2

CONTENT

ABSTRACTS ........................................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 4
PART 1 THEMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED
PROVERBS OF ENGLISH .................................................................................................. 6
1.1. The group about animals ............................................................................................. 6
1.2. The group about time .................................................................................................. 7
1.3. The group about appearance ....................................................................................... 8
1.4. The group about money .............................................................................................. 9
1.5. The group about everyday’s life ............................................................................... 10
1.6. The group about friendship ....................................................................................... 11
PART 2 CLASSIFICATION OF PROVERBS ACCORDING TO THEIR ORIGIN ....... 13
2.1. Biblical proverbs and sayings ................................................................................... 13
2.2. The proverbs taken from folklore. ............................................................................ 14
2.3. The proverbs taken from mythology ......................................................................... 15
2.4. The proverbs taken from works of fiction ................................................................ 15
2.5. The proverbs taken from other languages. ................................................................ 16
PART 3 FREQUENCY COUNT OF WORDS IN ENGLISH PROVERBS. .................... 18
PART 4 CORRELATION OF RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH SAYINGS AND PROVERBS.
TRANSLATION PROBLEMS ........................................................................................... 20
4.1. Similarity of the Russian and English proverbs ........................................................ 21
4.2. The examples of translation. ..................................................................................... 21
4.3. Complete analogues .................................................................................................. 22
CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................. 24
DICTIONARIES AND THEORETICAL SOURCES........................................................ 26
APPENDIX 1 ...................................................................................................................... 28
APPENDIX 2 ...................................................................................................................... 30
APPENDIX 3 ...................................................................................................................... 31
APPENDIX 4 ...................................................................................................................... 34
 3
ABSTRACTS

The purpose of my work is to reveal peculiarities of English proverbs translation and

to classify them for better studying.
The object of my research is: English proverbs and sayings and their analogues in
Russian and proverbs from other languages.
The hypothesis of my research: there are definite rules of translating proverbs without
which the sense of them will be ridiculous.
For better understanding of English proverbs it is necessary to classify them into dif-
ferent groups according to their main ideas and topics, according to their origin, according
to the most frequently used words.
For reaching the main goals the main phases have been fulfilled:
1) The analyses of literature devoted to the origin of English proverbs;
2) The studying of proverbs ;
3) The classification of proverbs according to their theme and origin;
4) The investigation of difficulties in translation into Russian;
5) Solving the problem of translation;
6) Frequency of using certain words in proverbs.
The methodological base of the research:
In the process of work a set of methods was used for checking up the main hypothesis
which includes the analysis of literature, the analysis of proverbs themselves and the con-
trastive analysis of English and Russian proverbs.
The practical importance of my research is proverbs themselves and decreasing of
mistakes made when you translate the proverbs.
These data can be used by students when they study English sayings.
The hypothesis of my research about the rules of translation was confirmed.
In most examples of proverbs used I did not have any difficulties of translating of
English proverbs into Russian. Owing to the thematic classification of phraseological units
the studying of proverbs became easier.
 4
INTRODUCTION

It was noticed long ago that people’s traditions and their wisdom can be found in
proverbs and sayings. There are plenty of proverbs and sayings in every language which
show people’s knowledge and experience, their life and wisdom. Thus, knowing every na-
tion’s proverbs gives possibilities to understand people’s thoughts and character at differ-
ent times of their life.
Proverbs are short and pithy sayings which express traditionally held truth. They are
usually metaphorical and often for the sake of memorability, alliterative. They are general-
ly known by many people. A saying usually contains words of wisdom, truth or morals,
which are based on common sense or practical experience.
Proverbs – is an ancient genre of folk culture which appeared at the very beginning of
people’s civilization and its roots are very deep in the past. Such expressions and sayings
are an integral part of spoken and written speech. A correct and relevant use of these say-
ings make our speech extremely expressive and peculiar. Proverbs improve our speech and
make it more emotional. They give better understanding of different life situations. “Prov-
erbs and sayings visually demonstrate the geographical position, and history, and tradi-
tions of this or that community, united by the same culture.”[22, p.80] But the main pecu-
liarity of these proverbs is that they can’t be made up just during the conversation. They
exist in languages as valuable expressions which cannot be changed and which were made
many centuries ago. Such expressive means as accurate rhythm, plain form and briefness
made proverbs really necessary in speech. Briefness is an essential aspect of remembering
proverbs and only few of them are not so laconic. Despite the fact that proverbs are wide
spread and used in languages because of their briefness it should be pointed out that many
of them are polysemantic which makes them very hard to understand. As we can notice
most of the proverbs have their literal meaning despite the diversity of words but there are
some of them in which didactic sense is not that clear and the idiomatic meaning of these
proverbs can be mixed with the sentence meaning. In this case it’s rather hard to under-
stand the main idea of the saying .Such kind of sayings are extremely popular in everyday
speech especially when people want to make their speech more emotional and want to em-
 5
phasize this or that idea. And in every language there are lots of proverbs the sense of
which can’t be taken literally and identically, even if you know every word, you should
understand the subtext of these proverbs.
One more essential fact is that some proverbs were made by a certain person and
mostly in oral form. But if a proverb was made by a person who liked writing his ideas
and thoughts, may be in some cases we can get to the original source of these sayings. Af-
ter finding the origin of these sayings it’s very important to classify them for further study-
ing. Another source, besides somebody’s sayings, can be any other languages or some-
body’s rephrase of earlier known expressions. But it is very hard to be confident that
proverbs which were taken from another language had not been translated from one more
language before. It is really possible that some proverbs can’t be identified what language
they are taken from. As the proverbs reflect the lifestyle of the nation which they were
taken from we can claim that if they were taken from another language they should not be
translated literally but they should be adapted to the traditions and history of people whose
language they are translated from. And it should be emphasized that many sayings were
lost just because of this fact.
Myology is a part of linguistics which deals with keeping and working out different
sayings and idioms of many languages. It helps to understand and compare idioms accord-
ing to their origin, culture and traditions. We know that a lot of English writers and scien-
tists like R. Ferguson, K.Wittings, W. Shakespeare, Oscar Wild and Jeffry Choser made a
great contribution into researching of idioms and sayings. P.Buast noticed that the perfect
idiom is that one which expresses the biggest amount of conceptions with the help of the
fewest amount of words.
Hence I would like to point out that the main goal of this research is the history and
origin of English proverbs and sayings which are the most common and spread these days.
The classification of the proverbs according to their semantic role and their frequency in
people’s speech is another very important topic of my research.
 6
PART 1
THEMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY USED
PROVERBS OF ENGLISH
The main purpose of this work is to classify groups of proverbs for further studying
and using them according to the themes they are divided into. There are a lot of different
themes and diversity of groups.

