UNIVERZITA PALACKÉHO V OLOMOUCI
FILOZOFICKÁ FAKULTA UNIVERZITY PALACKÉHO
Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky
The most frequent Czech proverbs in comparison to the English
proverbs Česká nejfrekventovanějsí přísloví v porovnání s anglickými
(bakalářská práce)
Monika Grohová
Anglická filologie a francouzská filologie
Vedoucí práce: Prof. PhDr. Jaroslav Macháček, CSc.
Olomouc 2010
Prohlašuji, že jsem tuto bakalářskou práci vypracovala samostatně a uvedla úplný
seznam citované a použité literatury.
V Olomouci, dne 10.5. 2010 ..............................................
Acknowledgement:
I would like to express many thanks to my supervisor Prof. PhDr. Jaroslav
Macháček, CSc., particularly for his kind support and valuable remarks.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
cent. century
etc. Et cetera: a Latin expression meaning "and other things"
eq. equivalent: usually used either for the proverbs listed in the Section
A or for the English prov. that were put into the pair
with the Czech model in 2.2
OED Oxford English Dictionary
ODEP Oxford Dictionary of the English Proverbs
prov. proverb(s)
var. variant(s): usually used for the prov. expressed in the Section B or
C in 2.2
i
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
2. THEORETICAL STARTING POINTS .................................................................................... 2
2.1 PROVERB: ......................................................................................................................... 2
2.1.1 Definition of the term proverb ...................................................................................... 2
2.1.1.1. Czech definition ................................................................................................... 32.1.2 Etymology of the term proverb: ................................................................................... 4
2.1.3 History and development .............................................................................................. 4
2.1.4. Czech terms ................................................................................................................. 5
2.2 PROVERBS COMPARED TO THE SIMILAR THERMS ................................................ 6
2.2.1. Maxim ......................................................................................................................... 6
2.2.2 Locution ....................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.3 Adage ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.4 Idiom ............................................................................................................................ 7
2.2.5 Phrase ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.6 Saying ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.2.7 Dictum .......................................................................................................................... 8
2.3 PAREMIOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 8
3. THE MOST FREQUENT CZECH PROVERBS IN COMPARISON TO THE ENGLISH PROVERBS .................................................................................................................................. 9
3.1 METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH ......................................................................... 9
3.1.1 The list of the most frequent Czech proverbs ............................................................... 9
3.1.2 Primary sources: Czech prov. dictionaries with the English equivalents ................... 10
3.1.3 Secondary sources: English dictionaries .................................................................... 10
3.1.4 Description of the meaning of the Czech proverbs .................................................... 11
3.1.5 Sections ...................................................................................................................... 11
3.2. Komu čest, tomu čest. ...................................................................................................... 12
3.3 Co nechceš samému, nečiň druhému. ................................................................................ 13
3.4. Pýcha předchází pád. ........................................................................................................ 15
3.5. Kdo jinému jámu kopá, sám do ní padá. .......................................................................... 16
3.6 Kdo s čím zachází, s tím taky schází. ................................................................................ 17
3.7 Kdo nepracuje, ať nejí. ...................................................................................................... 18
3.8 S poctivostí nejdál se dojde. .............................................................................................. 20
3.9 Pozdě bycha honiti. ........................................................................................................... 21
3.10 Mráz kopřivu nespálí. ...................................................................................................... 22
3.11 Blázen kdo dává, větší, kdo nebere. ................................................................................ 23
3.12 Kdo lže, ten krade. ........................................................................................................... 24
3.13 Líná huba, hole neštěstí. .................................................................................................. 24
ii
3.14 Mluviti stříbro, mlčeti zlato. ............................................................................................ 25
3.15 Kdo pozdě chodí, sám sobě škodí. .................................................................................. 26
3.16 Kdo chce kam, pomozme mu tam. .................................................................................. 27
3.17 Učedník – mučedník. ....................................................................................................... 28
3.18 Všude dobře, doma nejlépe. ............................................................................................ 28
3.19 Nekupuj zajíce v pytli. .................................................................................................... 29
3.20 Slovo dělá muže. ............................................................................................................. 30
3.21 Co se vleče, neuteče. ....................................................................................................... 31
3.22 Kdo maže, ten jede. ......................................................................................................... 32
3.23 Jaký pán, takový krám. .................................................................................................... 32
3.24 Sedávej panenko v koutě, jsi-li ctnostná, najdou tě. ........................................................ 34
3.25 Není každý den posvícení. ............................................................................................... 34
4. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 36
5. RESUMÉ ................................................................................................................................. 39
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 42
ANOTACE .................................................................................................................................. 45
1
1. INTRODUCTION In my bachelor thesis I will analyse the most frequent Czech proverbs in
comparison to the English proverbs.
In the first part I will search for the interpretation and definition of the term
proverb. I will try to find out what is actually meant by this term. The term
proverb will be also differentiated from the related terms that could be used
instead of the term proverb. These goals will be done both with respect to the
Czech concept and meaning of the term prov. and with respect to the English one.
The second part of the thesis will deal with the analysis of the Czech and the
English proverbs themselves. The set of twenty-four most frequently used Czech
proverbs is chosen from the study by Dana Bittnerová and Franz Schindler, Česká
přísloví: Soudobý stav konce 20. století. On the basis of this set I will try to find as
many English proverbs that will be the most similar to the Czech models as
possible. With respect to the multitude of the English prov. that I found, all of
them will be divided into three sections according to the degree of their similarity.
More about this division is to be found in 3.2.5
The goal of the thesis is to find as many English prov. that would suit the
Czech counterparts as possible and to find out which proverb we have in common.
2
2. THEORETICAL STARTING POINTS
2.1 PROVERB:
To begin with, it is necessary to explain what the proverb is. Everyone bears
in mind some kind of idea or conception, but we should do this more precisely.
First of all, I browsed many dictionaries (both language and literary ones) but I
need to say that even their interpretation is not always the same and at this time I
am not taking into account the other terms that are related, such as maxim, phrase,
idiom etc.
2.1.1 Definition of the term proverb The most complex and appropriate definition of the prov. is to be found in
Oxford English Dictionary. It is as long as the definitions in the dictionaries of
literary terms, but it covers everything that was found in other sources:
“A short, traditional, and pithy saying; a concise sentence, typically
metaphorical or alliterative in form, stating a general truth or piece of
advice; an adage or maxim.”1
As for traditional, it agrees with the definition from The Concise Dictionary
of Literary Terms which states it as “popular ... found in most cultures, and are
often very ancient”
2; with Shipley’s formula who describes it as a “form of folk
literature”3; and with Cuddon’s expression that the prov. is “common to most
nations and people”4. Metaphorical and alliterative agree with Shipley, too, as he
describes it as a “gnomic form ... that brought vividness, color by compression
and boldness of imagery”115
1 Oxford English Dictionary < http://www.oed.com/>.
. Shipley's definition is appropriate one, too, as it
corresponds in “criticism of life based upon common experience”11 with a general
truth, which is expressed in some way in all the definitions. Also the shortness
and pithiness of the proverb is very often mentioned (by Baldic, Shipley, Cuddon,
Hornby). However, what is really important and what differentiates prov. from
other terms is definitely the advice. This piece of information is not included in
2 Chris Baldick, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990) 180. 3 Joseph T. Shipley, ed., Dictionary of World Literary Terms: Criticism, Forms, Technique (London: George Allen& Unwin LDT, 1955) 327. 4 J.A. Cuddon, The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (London: Penguin Books, 1999) 706. 5 Joseph T. Shipley, ed., Dictionary of World Literary Terms: Criticism, Forms, Technique (London: George Allen& Unwin LDT, 1955) 327.
