemiesonhisoan’senergyislimitednomatterhople,angoddessofgrainandagriculture;BacchusistheGreetgodofthis,aterialsupport.2.5OriginatingfromotherlanguagesanyEnglishproverbscamefromLatin.[18]BecauseoftheintroductionofChristianityintoBritain,theinfluenceoftheNormanConquestandtheRenaissanceonEnglish,LatinadetheirongtheseLatinanyproverbs,famousFamousostproverbs,regardlessoftheirinitial,havebeenpolishedandpreservedandpopularizedbyfamousousaxims.ManysentencesinBacon’song people.Forexample,Readingmakesafullmantellspeoplethatonlybyreadingcanapersonbeelearnedandprofound.AnotherproverbKnophasizestheimportanceofknooreandlearnmore.PopeisanothercelebratedfigureinEnglishliterature.Heemphasizeseducationandknouch.Somesentencesfromhisongpeople.TakeAlittlelearningisadangerousthingforexample.ThisdidacticproverbisasentenceinPopeAnEssayonCriticismanditreflectshisideasaboutknoinFranklinisafamousAmericanstatesman,scientistandhisple,Littlestrokefellgreatoaks.[19]Ittellsusthatonenevergivinguppursuingknoindedcanbehighlyintellectual.Anotherexample,Godhelpthemthathelpthemselves.[20]Ittendstotellusthatsolongasonevaluesself-relianceandindependence,hecancreateopportunities,seekpetitionandbereadyfortherisks.3.ThefunctionofEnglishproverbsThefunctionsofEnglishproverbsarethattheyexpresssomerulesofconductandquiteoftenconveysomeadviceorcounsel.InotherostEnglish proverbspossessphilosophicdepthorinstructivefunction.ForthousandsofyearstheyhavebeeninstructingandinspiringEnglishpeople,sotheyhavebeenregardedastheguidelineofpeople’sthoughtsanddeeds,eansEnglishpeoplearethinkingordoingthingsbyfolloportantsourcesofinspirationjustbecausetheycontaintruth,,counsel,ruleofconduct,etc.Folloentionteproverbsareintendedtopersuadeandteachpeople.Topersuadeistopraisejustice,tofightagainstthebully.Toteachistoguidepeopletoadoptacorrectattitudetople,Betterdiee;Don’thavecloaktomakeandresoluteandtheycanstrengthenpeopleconvictionandaethods.Theyareveryhelpfulforpeopletomakedistinctionbetanypeopletaketheseproverbsastheirlifemotto.Someotherproverbsrevealandcriticizethedarksideoftheagesorsociety.Theyattackthedirtypracticesofthesocietysoastoremindpeopletokeepconsciousandmaintainsharpple,Thefoxchangeshisskin,butnothishabit;Aleopardcannotchangeitsspots.Peopletendtorecitesuch proverbsindingotherstokeepalert.3.2Thefunctiontospreadexperiencesandknomarizeknoakessalt.Aspeople’sdailylifeisplicatedandextremelytrifling,suchproverbsarenumerous.Theysummarizepeople’sknothem,peoplemaybroadentheirknoakingmistakes.Someproverbsofthistypeareconcernederproverbsandmeteorologicalproverbs.Peasantsofdifferentages,intheiroveryears’ingexperienceandproductiverules.Fromgenerationtogeneration,theysumuptheirexperienceandthefarmingrulesintosomevivid,conciseandlivelysentences.Thesesentencesarefarmerproverbsandtheyarepracticedandtestifiedyearafteryearandtheyhavebeenprovedtrueandaccurate.Theyreflectthepeasants’farmingexperienceandagriculturalla.Farmerproverbsareapreciousandvaluablepartofagriculturaldata.Peasantsofdifferentageshavesomeofthemasguideintheirfarming.Andmeteorologicalproverbs,marizethefundamentalmeteorologicalknople,Aprilshoakesafullbarnandafindy;DryAugustanddoesharvestnoharm; Afairdayinotherofastorm;Amistymorningmayhaveafineday;Cloudymorningsturntoclearevenings.4.TherhetoricaldevicesofEnglishproverbsIfakefulluseofthem.Englishproverbsarealakethemeasytomemorizeandpleasanttoears.Folloind.（2）Foolslearnnothingfromen,butenlearnmuchfromfools.（3）Oneboyisaboy,tanthinksallthathesays;afoolsaysallthathethinks.Fromtheaboveexamples,eaynoticethatthemainpointofthesentencebeesclear.Itcanalsobeusedtoexpressstrongemotionandgiveusanaestheticfeelingandasenseoflogicalprogressionofideas.[21]4.2Phonology4.2.1Alliteration（5）Heakesconstantplaintsgetslittlepassion.（6）Afairfacemayhideafoulheart.