1.1. The group about animals

Allegory is the essence of English proverbs. And the first group which I am going to
describe is a group of proverbs where situations and phenomena were shown with the
help of animals for better expressiveness. This way of sense embodiment is called allego-
ry. Allegory is one of the most used expressive means in making proverbs, idioms and
sayings.
1) A lazy sheep thinks its wood heavy.
This is an example of a saying where we can find allegory with animals but actually
it means that for a lazy person but not for an animal everything is not satisfactory.
2) If you agree to carry a calf, they will make you carry the cow.
In this proverb we can meet two animals but it’s clear that the idea of it is about peo-
ple who warn others not to take too much enthusiasm in doing work as those who make
you work will use your possibility to work hard and will make you work more and more.
But the difference between the calf and the cow shows the quantity of work you will pos-
sibly do if you agree to work much. If there weren’t any animals in this proverb we
wouldn’t be able to show the difference between little work and much work.
3) Hawks will not puck hawks eyes.
4) Dog does not eat dog.
5) Crows do not pick crows eyes.
This subgroup has the same thematic meaning but still they differ in some way. Using
of different animals influenced the understanding of these sayings. For example in the
third and the fifth sayings much stronger animals are used which makes these proverbs
more emphatic. It means that animals of the same group will never put down their nearest
 7
and dearest but a degree of these relationships is different according to the size of the ani-
mals used in these expressions. For instance, a cow is an animal physically stronger than a
dog so the proverb with the cow will be taken more seriously.
6) Go to bed with the lamb and rise with the lark.
As well as others, this proverb contains allegory and hidden idea, but in contrast to
others it shows advice and gives us not literal idea of the saying but it teaches us that not-
ing is eternal and during even one night everything can be changed dramatically. And us-
ing allegory helps understand everything much better when you compare lambs and larks.
7) Fine feathers make fine birds.
This expression can be understood in different ways and it can be put in the diversity
of groups according to its semantic meaning. So, on the one hand, to be a fine bird you
need fine feathers and for people it can be transformed into the idea of money and good
clothes to be fine and, on the other hand, the fine bird deserves fine feathers and for people
it can be another idea that if you are fine, your feathers will be fine too. It becomes very
expressive with the help of birds. You can immediately imagine a very beautiful bird with
marvelous wings or feathers and it’s clear and very emotional. You could not imagine a
person as well as a bird.
8) No bees no honey, no work no money.
9) A cat in gloves catches no mice.
To my mind it’s absolutely clear that with the help of bees we can say much about
work as bees are very hard-working and if people do not work they will not see any re-
sults.
I would like to mention that this group of proverbs is the most emotional and the
most emphatic one, as animals live according to their instincts and they do not have any
subconscious thoughts and rivalry, as people do and their life is simple and clear.

1.2. The group about time

The next group in this classification is the group connected with time. Most of these
proverbs tell us about valuable time and teach us to save time, not to waste it for unim-
 8
portant things. The most of these sayings are like tips for people but some of them are like
derision of the way people live and do not appreciate every moment of their life.
1) Haste makes waste.
Here you can see the warning for people or advice not to hurry. It means that if you
hurry, you will do something not so well and others will laugh at you. Owing to its brevity
the proverb is easy for remembering and because of this it becomes more popular.
2) First come – first served.
This proverb shows the great importance of being very organized, not to be late in
order not to miss anything important. Owing to its brevity it is very popular too.
3) All the future exists in the past.
This saying has a lot of similar ones and it possibly comes from ancient times. It
shows that the past has influenced us so much and the impact on our present life is ex-
tremely big.
And there are many others which have the same meaning, for example:
4) Nothing is new under the sun.
5) A stitch in time saves nine.
It teaches us to do everything on time and you will have enough time for other things.