3
some definitions and this might be the crucial thing that makes people misuse the
term prov.!
Some other information is added to the definitions but I do not think that they
are as crucial as the pieces of information above; and they can be sometimes
misleading, too. However, for the completeness of the message, it is necessary to
mention them. Shipley draws attention to the “product of the popular mind”6; on
the other hand D’Angelo says that it is the sententiae that “...has its origin in
learned man.”7. However, I think that this should not be the part of the general
definition because there are both the prov. made by popular man and prov.
invented by people such as the writers ( “A thing of beauty is joy for ever.” which
is “the first line of Keats’s Endymion”8
Hornby considers the prov. a “phrase or sentence”
). 9
2.1.1.1. Czech definition
, but I would probably
swap these two terms to “sentence or phrase”. Absolute majority of the prov. that
I found in The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs and in Česká přísloví of
Bittnerová (which I consider the canonical sources) are the sentences with subject,
predicate and object. In some cases the exception could be for example the
ellipsis. However, I think that formerly these prov. were full sentences, such as
“Práce kvapná, málo platná.” in Czech or “Out of sight, out of mind” in English.
Although majority of the sources I use are of the English language, I should
also add a Czech definition by Lotko for illustration. According to him, the prov.
is: “Propoziční frazém s didaktickou funkcí kategorizující něco poukazem na
tradovanou skutečnost”10
6Joseph T. Shipley, ed., Dictionary of World Literary Terms: Criticism, Forms, Technique (London: George Allen& Unwin LDT, 1955) 327.
. This statement agrees with the English proposals in
concepts as traditional (tradovaná skutečnost) or as in saying, but what I find the
most important, is the part of the didactical function of the prov., because it can be
equated with the advice to which I drew attention above.
7Frank J. D’Angelo, “Some Uses of Proverbs” College Composition and Communication 28.4 (Dec., 1977): 365 <http://www.jstor.org>.] 8 V.H. Collins, A Book of English Proverbs (London: Longmans, 1969) 17. 9 Albert Sydney Hornby, Sally Wehmeier, ed., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000) 939. 10 Edvard Lotko, Slovník lingvistických pojmů pro filology (Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, 2005) 95.
4
2.1.2 Etymology of the term proverb: “Anglo-Norman proverb, Anglo-Norman and Middle French, proverbe is
short well-known saying, moral maxim, also trite phrase in common use as in all
late 12th cent. in Old French. It appeared in Book of Proverbs in the Old
Testament and Hebrew Scriptures (early 13th cent., in British sources in 1534).
As parable it emerged in the second quarter of the 13th cent., and as a short play
whose plot illustrates a proverb in 1768.
Its etymon, classical Latin pr verbium, meant old saying, proverb,
proverbial expression; and in post-classical Latin also byword, parable or enigma
(Vulgate). Pr verbium consisted of the prefix pr + verbum, which means word,
+ suffix ium.”11 Onions also mentions that the word proverbum stands for “a set
of words put forth”12
2.1.3 History and development
.
The prov. are heritage of the given nation, “dating probably from the time
when wisdom and percept were transmitted by story and song”13. Because of their
musical basis, they are often rhymed and the alliteration, typical mark of poetry,
which was sometimes used instead of rhyming, is used too (“Dicing, drabbing and
drinking bring men to destruction.”14). Old prov. wane and new are born and that
is why the prov. witness the constant change of attitudes of the society. “In
medieval times and later they were constantly on men’s lip as accepted wisdom,
in the sixteenth and much in the seventeenth century they were an essential
ornament in a fashionable writer’s or talker’s equipment, until from the end of the
seventeenth century onwards they deteriorated into ‘vulgar sayings’, only fit for
ignorant men.”15
The prov. reflect problems and the attitudes of the society. Some of them are
not valid anymore, because they had commented the situation at the given period
(e.g. those concerning the politics: “King Harry robbed the church, and died a
11 See Oxford English Dictionary < http://www.oed.com/>. 12 C.T. Onions, ed., The Oxford Dictionary of English Ethymology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995) 718. 13F. P. Wilson, The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) vii. 14 F. P. Wilson, The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 185. 15 F. P. Wilson, The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) vii.
5
beggar.”16 ), but certain themes are valid up to now. They concern mainly
universal spheres- the world around us, the nature (weather, animals, etc.), human
qualities (faults, deeds) and the relationship between men and women (love,
hatred). Some of the proverbs are similar or identical in several languages. This
similarity stems in the fact that a lot of prov. originated in Antique and Roman
times, as well as plenty of prov. can be found in The Book of Proverbs “which
follows the Psalms in The Old Testament”17
As for the English prov., they appeared mainly in English manuscripts. “The
proverbial sayings ... can be found in religious manuscripts from the first half of
the eight century onwards, with, occasionally; brief collections of proverbs
inserted half in vernacular, the whole in Latin presumably to facilitate the teaching
of Latin to a novice. But more important was the influence of the rhetoricians,
who illustrated their dicta by proverbs, a fashion which spread from a narrow
trickle to the wide channel of Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate...”
.
18
.
2.1.4. Czech terms Since the principal document from which my whole text results is in the
Czech language I have to mention the translation, too. In Fronek, the translation
from English to Czech and vice versa is “proverb”19 and “přísloví”20
• Rčení contains the biggest amount of results and that is why it is the closest
term to the prov. As obrat or průpověď it is translated as “locution, adage”
. But in the
Czech language we have many more terms that are connected with prov. and that
are sometimes misused with the term prov. They may be utilized instead of prov.
itself or sometimes they are just a part of the prov.
21.
Fráze equals “idiom”22, while ustálená fráze is translated as “set, stock phrase”23
16 F. P. Wilson, The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 426.
.
17J.A. Cuddon, The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (London: Penguin Books, 1999) 706. 18 F. P. Wilson, The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) viii. 19Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 421. 20Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1145. 21Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1159. 22Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1159. 23 Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1159.
6
Lidové rčení, the folk or popular-one is simply “saying”24. Aforismus is not
surprisingly translated as aphorism, but as “maxim, dictum”25
• Úsloví is according to Fronek “saying, phrase, locution, turn of the phrase or
catch phrase”
.
26
• Pořekadlo, is in Fronek “adage, saying, maxim”
(only temporarily popular). 27
• Průpověď is “adage, saying, maxim”
28
2.2 PROVERBS COMPARED TO THE SIMILAR THERMS
As I said in 2.1 and 2.1.4 as well to define the proverb is really difficult task.
The term can be often mixed with some similar-ones such as those, proposed by
Fronek in 2.1.4.
According to Frank J. D´Angelo, the prov. is synonymous with these terms.
On the other hand, Oxford English Dictionary does not mention this and also
never states the term prov. in definitions of maxim, adage etc.
2.2.1. Maxim “A maxim is a saying, derived from practical experience that serves as a rule or
conduct.”29 or it is “a well known phrase that expresses something that is
generally true or that people think is a rule for sensible behaviour”.30 According to
OED, “‘...Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’ is a useful maxim.”31
I see the difference of the maxim from the proverb in the term traditional. In
spite of the fact that the maxim bears almost all the properties of the prov., the
definitions suggest that this statement is not embedded in the society as they
should be.
24Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1159. 25 Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1159. 26 Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1341. 27Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1075. 28Josef Fronek, Velký anglicko-český a česko-anglický slovník (Leda, spol. s.r.o., 2007) 1117. 29Frank J. D’Angelo, “Some Uses of Proverbs” College Composition and Communication 28.4 (Dec., 1977): 365. 1 Mar. 2010 <http://www.jstor.org>. 30 Albert Sydney Hornby, Sally Wehmeier, ed., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000) 729. 31Oxford English Dictionary <http://www.oed.com/>.
7
2.2.2 Locution “A particular phrase, especially used by a particular group of people.”32
In this case, the term locution is too broad and applicable not also to the prov.
In addition there is no mention of advice and what is more, the usage is restricted
to the particular group of people while the prov. is general.
2.2.3 Adage “A well known phrase expressing a general truth about people or the world.”33
or “...a popular saying that has become acceptable as a truth through long use”34
Both of these two definitions fulfil the definition of the prov., but the term
advice is not mentioned.
2.2.4 Idiom “A form of expression, grammatical construction, phrase, etc., peculiar to a
language; a peculiarity of phraseology approved by the usage of a language, and
often having a signification other than its grammatical or logical one”35
The apparent thing in the definition is that the idiom is comprehensible only to
a particular group of people. The meaning cannot be derived from the individual
words themselves there must be some particular knowledge shared by the
particular group of people. That is why idiom cannot stand instead of the general
prov.
2.2.5 Phrase “A small group or collocation of words expressing a single notion, or entering
with some degree of unity into the structure of a sentence; a common or idiomatic
expression.”36
The phrase can be according to the OED’s definition any peculiar expression.
There is no reference to the given advice, tradition or generality.
2.2.6 Saying “Well known phrase or statement that expresses sth about life that most people
believe is wise and truth. [...] ‘Accidents will happen.’”37
32Albert Sydney Hornby, Sally Wehmeier, ed., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000) 696.
33Albert Sydney Hornby, Sally Wehmeier, ed., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000) 12. 34Frank J. D’Angelo, “Some Uses of Proverbs” College Composition and Communication 28.4 (Dec., 1977): 365. <http://www.jstor.org>. 35Oxford English Dictionary <http://www.oed.com/>. 36 Oxford English Dictionary <http://www.oed.com/>.
8
Again, the term saying fulfils almost all the properties of the prov., but there is
no mention about the piece of advice. The example states the general truth, but in
the end tells us nothing useful.
2.2.7 Dictum “A saying or utterance: sometimes used with emphasis upon the fact that it is a
mere saying; but oftener with the implication of a formal pronouncement claiming
or carrying some authority.”38
This term applies according to the definition to much more authoritative,
official notion (as probably had been being a part of the law).
To conclude this chapter, it is necessary to mention John F. McKenna’s
opinion that these terms “...have much in common with the proverb... We are
however interested in them especially insofar as they have become proverbial
through widespread use. For simplicity’s sake, we shall sometimes speak of
“proverbs” for all.”39
2.3 PAREMIOLOGY
Speaking about the prov. it is necessary to mention the paremiology which is
“The study of proverb and of proverb lore”40. As I mentioned before, there are a
lot of proverbs that are both semantically and formally the same. Because of these
similarities the branch of linguistics, the paremiology began to form. And, hand in
hand with the paremiology, goes the paremiography which is “The writing or
collecting of proverbs; (also) a collection or book of proverbs.”41
37 Albert Sydney Hornby, Sally Wehmeier, ed., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000) 1047. 38Oxford English Dictionary <http://www.oed.com/>. 39 John F. McKenna, “The proverb in Humanistic Studies: Language, Literature and Culture; Theory and Classroom Practice” The French Review XLVIII.2 (Dec., 1974): 377. 1 Mar. 2010 <http://www.jstor.org>. 40 Oxford English Dictionary <http://www.oed.com/>. 41 Oxford English Dictionary <http://www.oed.com/>.
9
3. THE MOST FREQUENT CZECH PROVERBS IN
COMPARISON TO THE ENGLISH PROVERBS
3.1 METHODOLOGY OF THE RESEARCH
The goal of my bachelor thesis is to find as many English equivalent variants
of the Czech most frequent proverbs as possible.
3.1.1 The list of the most frequent Czech proverbs The main and unique source of the list of the most frequent Czech prov. was
the book written by Dana Bittnerová and Franz Schindler, Česká přísloví:
Soudobý stav konce 20. století. This book is unique in the Czech Republic because
up to now it is the most elaborate attempt to compile the paremiological minimum
of the Czech nation.
Bittnerová and Schindler gathered 11151 Czech prov. and they let 30
respondents answer the questionnaire with the response of the knowledge of the
given proverbs. Nineteen questionnaires were suitable and were used for the
research (the rest could not have been used for various reasons).
There were three sources of Czech prov. for Bittnerová and Schindler:
a) Collections of Bittnerová from 1980s and collections of Schindler from
1980s-1990s (705 prov.)
The proverbs from these two sources were put together and presented as
group A, the variants that were identical or similar to those in Čelakovský
were omitted.
b) Collections of Josef Spilka from 1950s – 1970s (2733 proverbs)
The variants that were identical or similar to those in Čelakovský were
omitted. These collections are presented as group B.
c) Mudrosloví národu slovanského ve příslovích by František Ladislav
Čelakovský from 1852. (7651 proverbs). The proverbs from this collection
were used without any change or omitting of any proverb. This group was
presented as group C.
The results presented in the appendix show that the most known was the inventory
of the group A, Bittnerová and Schindler.
For my bachelor thesis I use the list of 24 prov. that were known for 100% of
respondents (19 respondents from 19) and that were put into the group A.
10
3.1.2 Primary sources: Czech prov. dictionaries with the English equivalents As the primary source of my research of the equivalents I used Czech
dictionaries that includ English proverbs. The first reason was to capture how
Czech authors assign the English proverbs to the Czech ones and vice versa. The
second reason was that the date of their first publication is not older than ten years
in comparison to the publication of Bittnerová and Schindler’s book, which was
published for the first time in 1997.
a) The first book is Eva Lacinová’s Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs,
published for the first time in 1996. This book includes apart from the
original English prov. two Czech items. The first one is the Czech
translation and the second one is Czech analogous prov. The source of the
English proverb she uses were various books, newspapers and broadcast,
but also cites some dictionaries, all of them British. Czech prov. that are
assigned to the English ones are proverbs from Čelakovský’s Mudrosloví
národu slovanského ve příslovích, the prov. she knew or her translations of
the English model.
b) The second book is Andrzej Świerczyński’s Slovník přísloví v devíti
jazycích, published for the first time in 1990. Świerczyński assigns to the
Czech prov. English, French, Italian, Latin, German, Polish, Russian and
Spanish equivalents. As Eva Mrhačová, who was the author of the Czech
equivalents, says, she assigned the Czech prov. to the prov. found by
Andrzej and Dobroslava Świerczyński in their Słownik przysłów w óśmiu
językach. She used many sources from the oldest ones like Komenský,
Čelakovský or Dobrovský, to present day’s collections by Veselý, Plachetka
or Bittnerová and Schindler. Where the Czech equivalent was not found, she
put there the Czech translation and marked it by italics.
3.1.3 Secondary sources: English dictionaries It was necessary to use some sources in English language. The reason why I
consider them secondary is the date of their publication. But contrary to the Czech
dictionaries, both my sources include the further description of the prov. such as
the first reference, its usage in the literature (see section 2.1.3.) or its origin. These
pieces of information were really helpful when making the research. The first
dictionary used was, F.P. Wilson’s The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs,
11
third edition, published in 1970, and the second V.H. Collins’s A Book of English
Proverbs, that was published for the first time in 1959.
