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Meaning Of Proverbs

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Each and every proverb has its own meaning and can only be used in particular situations, many times, the meaning of a proverb is not obvious and this is why knowing all necessary information about isabout is of the utmost importance. Using proverbs in text or in speech incorrectly may cause misunderstandings and confusion.
Norick (1985) marks two levels of comprehension: literal and figurative (implied). The former relates more to proverbs that can be understood on literal level, e.g. Like mother, like daughter (Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs 2004), the literal meaning of this proverb is ‘mother and daughter are alike’, there is nothing metaphorical in it and it is understood literally, the letter, however, is more sophisticated when it …show more content…

Scientist can do that by using cognitive science, a discipline that helps with understanding human mind, consisting of concepts from psychology, neurology, linguistics, artificial intelligence to the philosophy of language and mind. Kershen (2012) puts an emphasis on using proverbs as a useful tool in modern psychology in order to test cognition, personal traits cerebral disease, and other psychological-related behaviours. Modern psychologists can use proverbs for these purposes, because of widespread knowledge of existing proverbs around the world and their importance as indicators of social norms of …show more content…

Mieder (2014) claims that proverbs are irreplaceable tools in teaching children moral behaviours, experience and general wisdom. However, not every proverb has its didactic function, and one should be careful while selecting them in order to teach others (Norrick 1985). Proverbs can be also used to teach foreign languages by translating exercises and at the same time pupils can learn about specific culture, heritage and moral precepts (Mieder op. cit.). Worth mentioning is the fact that proverb can have direct and indirect didactic tendency. Nevertheless, all proverbs can be considered as a didactic tool in particular context (Norrick op. cit.). In conclusion, it is commonly known that proverbs are good sources of wisdom and experience that can be also transmitted into other purposes, for example learning foreign languages or teaching about human nature (Mieder op.

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