1.3. The group about appearance

The next very popular theme in proverb classification is a theme about appearance.
But the proverbs of this group can be connected with a group about money, animals, eve-
ryday life and others. But I tried to unite some of them in one group for explaining them.
1) You cannot judge of a tree by its bark.
It means that the appearance can be fine but deceptive. It’s a kind of warning or rec-
ommendation for people to be careful and not to judge people by their clothes.
2) All is not gold that glitters.
It has very close meaning to the previous one but here the most expensive material is
taken to show, that even gold can be bad or sometimes dangerous.
3) The devil is not as black as he is painted.
 9
These proverbs are connected with appearance but they have absolutely different
meaning.
The last proverb means that people should not be afraid of difficulties or hardships if
they want to achieve goals in their life. And to emphasize this idea the devil’s image is
used, as everybody in the past were so terrified of him and he was associated with black
clothes and bad affairs.
4) Clothes make the man/ Clothes do not make the man.
I think it is necessary to pay attention to these two sayings. Perhaps one of these
proverbs was rephrased from another but the person who changed it, probably, had abso-
lutely opposite opinion about the meaning of the first saying. But still both of them exist
and despite the opposite meaning it can teach people and have impact on our social life.

1.4. The group about money

The next group is a group about money. Money is the most influential and strong
thing, which accompanies humanity from ancient time up to these days. Money separate
people, break up relationships, causes wars, crimes, arguments. And the echo of these you
can find in English proverbs. This subject is eternal and it is the reason, why proverbs
about money are so widely spread and popular. In this group you can find proverbs which
are remembered as short-form and clear in moral. Almost all the examples of this group
have very strong advice and warning and have been used in everyday life for ages.
1) Money makes the mare go.
This proverb is very popular as it is very laconic and is easily remembered.
2) He who serves god for money will serve to the devil for better wages.
Despite being rather long this proverb has very actual meaning nowadays and it can
be used widely. It means that people should not live for money and they should have other
valuables like friendship, honesty and others or their life will be dedicated only to money.
This proverb is very memorable because of its very bright idea.
3) His money burns a hole in his pocket.
4) Money is a good servant but a bad master.
5) Money often unmakes the man who makes it.
 10
6) Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain.
7) Money has no smell.
8) Money begets money.
All these proverbs are very different in their meaning but all of them are taken from
people’s experience and teach how to deal with money so as not to become its slave. The
proverbs can show in what different ways people use it and even we can see different
characters of people. For instance, one man can be very generous and the proverb 3) can
be about him. Another man can do everything even some “dirty” or dishonest things for
the sake of money and the proverb 7) is about him. One more example is about the person
who likes studying or wants to teach his children in the best ways and the proverb 6) is
about him. In general we could emphasize the fact that money is very influential on peo-
ple’s lifestyle and proverbs can show all cases, when money served people good or bad.

1.5. The group about everyday’s life

The next group of sayings is a group which is united from two different themes such
as everyday’s routine and sayings which give advice. These two groups are connected with
each other as we usually make lots of mistakes in relationships and the wisdom of prov-
erbs can help people to understand where the mistake was and how to behave to avoid
them in future.
1) He that would eat the fruit will climb the tree.
2) He that would have eggs must endure the cackling of lens.
3) He who would eat the nut must first crack the shell.
All of these proverbs can be thematically interchangeable because each of them can
be used in the same situation with the same moral.
The next sayings may not be connected with routine but they give good advice in
many important situations of our life.
4) If we can’t as we would we must do as we can.
5) If you want a thing well done do it yourself.
6) If you don’t have the best do the best of what you have.
7) In every beginning think of the end.
 11
All of these proverbs are eternal as we can use them nowadays and most of them
could be used in the ancient times too. But the next example certainly came from the earli-
est times of humanity because now we don’t use such things as bows and arrows. But the
meaning is the same.
8) Draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed.

1.6. The group about friendship

Perhaps one of the main and the most popular themes is one about friendship. During
long term of people’s existence friendship is actual and important. This problem always
worried people because friendship can be loyal and disloyal. And I have come to conclu-
sion that these proverbs came mostly from folk wisdom and are passed through centuries
from generation to generation.
1) A friend in need is a friend indeed.
It is the most frequently used saying and many languages could have its equivalents.
May be the sense of it is very important for the mankind or else it is very short and easily
remembered.
2) A friend in court is better than a penny in purse.
It is a really good advice not only about friendship but also about money. But the
main stress is about friends. Perhaps the expression appeared because of confrontation of
different social levels.
3) One for all and all for one.
In this proverb we cannot see the words “friend” or “friendship” but still we can un-
derstand what it means
4) Who keeps company with the wolf must learn to howl.
Without the words about friendship everyone can understand the main idea of it. And
it shows how people should live to have friends. It can be connected with problems be-
tween friends.
So, after all these proverbs we can come to a conclusion that all these groups of prov-
erbs have very brightly expressed moral, they are rather laconic, all of them are very popu-
 12
lar nowadays and were popular at ancient times. And one more important thing is that the
language of these proverbs is rather simple and clear.
 13
PART 2
CLASSIFICATION OF PROVERBS ACCORDING TO THEIR ORIGIN

