![]() Expressions become proverbial through quotation. By definition, proverbs must be memorable. They often apply a metaphor to a situation (“Don’t change horses in midstream”). The linguist Roman Jakobson called the proverb “the largest coded unit occurring in our speech and at the same time the shortest poetic composition.” Proverbs frequently employ traditional devices of poetry, such as balanced phrasing (“Out of sight, out of mind”) and binary construction (“A stitch in time / saves nine”), rhyme (“Haste makes waste”), alliteration (“Live and learn”), and repetition (“Live and let live”). ![]() The proverb simplifies a problem by naming and solving it with a traditional solution. Their meanings seem fixed, but depend on context, since texts are adapted to different situations. Proverbs take personal circumstances and embody them in impersonal form. They also operate in educational situations and judicial proceedings. ![]() Folk and traditional proverbs are well-known expressions, usually the length of a simple sentence, that function in conversation. The following definition of the term proverb is reprinted from A Poet's Glossary by Edward Hirsch.Ī terse didactic statement that embodies a general truth, the proverb is short and pithy, akin to the aphorism and the maxim, and draws attention to itself as a formal artistic entity. A proverb is a short statement or saying that expresses a basic truth.
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