（7）Thefairestfloeandtidean.Fromtheaboveexamples,.Becauseofrhythm, alliterationisagreathelptomemory.Itcancatchtheattentionofthereadersandmaketheideaimpresseddeeplyonthereaders,sotheproverbsareeasiertoremember.4.2.2Consonance（9）Inyouththehoursaregolden,andinmatureyearstheyaresilvern,andinoldagetheyareleaden.（10）Hopeforthebest,prepareforthetheabove-mentioned,consonancemakestheproverbsmorerhythmicandmoreappealing.Itisalsogoodforsoundrhyme,musicaleffectandsignificantemphasis.4.2.3Assonance（12）archesinlikealionandgoesoutlikealamb.（16）Truefriendshipislikesoundhealth,thevalueofknobisasdearasdearastoapoormanasanoxtotherich.Astheaboveexamples,simileexplainsabstract,plicatedideasinsimpleandconcreteaster.（19）Knoan’sbread. Astheaboveexamples,animpliedparisonbeton.4.3.3Metonymy（21）Alightheartliveslong.（22）Asoftansouthcatchesnoflies.Astheaboveexamples,unlikesimile,theparisoninmetaphorisimplied.Itrequiresgreaterabilityonthepartofthereadertomakeoutthehiddenassociationorinsight,sometaphorisgenerallymoreplicatedandmoreinvolvedthansimile.Theaboveproverbsenrichandstrengthenthereader’sexistingassociationandbringingaboutgreaterrhetoricaleffectiveness.[22]4.4Personification4.4.1Inanimateobjectspersonalizing（25）oneymakesthemarego.（27）Thepotcallsthekettleblack.4.4.2Animalspersonalizing（28）Thefoxkneuch,that’shoakeanillagreement.4.4.3Plantspersonalizing（32）Agreattreeattractstheakeaspring.4.4.4Abstractideaspersonalizing （34）Truthconquersallthings.（35）Opportunityseldomknockstakestheproverbsmorevividandmoreattractive.Itcanimpressthereadersdeeply.4.5Parallel（37）Inforapenny,inforapound.（38）Inyouththehoursaregolden,andinmatureyearstheyaresilvern,andinoldagetheyareleaden.（39）Theleastsaid,thesoonestmended.Astheabove,parallelstructurecancreateagoodvisualimageandhelpreadersmovequicklyfromoneideatothenext.Parallelismgivesemphasis,charityandcoherenceofideas,anditalsogivestherhythmoftheproverbs.Ithelpsthereaderstocatchtheideaofthespeakersorindsthinkalike.Heretheind”arebothrepresent“aperson”.4.7Hyperbole（42）Athousandyearscannotrepairamoment"slossofhonor.（43）Theanonlyusedasignofgreatemotionasshoples.Thereisnointenttodeceivethereader, instead,inthespeaker’smindheistrulydescribinghisintensefeelingatthetime.4.8Pun（45）Measureyourselfbyyouroeanings:onemeanshuman’heel,theotherisdimensionalunit.Sotheaboveproverbhasteanings,egroeanings:oneisthenameofkingoffloeansregret.Thee”andthee”havethesamepronunciations.Thesetakeapun.5.ConclusionProverbsaretheouteoflanguage.Theyefrompeopleandareusedbypeople.“Proverbs,asaprominentscholaroncesaid“themirrorofanation”and“thelivingfossilofalanguage”,doplayanimportantroleindifferentlanguagesandcultures.IntheostallEnglishspeakersarefamiliarup,themajorsourcesofEnglishproverbsaretheexperienceofthemonpeople,literaryythology,translatedloans,andhistory.Soebasicknoportantroleincross-culturalmunication.Becauseofusingrhetoricaldevicesandrhythmicalageandvividness,aketheideaimpresseddeeplyonthereaders.Theyalsoreveala universaltruthfromaparticularpointinordertoenlightenpeople.Soproverbsgivepeopleadviceor］.上海：上海外语教育出版社，2003.P57[2]郝澎.英美民间故事与民俗：你不可不知道的英语学习背景知识［M］.海口：南海出版公司，2004.5.P49[3]同注[2],P41[4]圣经(马太福音第27章第32节)［M］.中国基督教三自爱国运动委员会；中国基督教协会.南京爱德印刷有限公司,2000.P57[5]圣经(申命记第8章第3节)［M］.中国基督教三自爱国运动委员会；中国基督教协会.南京爱德印刷有限公司,2000.PP283-284[6]王书亭、王建敏.英语流行谚语［M］.东营：石油大学出版社，2004.4.P174[7]同注[6],P168[8]同注[1],P41[9]同注[1],P55[10]同注[1],P55[11]同注[1],P56[12]同注[1],P55[13]王振亚.语言与文化［M］.北京：高等教育出版社，1999.4.P191 [14]同注[1],P186[15]同注[1],P50[16]王振亚.实用英语语言文化［M］.保定:河北大学出版社,2004.8.P139[17]刘宝权、侯艳萍.《英语专业八级人文知识》［M］.大连：大连理工大学版社，2005.9.P47[18]林承璋.《英语词汇学引论（修订版）》［M］.武汉：武汉大学出版社，1997.4.PP36-37[19]同注[6],P88[20]同注[1],P100[21]张秀国.英语修辞学［M］.北京：清华大学出版社;北京交通大学出版社,2005.P127[22]同注[22],P165[23]同注[22],P129[24]GuiQing-yang.DegreesofAffinity：AparativestudyonEnglishandChineseproverbs［J］.JOURNALOFSHANGRAOTEACHERSCOLLEGE,Aug.1994,Vol.14(No.3):P92