In the second part of my work the origin of some English proverbs will be found out
with the help of some historical facts and words used in proverbs. There is such part of
phraseology which deals with the subject of lexical expressions and their origin. The in-
vestigation of this part is based on time, on historical events and they claim that it is possi-
ble to understand different details of the origin.
Every saying, before it becomes a proverb, must be used and repeated by ordinary
people. Having become a proverb it starts to be a part of people’s consciousness. Using a
proverb in different situations a speaker tries to emphasize the essence of it, but nobody
thinks that every proverb is an inseparable part of people’s history and moreover every ex-
pression is formed as the reflection of nation’s rules and traditions.
During the long period of investigation some scientists, owing to particular aspects,
which you can see in a definite group of proverbs, found different groups or classes of
proverbs. In my work I would like to define five classes:
1) Based on the Bible;
2) Based on folklore;
3) Mythology and historical events;
4) Fiction;
5) Taken from other languages.

2.1. Biblical proverbs and sayings

As the Bible was very readable and popular, it influenced people’s consciousness so
much that a lot of sayings became proverbs. And after investigating a wide range of prov-
erbs, it is possible to come to a conclusion that, owing to the lexicon and the main idea,
you can define some proverbs as Biblical proverbs.
1) Forbidden fruit is sweet.
 14
Firstly one of the main question is how can you define it as the Biblical one. But re-
membering, which fruit was forbidden but sweet, you can easily recollect the legend about
“our first parents” and put this proverb into this group.
2) All are not saints that go to church.
3) God helps those who help themselves.
These two sayings can be closely connected with the part of the Bible or it was
claimed by a priest to his church members.
The king James’s version of the Bible has been enormously influential in the devel-
opment of the English language. After Shakespeare the King James’sversion of the Bible
is the most common source of phrases. The king James 1 of England did not write the text,
of course, he merely authorized it. Hence the name of the book is best known in the UK.
What raises that version above other versions of the Bible in terms of its linguistic impact
is the fact that the language used has persisted into the present day. Many of the phrases
included are still common place.
And some more phases originated from the Bible:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush;
A house divided against itself cannot stand;
A wolf in sheep’s clothing;
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth;
As you sow so shall you reap;
Faith will move mountains;
Forgive them for they know not what to do.

2.2. The proverbs taken from the folklore.

It is the biggest part of sayings because the folklore does not contain only short say-
ings but also a lot of fairy tales, poems, songs and others and it keeps the long history
wisdom and continues living in further generations.”An ethnographer understands in the
folklore sayings reflection of disappeared customs and traditions. A philosopher tries to
understand the way of people’s mentality.”[21,p.7]
 15
So everything came from people’s experience and the formation of these proverbs
are connected with moral and people’s mentality.
1) Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
2) Better do well than say well.
3) Everything is good in its season.

2.3. The proverbs taken from mythology

Mythology is the most ancient literature which was passed from mouth to mouth for a
very long period of life. But every myth has its own history and time when it was created.
Every proverb which came from the mythology has its historical sense and confirmation.
1) All roads lead to Rome.
Everybody knows from history about the great and invincible Empire where Rome
was the capital. And this saying shows the great importance of the Empire.
2) He will never set the Thames on fire.
It is concerned the history of London when the great fire destroyed the city in 1666. It
meant that the fire which destroyed great numbers of people’s lives, most of buildings
couldn’t be controlled only by the great Thames. Most historical facts, which tell about the
events of that time, are based on people’s memories and writings.

2.4. The proverbs taken from works of fiction

Most proverbs, taken from literature, were made at the renaissance. During this peri-
od there were a lot of different gifted writers, poets and philosophers. It was William
Shakespeare who coined the phrases – he contributed more phrases and sayings into the
English language than any other individuals, and most of them are still in daily use. Here
is the collection of well-known quotations, which are associated with Shakespeare. A lot
of proverbs were taken from his works of literature, which either in the original form or in
the rephrased form became proverbs.
1) Brevity is the soul of wit.
2) Sweet are the uses of adversity.
3) A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
 16
4) A countenance more in sorrow than in anger.
5) All that glitters is not gold.
6) All is well that ends well.
7) And shining morning face, creeping like a snail unwillingly to school.
8) Love is blind.
9) Much ado about nothing.
10) Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep.
11) The course of true love never did run smooth.
These quotations taken from Shakespeare’s works are timely nowadays too.