3.1.4 Description of the meaning of the Czech proverbs At the beginning of each prov. section the meaning of the Czech proverb is
described. Describing of the meaning might seem pointless, but I find out that
even if it seems that you know the meaning of the prov., someone else can
understand it a little bit differently. That is why I decided to describe the meaning
of each prov.
Surprisingly, there is no complex source of the explanation of the meaning of
the Czech proverbs (such as The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs). All the
sources of the prov. in the Czech Republic are the dictionaries with the listings of
proverbs without any mention of their meaning. The only pieces of information I
found were in František Čermák’s Slovník české frazeologie a idiomatiky: výrazy
slovesné and in Petr Kukal’s pedagogical books for children’s education. I made
also an attempt to ask the Ústav pro jazyk český but they referred to the Čermák’s
dictionary too, with the note that in the Czech Republic there are no such sources.
This situation resulted in the description of the meaning of the prov. with the
aid of either the sources mentioned above or by my own words and
comprehending.
3.1.5 Sections Since I found quite a huge amount of prov. that could belong to the one
example from the Czech language, I decided to divide the results into three
sections.
• Section A: The first section concerns the prov. that agree both in the
meaning and in the form, although the form can show some variability. The
example is “Komu čest, tomu čest.” and “Honour to whom honour is due.”.
Although the Czech variant does not include the verb we can list it in a Section A
because we may suppose that the missing of the verb in the Czech example is just
a result of an ellipse.
12
• Section B:
a) The prov. that express only a part of the idea given by the Czech prov. on
the same topic. The example is “Blázen, kdo dává a větší, kdo nebere”.
and “Be just before you are generous.”42
b) The prov. the meaning of which is more restricted or specified than the
prov. in Section A. The example could be “Choose neither a woman, nor
linen by candle-light.”
The English var. expresses the
advice of being careful and thinking before you are generous, that is to be
found in the first part of the Czech prov. but does not reflect the second
part that if you should not be ashamed of receiving of the generosity of the
others (but the topic of the generosity is preserved).
43
• Section C: The last section includes more general idea than is expressed in the
Czech example. Although the definition of the prov. says that it expresses a
general truth, some proverb’s meaning can be understood from both restricted and
general point of view. The example is “Není každý den posvícení.” and “No sun
without shadow.”
for “Nekupuj zajíce v pytli.” It expresses the same
idea- you should not believe in certain feature of the thing you want if you
do not see it, but the reference is restricted to the women and linen.
44
that can be more generalized var. of the Czech proverb,
evolving that we may always find something bad on the good thing.
3.2. Komu čest, tomu čest.
“Komu čest, tomu čest.” is the prov. expressing the respect and the admiration.
It means that the man who behaved very nobly, is worthy of the honour and the
credit. According to Gilett, the prov. means “To give credit to the person who
deserves it.”45
42 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 416. 43 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 122. 44 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 788. 45 Amy, Gillet. Chci mluvit jako rodilý Američan!: americká idiomatická angličtina pro každý den. (Praha: LEDA, 2004. Google Book Search. Web. 17 April 2010) 52.
13
Section A:
a) “Honour to whom honour is due.”46
This proverb is in Lacinová suggested as the equivalent. It expresses the
same idea in almost the same form.
:
Section B:
b) “Garlands are not for every brow.”47
Section C:
c) “He that sows virtue reaps fame.”48
This proverb is from the Section C semantically the closest, because the
reward in the form of fame is included.
d) “A good name is better than riches.”49
The notion of honour in the form of good name is included. This prov. is
to be found also in ODEP with the explanation of “Take away my good
name and take away my life.”
50
e) “He that has lost his credit is dead to world.”
51
It is similar to the explanation of c).
f) “No honest man ever repented of his honest.” 52
g) “One man is worth hundred and a hundred is not worth one.”
53
h) “Honour shows the man.”
54
If not any other explanation, only the notion of honour is expressed.
3.3 Co nechceš samému, nečiň druhému.
In the case of “Co nechceš samému, nečiň druhému.” The explanation is
simple; in future you should not do the things that you do not like to the others.
46 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 104. 47 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 296. 48Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 43. 49 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 42. 50 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 322. 51Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 43. 52Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 56. 53F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 597. 54F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 382.
14
Section A:
a) “Whatever you would that men should not do to you, do not to them. / Do
as you would done by.”55
Included also in ODEP with the explanation “Allwayes a good man will do
ever to another man as he wolde be done to himself.”
56 Collins adds that
the common version of this prov. is: “Do unto others as you would they
should do unto you.”57
Section B:
a) “Do good: thou doest it for thyself.”
With the explanation from ODEP that “Do good if you expect to receive
it.”58
b) “Never kiss a man’s wife, nor wipe his knife, for he will be likely to do
both after you.”
This prov. is put into the Section B, because the explanation refers
only to the positive point of view.
59
In the Section B because of the form that does not correspond with the
Czech equivalent, the meaning is the same.
Section C:
c) “Measure for measure.”60
Also in ODEP, clarification: “There’s meed for meed, dead for a deadly
deed!”
61
d) “As the call, so the echo.”
62
Both c) and d) refer to both positive and negative point of view.
55 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 32. 56F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 191. 57 V.H. Collins. Book of English Proverbs (London: Longmans, 1969) 38. 58F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 191. 59F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 562. 60 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 115. 61F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 520. 62 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 85.
15
3.4. Pýcha předchází pád.
“Pýcha předchází pád” tells that “Someone who brags, who is proud and big-
headed will come out ill.”63
Section A:
You should not be proud and act in a superior
manner, because one day your arrogance will come to an end in some unpleasant
way; especially because of the fact that you were proud.
a) “Pride goes before a fall.”64
Presented as the eq. in Lacinová. In ODEP is the var. “Pride will have
(never left his master) without a fall.”
65
b) “Pride goes before destruction (and shame comes after).”
66
I put this proverb into the Section A, because the fall can be equated with
the word destruction.
Section B:
c) “Pride goes before, and shame follows after.”67
d) “When pride rides, shame lacqueys.”
68
Both c) and d) express only the first part of the prov. Also the shame can stand
instead of fall, but for me, meaning of fall and destruction are much stronger than
the meaning of shame.
Section C:
e) “The higher the fool, the greater the fall.”69
f) “The higher the mountain the greater descent.”
70
g) “The highest tree has the greatest fall.”
71
There is expressed only the idea that the bigger some negative feature is, the
worse the consequences will be.
63 See Petr Kukal. Říkejme se přísloví: podněty pro využité přísloví k rozvoji myšlení dětí od 4 do 8 let (Praha: Portál, 2005) 82. 64Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 95. 65 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 647. 66 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 647. 67 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 95. 68 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 647. 69F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 372. 70 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 373. 71 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 373.
16
3.5. Kdo jinému jámu kopá, sám do ní padá.
This prov. says that “Someone who prepares a trap, snare or toils will usually
be taken in.”72 The expression jámu kopá is the phraseologism that means “to plot
against someone”73
Section A:
. You should not do or think about doing bad things to the
other, because it is very likely that you will pay dearly for it. This prov. could be
meant more generally (way of treating people, way of life), but I focused on the
intrigues, because the more general meaning of this prov. can be found also in 3.6.
a) “He who digs a pit for others falls in himself.”74
It is presented as eq. in Świerczyński. Also in ODEP as “Dig a pit (make a
snare) for another and fall into it oneself.”
75
Section B:
b) “Let his own wand [rod] ding [beat] him.”76
Only the consequences of your deeds are presented, no mention of trap.