2.5. The proverbs taken from other languages.

Many proverbs were taken from different languages but mainly from Latin. We have
already mentioned about the Rome Empire and the influence of their language can give us
an explanation, why this language gave a lot of proverbs to many languages. But concern-
ing English, it should be mentioned here, that during 2 centuries the Romans, who con-
quered England, changed English so much, that only rural inhabitants kept their original
language for further generations. Thus, it becomes evident, why English was so much in-
fluenced by Latin and for our work it is very important to emphasize the origin of English
proverbs.
1) A sound mind in a sound body.
2) Through hardships to the stars.
These two proverbs are of Latin origin:
1) Mens sana in corpora sana.
2) Per aspera ad astra.
Here is a list of Latin phrases and sayings that are used in English very often and be-
came a part of language.
1. Ars longa, vita brevis – Skill takes time to acquire, but life is short;
2. Carpe diem – Enjoy the day, pluck it when it is ripe;
3. Not en volens – Willingly or unwillingly;
4. Praemonitus, praemunitus – Forwarned is forarmed;.
 17
5. Veni, vidi, vici – I came, I saw, I conquered;
6. Vice versa – the other way around.
After this classification it is possible to come to conclusion:
1. Every proverb comes from a definite period of time and owing to the information
which we can get from a proverb it can be clear which historical event it comes from.
2. As proverbs are part of the folklore it can be a reason why a lot of them are lost.
 18
PART 3
FREQUENCY COUNT OF WORDS IN ENGLISH PROVERBS.

Working with proverb collection, it became clear, that some words turned out to be
the most used in English proverbs. Researching different themes, it became clear that the
use of words in proverbs really depend on real problems which many generations dealt
with. For example, the words: devil, fool, good, time, money are really wide spread in
English sayings. And the most popular proverbs with the most popular words will be
shown below.
1) Better the devil you know than the devil you doubt.
2) Between the devil and the deep sea.
Perhaps, the reason of the extreme popularity of proverbs about the devil is that peo-
ple were always afraid of him and they connected all their fears and problems with him. In
these proverbs there is some kind of warning about the danger, connected with the devil.
3) A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man can ask in seven
years.
4) A fool and his money are soon parted.
5) Fools and madmen speak the truth
6) A fool always rushes to the fore.
It was possible to seethat the word fool is used in proverbs on different subjects such
as money, giving advice to be reserved, teaching to be shy and so on.
7) A good beginning is half the battle.
8) A good deed is never lost.
9) A good name is better than riches.
The word “good’ is used so often to show good manners, good relationships, good
opinion of people.
10) Time cures all things.
11) Time works wonders.
12) Time and tide wait for no man.
 19
Some of these proverbs teach us that life continues despite misfortunes but others
teach us to save our time, not to waste it for unimportant and unnecessary things.
13) Love in a cottage.
14) Love is blind as well as hatred.
15) Love me love my dog.
People made a lot of mistakes because of very strong love or passion. That is why
these proverbs are so popular and they teach us now too.
16) False friends are worse than open enemies.
17) Friends are thieves of time.
This theme is the top theme among English sayings. And friends were not always
loyal. So this word is frequently used in English proverbs.
Money is the top theme too. The importance of this subject is evident.
Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language. The element of language,
which best encapsulates society’s values and beliefs is its proverbs.
The graphic in the appendix 4 shows the words that are used in English proverbs with
the size of each word indicating how often it occurs. It is interesting to note that the two
most common words in English proverbs are “good” and “never”. A bit of psychology
leads to conclusion that if proverbs really do reflect belief, then the English tried to make
some warnings and predictions in a negative context.
 20
PART 4
CORRELATION OF RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH SAYINGS AND PROVERBS.
TRANSLATION PROBLEMS

Contrasting proverbs in English and Russian shows the diversity of peoples’ cultures
and at the same time demonstrates the similar problems. Almost all English proverbs were
formed in absolutely different historical circumstances. And this factor means that when
we translate English proverbs into Russian language we should remember about the moral
and the main idea of sayings. From this it follows that in most cases translation is impossi-
ble, but it is possible to find the analogue of a saying in Russian. Word-for-word transla-
tion sometimes can be very absurd, odd and ridiculous. For example, the expression “No
room to swing a cat” in word-for-word translation will be funny and not clear, that is why
we should find an equivalent in Russian and it will be clear and will have distinct moral.
Furthermore, proverbs and sayings are usually philosophical ideas with deep meaning
and imaginative analogues. Therefore, how to translate proverbs correctly and to match
traditions and characteristics of nations appropriately is the matter not only the rules, but
also the methods.
The first method is supposed to be “literal”. It means that some sayings are identical
to the ones of another language. The so-called “literal’ translation certainly does not mean
to translate word-for-word because there are differences between two languages. This
method retains the image of the original text.
The second method is the so-called “free” translation. With the help of this method
you can be prevented from any misunderstanding. So you should use some associations,
connected with different traditions and emphasize your idea by using images, traditionally
connected with this or that nation.
The third method is “mechanical use of synonyms” or finding analogues. Despite the
fact that there are differences between two languages, yet there are many communicative
proverbs which tend to coincide with each other.
To translate proverbs you should have some phases:
1. Reading an original proverb;
 21
2. Problem solving, working out the main idea;
3. Formulating the same idea in different language;
4. Looking for an available analogue;
5. Creating a version;
6. Re-reading;
7. Verifying.
So, in order to find the best way of translation it should be pointed out that the result
of translation depends on the main method, mentioned above. We can use “literal”, “free”
or “mechanical use of synonyms” methods or even combine them to get the most precise
equivalent.

4.1. Similarity of the Russian and English proverbs

The proverbs in these two languages can be similar in different ways:
1) Similarity of actions.
2) Similarity of morals.
3) Similarity of time of formation.
4) Similarity of living conditions.
5) Similarity of historical events.
6) Similarity of sense.
And as the result of all these we can always find the analogue of the proverbs not to
mutilate the original saying.

4.2. The examples of translation.

1) The example of the English saying: To build a fire under oneself.
Word-for word translation is: Под собой разжигать костер.
The analogue: Самому себе рыть яму.
This example shows that it is connected with a very serious factor – a historical
event. And comparing the English and Russian examples it should be mentioned that in
the Russian one the base is everyday’s life and in the English – the base is the historical
event. This phraseological unit is based on the historical event such as London fire in
 22
1966. From this example we can conclude that both of these sayings are connected with
the same moral. But as different people had different understanding of this problem conse-
quently the proverbs sound in different ways.
2) English variant: To come off with a whole skin.
Word-for-word translation: Выйти с целой шкурой.
The analogue: Унести ноги.
Speculating on this English proverb we can say that it is an ancient one as it is con-
nected with keeping the skin. Personally I think that it is connected with the animal skin
which was used as clothes. And the Russian one can be both an ancient and a modern one.
So they both have the same moral but were formed in different times. The words are abso-
lutely different but the idea is absolutely the same. It confirms our thought that there are
similar problems in different countries and it is very good to find the equivalent not to mu-
tilate the idea.
3) English variant: A bad workman quarrels with his tools.
Word-for-word translation: Плохому рабочему инструменты плясать мешают.
Theanalogue: Плохому танцору шаровары плясать мешают.
In these examples we can see the difference in cultures very easily. As “шаровары”is
originally a Russian part of clothes we can’t mix it with traditional work which we can
find in the English saying. Thus, it comes again that the problem and the moral are similar
but the ways of expressing are different.
4) English variant: Nothing is new under the sun.
Word-for-word translation: Ничто не ново под солнцем.
The analogue: Ничто не вечно под луной.
On the face of it these two variants are very similar but we can see another way of
expressing. The moon and The Sun may be the result of different levels of education and
science in our two countries at the time of forming these proverbs.

4.3. Complete analogues

And the most important idea of my work is that there are a lot of complete analogues
of Russian proverbs in the English language. They do not need to be translated in any
 23
special way. Hence we can say that people of different nationalities have always had very
similar problems in their relationships and people’s wisdom is reflected in these sayings.
1) To be up to the ears in love – Быть влюбленным по уши.
2) There are no rules without exceptions – Нет правил без исключений.
3) There is no rose without a thorn – Нет розы без шипов.
4) To come off cheap – Дешево отделаться.
5) One for all and all for one – Один за всех и все за одного.
From all these I can conclude that there are some special rules of translating and there
are lots of difficulties in understanding the proverbs of other languages. But still you can
find a lot of complete analogues in both languages and be sure that despite the fact that
there are different world views among our nationalities we can find problems in common
between the two countries, and they are eternal.
 24
CONCLUSIONS

In my research I have studied types of English proverbs and sayings and their Rus-
sian analogues, classified them thematically, defined the approximate time of forming
them (owing to the information which the proverbs contain), classified them according to
origin and determined certain rules of translating.
1. All proverbs have been classified thematically. I have researched 6 groups of prov-
erbs:
1) The group about animals or allegorical group;
2) The group about time:
3) The group about appearance;
4) The group about money;
5) The group about daily life;
6) The group about friendship.
Taking into consideration the thematic classification of sayings it is interesting to es-
tablish the fact that there are more or less popular subjects. In conclusion we can empha-
size the most common proverb themes. But within this work it was sometimes hard to
identify the main idea, so for this sake I had to classify them very carefully.
2. Another classification has been made according to their origin. It went as follows:
1) Biblical expressions;
2) The proverbs taken from folklore;
3) The proverbs taken from mythology;
4) The proverbs taken from fiction;
5) The proverbs taken from other languages.
After this part of work we can conclude that every proverb comes from definite time
and from different sources. Owing to the information which we can get from the origin of
a proverb it can be clear which historical event it comes from and why a lot of them have
been lost or changed.

3. I have formed certain rules of translating English proverbs.

 25
Methods of translating:
1)”literal”;
2) “free”;
3) “mechanical use of synonyms” or analogues;
4) combination of different methods.
I defined several phases of translation:
1) Reading the original proverb:
2) Problem solving;
3) Formulating the same idea in different language;
4) Looking for the available analogue;
5) Creating a version;
6) Re-reading;
7) Approval.