Section C:
c) “Mischief hatches, mischief catches.”77
Explanation that “Mischief often fall upon the contriver’s head”
78
d) “Who spits against the heaven (the wind) it falls in his face.”.
79
e) “The deed comes back upon his doer.”
80
Such as e), in Lacinová as eq. of the Czech prov.
f) “He that hurts another, hurts himself”81
72 See Petr Kukal. Říkejme se přísloví: podněty pro využité přísloví k rozvoji myšlení dětí od 4 do 8 let (Praha: Portál, 2005) 46. 73 See František Čermák. Slovník české frazeologiea idiomatiky: výrazy slovesné. A-P (Praha: Academia, 1994) 111. 74 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 60. 75 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 187. 76 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 864. 77F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 534. 78 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 534. 79F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 766. 80Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 35. 81F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 394.
17
3.6 Kdo s čím zachází, s tím taky schází.
The meaning of the proverb is in the heart of the matter similar to the prov. in
3.3. and 3.5. It expresses that the way you treat people or your way of life affects
your future success (meant generally).
Section A:
a) “He that strikes with the sword, shall perish with the sword.”82
Section C:
g) “He that sows thistles shall reap prickles.”83
You cannot expect fruit if you sow thistle. In general, from initial bad deed
cannot arise anything good.
h) “Curses like chicken come home to roost.”84
In Lacinová as the eq. of the Czech prov., in ODEP explained, that
“Their injustice will return upon them.”
85
i) “Blood will have blood.”
86
j) “A man that breaks his word bids others to be false at him.”
87
k) “He that does evil, never weens good.”
88
It is the best description of the most general meaning of the Czech prov.
l) “Good (bad) husband makes a good (bad) wife.”89
Because of the word schází, that expresses the negative consequences of
your deeds, I would recommend the usage if ill.
m) “One good (ill, shrewd) turn asks (deserves, requires) another.”90
n) “He that lives wickedly can hardly die honestly.”
91
o) “He who mocks shall be mocked.”
92
82 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 90.
83Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 35. 84 Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 35. 85F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 162. 86F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 69. 87 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 83. 88 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 194. 89 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 320. 90 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 325. 91 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 476.
18
p) “Sowed cockle reaped no corn.”93
q) “Who sows the wind, will reap the whirlwind.”
94
r) “Measure for measure.”
95
More description in 3.3
s) “As you sow, so the reap.”96
t) “Every man is the architect of his own future.”
97
u) “Such answer as a man gives, such will he get.”
98
v) “As you bake, so shall you brew (eat).”
99
In ODEP its var. “As they brew so let them bake (drink).”
100
w) “Such life, such death.”
101
x) “As the call, so the echo.”
102
From a) to n) the meaning expresses more negative nuances, from o) to t) the
prov. can be applied to both negative and positive situations.
3.7 Kdo nepracuje, ať nejí.
This prov. expresses that without work you cannot make your living. In Czech
language is also common its ver. “Bez práce nejsou koláče”. I mention this prov.
too, because in this case koláče stands for eating in the primary version.
According to Kukal, “Bez práce nejsou koláče.” expresses that “If you want
92 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 537. 93 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 757. 94 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 192. 95 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 115. 96 Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 106. 97 Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 106. 98 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 15. 99F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 27. 100 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 85. 101 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 462. 102 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 85.
19
something, you have to do your best, you have to earn something and you have to
set to work.”103
Section A:
a) “He that will not work, shall not eat.”104
In Świerczyński as the eq. of the Czech prov., as well as in
Lacinová (page 107). Also to be found in ODEP (page 917).
Section B:
b) “He that will eat the kernel, must crack the nut.”105
Specified in ODEP that “He that loke for profyte, maye not flee
labours.”
106
c) “He that would eat (have) the fruit, must climb the tree.”
107
d) “No sweet without sweat.”
108
Also in ODEP (page 794).
e) “No bees, no honey, no work, no money.”109
In Lacinová is the equivalent of “Bez práce nejsou koláče.”
f) “To reach the oyster, you must break the shell.”110
I put these examples into the Section B, because of the similar form, but they
slightly differ in the meaning, because they specify the var. “He that will not eat,
shall not work”.
Section C:
g) “He deserves not the sweet that will not taste the sour.”111
h) “No pains, no gains.”
112
103 See Petr Kukal. Říkejme se přísloví: podněty pro využité přísloví k rozvoji myšlení dětí od 4 do 8 let (Praha: Portál, 2005) 12.
(572)
104Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 134. 105 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 107. 106 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 215. 107 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 215. 108 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 43. 109 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 108. 110 Věra Rozsypalová. Napadlo by Vás to anglicky? (Praha: Listopad, 1990) 3. 111 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 177. 112Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 133.
20
In Świerczyński presented as the eq. of Czech prov. Also to be found in
Lacinová (page 108) and in ODEP, where is the further specification that
“If little labour, little are our gains.”113
i) “Nothing comes from nothing.”
114
j) “Nothing to be got without pains.”
115
k) “No pleasure without pain.”
116
h) “He is worth no weal that can bide no woe.”
117
i) “One must take trouble to get profit.”
118
j) “He who would succeed must be prepared for the work.”
119
3.8 S poctivostí nejdál se dojde.
Kukal explains the prov. in this way: “Being honest pays, follow the rules and
do not cheat. People know that they can trust you and if you will need help, you
very likely get it.”120
Section A:
a) “Knavery may serve for a turn, but honesty is best at long run.”121
The second part of this prov. agrees with the Czech vers. both in the form
and in the meaning.
Section B:
b) “Lies has short legs (wings).”122
The opposite version of the Czech prov.
Section C:
c) “Honesty is the best policy.”123
113 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 572.
114 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 579. 115 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 581. 116 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 633. 117 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 922. 118 Věra Rozsypalová. Napadlo by Vás to anglicky? (Praha: Listopad, 1990) 3. 119 Věra Rozsypalová. Napadlo by Vás to anglicky? (Praha: Listopad, 1990) 3. 120See Petr Kukal. Povídání a hry s českými příslovími. Pro děti od 6 do 10 let (Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s., 2007) 94. 121 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 922. 122 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 86.
21
d) “Honour is the reward of virtue.”124
3.9 Pozdě bycha honiti.
According to Kukal “It is too late to say ‘what I would do’ when something
has already happened. It is necessary to act in time.”125 Čermák explains the
formulation honit bycha as “to regret some former deed”126
Section A:
There is no English prov. that would agree with the Czech prov. both in the
form and in the meaning. The reason is Czech word bych (bycha) that cannot be
translated; its meaning can be only paraphrased.
Section B:
a) “To shut the stable door, when the steed is stolen.”127
b) “It is too late to spare, when the bottom is bare.”
128
c) “It is too late to shut the door after the horse has bolted.”
129
d) “It is no use crying over spilt milk.”
130
e) “When the house is burned down, you bring water”
131
Section C:
f) “It is too late to call back yesterday.”132
In Lacinová as the eq. of the Czech prov., in ODEP explanation that to
“call back yesterday” means “to undo things done”
133
g) “It is too easy to be wise after the event.”
. 134
Also to be found in ODEP (page 898).
123 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 56. 124 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 382. 125 See Petr Kukal. Říkejme se přísloví: podněty pro využité přísloví k rozvoji myšlení dětí od 4 do 8 let (Praha: Portál, 2005) 76. 126 See František Čermák. Slovník české frazeologiea idiomatiky: výrazy slovesné. A-P (Praha: Academia, 1994) 25. 127 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 132. 128 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 132. 129 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 67. 130 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 67. 131F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 389. 132 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 67. 133 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 926. 134 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 67.