4. I managed to establish that finding English analogues for Russian proverbs was
adapted to the culture of the Russians. It means that when you look for analogues of a
proverb which is connected with history, it is necessary to understand that the Russians
have a different history and a proverb should reflect this difference.
5. A very serious problem for learners is that we cannot translate a proverb word-for-
word as the idea of it will be extremely mutilated. And only a small part of sayings can be
translated very closely to the original. And, for all the rest, the best way is to find the
equivalent.
But I have come to a conclusion that if we can find complete analogues of English
proverbs in the Russian language, it shows that our people have the same universal values.
These complete analogues have not only similar idea but this idea is expressed with the
same words.
In this work I have revealed peculiarities of English proverbs, identified the origin of
some of them and I have shown the importance of sayings in modern English.
 26
DICTIONARIES AND THEORETICAL SOURCES

1. 1340 английских пословиц и поговорок с русскими эквивалентами. – М.: ИБИС,

1992. – 127 с.
2. 500 английских пословиц и поговорок /Сост.: И. С. Гварджаладзе, А. Л. Гиль-
бертсон, Т. Г. Кочинашвили. – 4-е изд. – М.: Изд-во лит. На иностранных яз.,
1959. – 35 с.
3. 7000 золотых пословиц и поговорок / Сост. КовалеваС. – М.: АСТ, 1999
4. Английские и русские пословицы и поговорки, М. И. Дубровин. М. Просвеще-
ние, 1999
5. Английские пословицы и поговорки / И. С. Гварджаладзе, Д. И. Мчедлишвили.
– М.: Высш. шк., 1971. – 77 с.
6. Английские пословицы и поговорки / материал взят из Интернет // Иностран-
ный язык в школе. – 2006. – N5. – c. 37-44
7. Английские пословицы и поговорки и их эквиваленты в русском и языке: Па-
ремиологический словарь / Сост.: Т. Баймаханов, А. Байтелиев, Н. Утешева
8. Англо-русский фразеологический словарь, А. В. Кунин. 4 издание, М.: 1984
9. Русско-английский словарь пословиц и поговорок, С. С. Кузьмин, Н. Л. Шад-
рин. М. Русский язык, 1989
10. Словарь употребительных английских пословиц: 326 статей. – М.: Русский
язык, 1985. – 232 с.
11. Маслова В. А. Введение в лингвокультурологию. – М.: Наследие, 1997. – 206 с.
12. Маслова В. А. Лингвокультурология. – М.: Академия, 2001. – 208 с.
13. Мезенцева Е. С. Пословичный фонд языка как фрагмент языкового сознания
этноса // Вестник КазНУ. - №2, 2005. – с. С. 23-26
14. Снегирев И. М. Русские в своих пословицах. – Новгород. 1997
15. Шведова И. Ю. Теоретические результаты, полученные в работе над «Русским
систематическим словарем» // Русский язык. - №1, 1999. – с. 3-16
16. Колесов В. В. Афористика Древней Руси // Мудрое слово Древней руси. – М.:
1989
 27
17. Бочина Т. Г. Русская пословица как диалог времен Русское слово в мировой
культуре: Русский текст и дискусс сегодня. – СПб.: Политехника, 2003
18. Телия В. Н. Русская фразеология. Семантический, прагматический и лингво
культурологические аспекты. – М., 1996
19. Аникин В. П. Мудрость народов // Пословицы и поговорки народов Востока.
М., 1961. – с. 7
20. Жуков В. П. Словарь русских пословиц и поговорок. – М., 1990
21. Р. Д. Тажибаева. Сходства и различия пословиц и поговорок // Вестник КазНУ.
- №2, 2006. – с. 144-147
22. Лобанова Л. П. Новый стиль речи и культура поколения: политическая кор-
ректность. М., 2004
23. Тарланов З. К. Язык. Этнос. Время. – Петрозаводск, 1993
24. Потебня А. А. Из лекций по теории словесности. Басня. Пословица. Поговорка.
– Харьков, 1984. – с. 108-109
25. Пермяков Г. Л. От поговорки до сказки (заметки по общей теории клише). Мо-
сква, 1970
26. Черкасский М. А. Опыт построения функциональной модели одной части се-
миотической системы (пословицы и поговорки) // Паремиологический сборник.
Пословица. Загадка: (Структура, смысл, текст).М., 1978
27. О. Е. Фролова. Пословица и ее отношение к действительности // Вестник Мос-
ковского университета. - №4, 2005
28. Сабитова З. К. Историческая память языка и культуры // VII Седельниковские
чтения. – Павлодар, 2007
29. Тер-Минасова С. Г. Языки и межкультурная коммуникация. М., 2000. – с. 80
 28
APPENDIX 1

Frequency count table of certain words in proverbs under research

GOOD (29 proverbs)
A good beginning is half the battle
A good deed is never lost
A good dog deserves a good bone
A good example is the best sermon
A good face is the letter of recommendation
A good Jack makes a good Jill
A good name is better than riches
A good name is sooner lost than won
A good wife makes a good husband…
LIKE (16)
Like a cat on hot bricks
Like a needle in a haystack
Like begets like
Like cures like
Like father like son
Like draws to like
Like master like man
Like mother like daughter
Like priest like people
As like as an apple to an oyster
As alike as two peas…
NEVER (15)
Never do things by halves
Never fry a fish till it’s caught
Never offer to teach fish to swim
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today
 29
Never say die
Never too much of a good thing
Never try to prove what nobody doubts
DEVIL (13)
The devil is not so black as he is painted
The devil knows many things because he is old
The devil lurks behind the cross
Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t
Between the devil and the deep sea….
FIRE (8)
Better a little fire to warm us than a great fire to burn us
He carries the fire in one hand and water in the other
One fire drives out another
To build a fire under oneself……..
LOVE (8)
Love cannot be forced
Love in a cottage
Love is blind as well as hatred
Love me love my dog
Love will creep where it may not go
To love somebody as the devil
To love holy water
To be up to the ears in love…..
MAN(12)
Man proposes God disposes
A man can die but once
A man can do no more than he can
A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds
Every man has his faults
Every man has a fool in his sleeve…
 30
APPENDIX 2

Translation of English proverbs into Russian by finding Russian equivalents.

A bad workman quarrels with his tools – Плохому танцору шаровары плясать
мешают
A bargain is a bargain – Договор дороже денег
A cat in gloves catches no mice – Без труда не вынуть и рыбку из пруда
As like as an apple to an oyster – Похож, как гвоздь на панихиду
As alike as two peas – Как две капли воды
As snug as a bug in a rug – Как у Бога за пазухой
Cheapest is the dearest – Скупой платит дважды
Curses like chickens come home to roost – Не рой другому яму, сам в нее
попадешь
Everybody’s business is nobody’s business – У семи нянек дитя без глазу
Good clothes open all doors – По одежке встречают
He who was born a fool is never cured – Горбатого могила исправит
If the cap fits, wear it – На воре и шапка горит
If ifs and ans were pots and pans – Если бы да кабы во рту выросли грибы
In for a penny, in for a pound – Взялся за гуж, не говори, что не дюж
It is no use crying over spilt milk – Слезами горю не поможешь
It never rains but it pours – Пришла беда, отворяй ворота
 31
APPENDIX 3

THE LIST OF PROVERBS UNDER RESEARCH

1. A lazy seep thinks its wood heavy.

2. If you agree to carry a calf they will make you carry the cow
3. A bad workman quarrels with his tools.
4. A bargain us a bargain.
5. A cat in gloves catches no mice.
6. As like as an apple to an oyster.
7. As alike as two peas.
8. As snug as a bug in a rug.
9. Cheapest is the dearest.
10. Curses like chickens come home to roost.
11. Everybody’s business is nobody’s business.
12. Good clothes open all doors.
13. He who was born a fool is never cured.
14. If the cap fits, wear it.
15. If ifs and ans were pots and pans.
16. In for a penny, in for a pound.
17. It is no use crying over spilt milk.
18. It never rains but it pours.
19. Dogs do not eat dogs.
20. Go to bed with the lamb and rise with a lark.
21. Fine feathers make fine birds.
22. No bees no honey, no work no money.
23. A cat in gloves catches no mice.
24. Haste makes waste.
25. First come – first served.
26. Nothing is new under the sun.
 32
27. A stitch in time saves nine.
28. You cannot judge of a tree by its bark.
29. All is not gold that glitters.
30. Clothes do not make the man.
31. The devil is not as black as he is painted.
32. Clothes make the man/ Clothes do not make the man.
33. Money makes the mare go.
34. An ass loaded with gold climbs to the top of the castle.
35. He that serves god for money will serve to the devil for better wages.
36. His money burns a hole in his pocket.
37. An empty vessel gives a greater sound than a full barrel.
38. He that would eat the fruit will climb the tree.
39. He that would have eggs must endure the cackling of lens.
40. He who would eat the nut must first crack the shell.
41. If he can’t as he would, he must do as he can.
42. If you want a thing well done, do it yourself.
43. In every beginning think of the end.
44. Draw not your bow till your arrow is fixed.
45. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
46. One for all and all for one.
47. Who keeps company with the wolf must learn to howl.
48. Forbidden fruit is sweet.
49. All are not saints that go to church.
50. God helps those who help themselves.
51. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
52. It is good fishing in troubled water.
53. All roads lead to Rome.
54. He will never set the Thames on fire.
55. Brevity is the soul of wit.
56. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
 33
57. A sound mind in a sound body.
58. Through hardships to the stars.
59. Better the devil you know that the devil you doubt.
60. Between the devil and the deep sea.
61. A fool may ask more questions in an hour than a wise man ask in seven years.
62. A good beginning is half the battle.
63. A good deed id never lost.
64. Time cures all things.
65. Time works wonders.
66. Money is a good servant but a bad master.
67. Money often unmakes the man, who make it.
68. Love in a cottage.
69. Love is blind as well as hatred.
70. Love me, love my dog.
71. False friends are worse than open enemies.
72. Friends are thieves of time.
73. A bad workman quarrels with his tools.
74. Nothing is new under the sun.
75. To up to the ears in love.
76. There is no rules without exceptions.
77. There is no rose without a thorn.
78. To off cheap.
 34
APPENDIX 4