22
h) “When a thing is done, advice comes too late.”135
i) “Let bygones be bygones.”
136
Also in Collins with the comment that we should “Let things past pass.”
137
j) “It is too late to grieve when the chance is past.”
138
ODEP includes the note that “Tis too late to repent when the day’s
lost.”
139
k) “Time lost (past) cannot be recalled (win again).”
. 140
In ODEP explained that “And time lost [past] may well be repented but
neuer recalled.”
141
3.10 Mráz kopřivu nespálí.
According to Ústav pro jazyk český this prov. means: Strong and hardy or bad and
evil man resists everything.
Section A:
a) “The more camomile is trodden on, the faster it grows.”142
I put this prov. to the Section A in spite of the fact that the camomile does
not mean the nettle (kopřiva), but they both can imply the weed that
spreads really quickly in spite of the fact we are trying to get rid of it.
In addition there can be found the element of “destruction” that is
indicated by the burning (nespálí).
Section B:
b) “Ill weeds grow apace (fast).”143
In Rozsypalová to be found as the eq. of the Czech prov. It is to be found
in ODEP (page 401), too.
135 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 4. 136 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 96. 137 V.H. Collins. Book of English Proverbs (London: Longmans, 1969) 23. 138 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 339. 139 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 339. 140 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 824. 141 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 824. 142 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 100. 143Věra Rozsypalová. Napadlo by Vás to anglicky? (Praha: Listopad, 1990) 30.
23
c) “Ill weeds wax well.”144
In Świerczyński it is the equivalent of the Czech prov.,
d) “The weeds overgrow the corn.”145
In ODEP with the explanation that: “The bad are the most numerous.”
146
Section C:
e) “Fools grow (folly grows) without watering.”147
The more general ver., but with the explanation that brings it closer to the
Czech prov. that “An evil weed growth apace.”
148
3.11 Blázen kdo dává, větší, kdo nebere.
This prov. refers to the generosity of the people and that we should not be
ashamed of the acceptation of it. I feel in this prov. a little example of the
character of the Czech people, who were always able to utilize as much as
possible. Maybe that it is the reason that there is no exact equivalent that could be
put into the Section A.
Section B:
a) “The fool asks much but he is more fool that grants it.”149
This prov. is semantically the closest to the Czech prov. but there is a
warning against the slightly different foolishness. This prov. says that we
should not be over-generous especially to the people that ask more than
the general decency allows.
b) “Set a fool to roast eggs and a wise man to eat them.”150
c) “Fools make feasts and wise men eat them.”
151
Section C:
144 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 70. 145 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 876. 146 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 876. 147 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 278. 148 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 278. 149 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 273. 150 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 276. 151 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 278.
24
d) “A churl’s feast is better than none at all.”152
e) “Be just before you are generous.”
153
f) “Never refuse (It is good to take) a good offer.”
154
3.12 Kdo lže, ten krade.
This prov. deals with the prejudice. A man who is accustomed to lie is apt to
steal one day. What is necessary to mention is that this prov. does not mention
whether the prejudice is justified or not. This fact can bring someone to the
speculation that it is not valid any more.
Section A:
a) “He that will lie, will steal.”155
Section B:
.
b) “Lying and thieving go together”156
In Świerczyński suggested as the eq. of the Czech prov.
c) “Show me a liar and I will show thee (you) a thief.”157
3.13 Líná huba, hole neštěstí.
This proverb gives advice that you should not be afraid of asking for
something, because if you ask for nothing, you get nothing. At present, this prov.
can also be applied to the assertiveness in life. Nowadays, inconspicuous people,
in spite of their good human qualities, get nothing.
Section A:
a) “The lame tongue gets nothing.”158
The only result is in Lacinová, stated as the eq. of the Czech prov. Also in
ODEP (page 440).
152 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 124. 153F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 416. 154 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 669. 155 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 460. 156 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 87. 157 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 729. 158 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 92.
25
3.14 Mluviti stříbro, mlčeti zlato.
According to Kukal: “Sometimes, it is better speak not and be silent.
Especially in the cases you know nothing about the topic or if your words could
hurt someone.”159
Section A:
a) “Speech is silver, silence is gold.”160
In Lacinová and Świerczyński (page 96) stated as the eq. of the Czech
prov. In Świerczyński and ODEP (page 763) is to be found the var. with
silvern and golden instead of silver and gold. Also in Collins with the
explanation that: “Speech produces much that is delightful and valuable,
but there are times when the most important thing is to say nothing.”
161
Section B:
b) “He that speaks sows, and he that hold his peace gathers.”162
In Lacinová it with the example a) presented as the eq. of the Czech prov.
c) “More have repented speech than silence.”163
d) “Speak filthy or be silent wisely.”
164
e) “From hearing comes wisdom; from speaking, repentance.”
165
The further description is the same as in b).
f) “Nature has given us two ears, two eyes and but one tongue; to the end we
should hear and see more than we speak.”166
g) “It is better to play with the ears than the tongue.”
167
h) “Wise men silent, fools talk.”
168
i) “He that hears much and speaks not at all shall be welcome both in bower
and hall.”
169
159 See Petr Kukal. Povídání a hry s českými příslovími. Pro děti od 6 do 10 let (Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s., 2007) 56.
160 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 92. 161 V.H. Collins. Book of English Proverbs (London: Longmans, 1969) 116. 162 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 52. 163 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 52. 164 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 94. 165 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 91. 166 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 555. 167 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 632. 168 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 901.
26
To this section I put the prov. that include both the action of speaking and being
silent (or hearing). More general ones are to be found in the following section.
Section C:
j) “Silence does seldom harm.”170
Also to be found in ODEP (page 733).
k) “Better say nothing than not to the purpose.”171
Also in ODEP (page 701).
l) “Quietness is a great treasure.”172
m) “Half a word (tale) is good enough for a wise man.”
173
3.15 Kdo pozdě chodí, sám sobě škodí.
According to Kukal, “You should be on time in the place you promised to
come. Do not be late and do not the others keep waiting, because you might miss
something important.”174
Section A:
a) “Who comes late, lodges ill.”175
Both in Lacinová and Świerczyński (page131) presented as the eq. of the
Czech prov. Also to be found in ODEP (page 136).
b) “Late comers are shent [ruined].”176
In ODEP as the eq. of “Who comes late, lodges ill.”
I put two examples into the Section A, because I think that both of them create the
meaning of the Czech prov. Example a) differs only in the word to lodge, the form
is similar; on the other hand in b) the meaning is more accomplished while the
form differs.
Section B:
169F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 363. 170 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 94. 171 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 52. 172 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 53. 173 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 344. 174 See Petr Kukal. Povídání a hry s českými příslovími. Pro děti od 6 do 10 let (Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s., 2007) 36. 175 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 147. 176 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 443.
27
c) “The sleepy fox has seldom feathered breakfast.”177
d) “He that comes last to the pot is soonest wroth.”
178
Section C:
e) “First come, first served.”179
Also in ODEP (page 262).
f) “Comes first to the hill, may sit where he will.”180
g) “The cow that’s first up gets the first of the dew.”
181
h) “The early bird catches the worm.”
182
i) “Early sow, early mow.”
183
j) “Delays are dangerous.”
184
Apart from the j) all the prov. in Section C refer to the opposite situation and can
be compared to another Czech proverb “Kdo dřív přijde, ten dřív mele.” In spite
of this fact I took them down because they are helpful for constituting the general
meaning of the disadvantage of coming late (by pointing out the advantages of
being on time).
3.16 Kdo chce kam, pomozme mu tam.
This prov. says that we should help others with some action they want to
realize in spite of the fact that this action can be harmful. I personally feel the
negative feature of the action, but I should add one piece of information. When I
browsed the Internet and looked for the situations, in which the people use this
prov., I found out that this prov. is at present used for the positive situations, too.
Section C:
Concerning this prov., I did not find any English version that would suit the
explanation. If we would think about more general usage of this prov., we could 177 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 148. 178 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 136. 179 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 147. 180 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 135. 181 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 151. 182 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 211. 183 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 211. 184 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 176.
28
compare the Czech prov. with the English ver. in 3.6, Section C. These prov.
could suit the general idea of reward or punishment for your own deeds.
3.17 Učedník – mučedník.
This prov. suggests that that the education is no bed of roses. Especially in
earlier times when corporal punishment was not anything uncommon and the
pupils had to serve to gain the money for their studies.
Section B:
a) “There is no royal road to learning”185
Stated as the eq. of the Czech prov. in Lacinová. In ODEP the further
description that: “In the earlier stages of education...neither rank nor
wealth gives any substantial advantage.”
186 “A whip for a fool and a rod
for a school is always in good season.”187
Section C:
b) “In doing we learning.”188
c) “The best horse needs breaking and the aptest child needs teaching.”
189
3.18 Všude dobře, doma nejlépe.
According to Kukal: “Home is the place which is the pleasantest one for us.
We feel good and comfortable in here, because we are familiarized with it. We
can find there a place that is ours only.”190
Section A:
a) “East, west, home´s best”191
I put this prov. into this section because I consider east, west the
expression of the everywhere (všude). The rest agrees with Czech model
185 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 62. 186 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 686. 187 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 883. 188 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 198. 189 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 386. 190 See Petr Kukal. Říkejme se přísloví: podněty pro využité přísloví k rozvoji myšlení dětí od 4 do 8 let (Praha: Portál, 2005) 124. 191Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 39.
29
both semantically and formally. Also in ODEP (page 213) and Lacinová
(page 125).
Section B:
b) “There is no place like home.”192
Together with a) stated as the eq. of the Czech prov. Also to be found in
Świerczyński (page 39) and in ODEP (page 213).
c) “Every bird likes his own nest best.”193
Also in ODEP (page 60), and Lacinová (page 125).
d) “Home is home, though it be never so homely.”194
Section C:
e) “Where is well with me there is my country.”195
3.19 Nekupuj zajíce v pytli.
According to Kukal: “If something is offered, you should first verify what it is
really like.”196
Section A:
Čermák also mentions that the expression “kupovat zajíce v pytli”
means that you do not use precautions.
c) “To buy a pig in a poke.”197
It is necessary to mention that in English the basic version of the prov. is
found in this form. On the other hand, the Czech prov. straightforwardly
warns against the buying. The exact eq. would look as “Do not buy pig in
a poke.” But this difference does not mean that the English do not use this
ver. with the advice. They rather modify the whole sentence and use it in
several different forms. This prov. is also to be found in ODEP (page 95).
Section B:
d) “Choose neither a woman, nor linen by candle-light.”198
192 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 129.
193 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 144. 194 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 379. 195 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 39. 196 See Petr Kukal. Povídání a hry s českými příslovími. Pro děti od 6 do 10 let (Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s., 2007) 64. 197 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 67. 198 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 122.
30
e) “Try before you trust.”199
Also to be found in ODEP (page 263) and Świerczyński (page 41).
f) “Seeing is believing.”200
In ODEP this prov. warns that “the eyes are the most easily deceived, we
believe them in preference to any other evidence.”
201
g) “If you trust before you try, you may repent before you die.”
202
In this Section, the idea of trying is expressed, I consider these prov. more
specified than those in the Section C that concerns only the trust or distrust.
Section C:
h) “Who trusts not is not deceived.”203
Also in ODEP (page 843).
i) “Wise distrust is the parent of security.”204
j) “Always verify your references.”
205
Also in Collins (page 108).
k) “Take heed is a good thing (good, rede).”206
3.20 Slovo dělá muže.
Kukal: “We recognize a real man only by the fact that he keeps his word and
that he fulfils his promises. Needless to say, that this is valid not only for the
masculine part of the population.”207
Section A :
a) “Honest man’s word is as good as his bond.”208
Section B :
b) “Words bind men.”209
199Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 84.
200 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 710. 201 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 710. 202 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 842. 203 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 87. 204Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 88. 205 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 12. 206F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 799. 207 See Petr Kukal. Povídání a hry s českými příslovími. Pro děti od 6 do 10 let (Praha: Grada Publishing, a.s., 2007) 64. 208 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 380. 209 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 93.
31
In Lacinová presented as the eq. of the Czech prov.
3.21 Co se vleče, neuteče.
This prov. suggests that not everything that takes too long will be lost, that
sometimes the result is even more certain. The second explanation could be that
even if you put off your obligations, they will wait for you.
Section A:
a) “All is not lost that is delayed.”210
Section B:
b) “Today will not if tomorrow may.”211
c) “We shall catch birds to-morrow.”
212
d) “Everything comes to him who waits.”
213
Also in ODEP (page 231).
I put these prov. into the Section B, because all of them concerns the notion of
“putting the things off”, that is semantically closer to the second explanation of
the Czech prov.
Section C:
e) “He that leaves the highway to cut short, commonly goes about.”214
f) “Better late, than never.”
215
g) “Haste makes waste.”
216
h) “It is the pace that kills.”
217
i) “Who goes slowly goes far.”
218
j) “Rome was not built in a (one) day.”
219
210Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 193.
211 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 827. 212 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 110. 213 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 129. 214 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 24. 215 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 54. 216 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 356. 217 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 606. 218 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 130.
32
In ODEP concerning the patience.
The prov. in this section are put together on the basis of the notion of “rushing”.
All of them warn that hurried action might end in disaster, and recommend the
patience.
3.22 Kdo maže, ten jede.
This prov. gives advice that you should grease the wheels of the carriage.
Originally, this precaution should have been made in order to make the work of
the draft animals easier. One would presume that this prov. will not be valid up to
now, but when browsing the current websites I found out that this prov. suggests
that you should take care of your tools (such as wheels of your car, tools etc.)
Section A:
a) “If you grease well, you speed well.”220
In Świerczyński as the eq. of the Czech prov.
Section B:
b) “He who greases his wheels helps his oxen.”221
3.23 Jaký pán, takový krám.
This prov. says that according to man’s behaviour and customs you may
assess what results of his work will be. More specifically if the man is disorderly,
you cannot expect that his business will be in a perfect order. That is why I choose
the proverbs that express the connection between the agent and the result; there
must always be a man’s effort that creats the result (either negative or positive).
You should judge a man by his work. That is why the prov. such as “Like father,
like son” are not included because they describe both the social influence and the
hereditary factor.
Section A:
a) “It´s the master´s eye that makes the mill go.”222
219 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 683.
220Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 89. 221 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 332. 222 Věra Rozsypalová. Napadlo by Vás to anglicky? (Praha: Listopad, 1990) 19.
33
Section B:
b) “Like master, like man”223
In Collins (page 84), in ODEP with the explanation that: “A bad master
makes a bad servant.”
224
b’) “Such mistress, such nan; such master such man.”
I put to b) also the following prov. that are just
the ver. of “Like master, like man”. These prov. are: 225
b’’) “Trim, tram, like master like man.”
226
c) “Like king, like people”
227
Also in ODEP (page 426).
f) “Like author, like book.”228
g) “Such captain, such retinue.”
229
d) “Like counsellor, like counsel.”
230
e) “The house shows the owner.”
231
f) “Like priest, like people.”
232
g) “Like workman, like tool.”
233
h) “Good (ill) master, good (ill) scholar.”
234
223 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 131. 224 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 517. 225 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 536. 226 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 839. 227 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 134. 228 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 23. 229 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 102. 230 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 147. 231 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 390. 232 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 647. 233 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 917. 234 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 322.
34
3.24 Sedávej panenko v koutě, jsi-li ctnostná, najdou tě.
According to Čermák, “sedět v koutě” means “To be unassertively,
passively and humbly in seclusion, to participate in northing, to behave passively
and to act like an observer.”235 The rest of the prov. says that is your virtue, not
the participation that will help you get ahead. Together with this explanation it is
necessary to mention the western Anglo-Saxon attitude towards the participation
which is the self assurance, “Feeling of security as to oneself; self-confidence.”236
Probable it is the reason why there were no positive results of English version of
this Czech prov. It is necessary to say that in present, this attitude spread into the
Czech Republic as well. The Czech prov. is not valid today and often you can
hear its altered ver. that if you will be virtuous, you will be sitting in seclusion
forever.
3.25 Není každý den posvícení.
According to Čermák the prov. means: “A man, when unsuccessful, when
in shortage of money resources or when in trouble usually reacts, that before, he
was lucky.”237 “Posvícení were annual feasts that were celebrated during the days
of the saint to whom local church was dedicated. For the countrymen it meant the
profusion of the food.”238
Section A:
a) “Every day is not Sunday.”239
I put this prov. into the Section A because it agrees both formally and
semantically. The reason is that we can compare the church dedication
feast (posvícení) with Sunday. Sunday is the day that we can in some way
apprehend the holiday or festival one.
Section C:
a) “No day passes without some grief.”240
235 See František Čermák. Slovník české frazeologiea idiomatiky: výrazy slovesné. R-Ž. (Praha: Academia, 1994) 357.
236 Oxford English Dictionary < http://www.oed.com/>. 237 See František Čermák. Slovník české frazeologiea idiomatiky: výrazy slovesné. A-P. (Praha: Academia, 1994) 682. 238 “Posvícení – původ a historie.” České tradice.cz – české tradice z dob dávných i našich. Ed. Martin Bestajovský. September 2010. 17 April 2010 < http://www.ceske-tradice.cz/>. 239 Andrzej Świerczyński, Świerczyńska Dobroslava and Eva Mrhačová. Slovník přísloví v devíti jazycích (Praha: Universum, 2008) 130.
35
b) “No day so clear but has dark clouds.”241
c) “Every light has its shadow.”
242
d) “No sun without a shadow.”
243
e) “The highest spoke in fortune´s wheel may soon turn lowest.”
244
I put all these prov. to this section in spite of the fact that they do not express the
festivity. But in more general point of view they comment that we should count
with the fact that every day cannot be successful.
240 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 169. 241 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 169. 242 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 228. 243 F.P. Wilson. The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1970) 788. 244 Eva Lacinová. Anglická přísloví. English Proverbs (Havlíčkův Brod: Fragment, 1997) 41.
36
4. CONCLUSION Before proceeding to the results and conclusion of my thesis, there are a few
things that are necessary to mention. Concerning the first part of my work,
looking for the suitable interpretation of the term proverb was a tricky question. In
spite of the fact that there were often quite long definitions, a lot of them did not
agree even in three quarters of the characteristics. That is why I tried to consult as
many sources as possible to give a complex view of this problem. Another thing
was that there were some other similar terms that were making this process even
more difficult. In the end I do not consider the most important part of my research
the finding of the suitable definition, but the discovery that the terms described in
2.2 are at present in some cases used instead of the exact term proverb (in spite of
the fact that the usage can be wrong according to the interpretation of the term
prov.).
The second treacherous task was to find the meaning of Czech proverbs. I
need to admit that I did not expect that there would be no suitable publication
containing the definition of the meaning of Czech proverbs. I tried to find in the
book as many interpretations of the meaning of the given proverb as possible, but
the rest is the example of my own invention. This fact makes some definitions
more subjective, but I tried to mention several points of view to give as complete
message as possible.
Now we can proceed to the conclusion itself. All in all, I assigned 160 English
proverbs to 24 Czech proverbs and sorted them out into three different sections.
Section A :
This section was the easiest one; the results were from zero to two results for
one Czech prov. I found 23 equivalents for 24 Czech models. No result was found
for “Pozdě bycha honiti.”, “Blázen, kdo dává, větší, kdo nebere.”, “Kdo chce kam,
pomozme mu tam.” and “Sedávej panenko v koutě, budeš-li ctnostná, najdou tě.”
In case of “Pozdě bycha honiti.” the reason of no result was the difficulty of
translation of bych(a) and no correlation between the form and the meaning. I
considered the only way of translation the expression “Coulda, woulda, shoulda”,
but it cannot be the result because it is not prov.
As for “Blázen, kdo dává, větší, kdo nebere.”, the reason is the Czech attitude
to utilize as much as possible. The proverbs that were put to the Section B warned
37
of the over-generosity or carelessness but did not include that we should not be
ashamed of acceptation of the offer.
Concerning “Kdo chce kam, pomozme mu tam.”, I did not find any English
prov. that could be put into both Section A and B, only the general meaning could
be captured and compared to the results in 3.3, Section C.
The most interesting zero result was for the prov. “Sedávej panenko v koutě,
budeš-li ctnostná, najdou tě.” This proverb clearly shows the different
characteristic of English nation that is the self-assurance.
Two results were found for “Pýcha předchází pád.” and for “Kdo pozdě chodí,
sám sobě škodí.” This was caused by only one word that did not exactly
correspond with the Czech prov.
Section B:
The Section B was no less interesting. I found 57 variants for the Czech model
out of all 160 English proverbs. I find the fact that this section showed a really big
number and variability of the proverbs very surprising. Although the difference
from the Section B was usually formal, the idea was preserved. To show the
variability I choose the prov. where the results were more than 2.
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Section C:
To the Section C, 80 proverbs of 160 were assigned. This number is
understandable because the general meaning of one proverb can be assigned to
many proverbs with more restricted meaning and vice versa- the prov. with
restricted meaning can be understood also more generally.
Following diagram shows the distribution of the proverbs in the three sections,
the proportion of the general meaning (Section C) and of the two groups with
more restricted interpretation was half-and-half.
This work showed that even if you choose one model proverb, the variability
of its counterparts is quite big. This analysis showed that even for a small scale of
24 proverbs, the total number of 160 English variants was found. That is why I
would not agree with the prov. that “The wise men make proverbs and fools
repeat them.” I’d rather recommend that “The proverb is a wit of one and the
wisdom of many.”
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5. RESUMÉ Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá českými příslovími v porovnání s jejich
anglickými protějšky. V první, teoretické části bakalářské práce je vymezen
pojem přísloví jako takový a jeho chápání. Druhá, praktická část bakalářské práce
se dále zabývá nejfrekventovanějšími českými příslovími a jejich porovnáním s
příslovími anglickými.
První, teoretická část je rozdělena na tři kapitoly. První kapitola se zabývá
pojmem přísloví jako takovým. Pro začátek bylo nutno osvětlit, co tento pojem
vůbec znamená. Vzhledem k nepřebernému množství definic, které se nabízely,
bylo potřeba najít nějakou, která by obsahovala typické znaky přísloví vyjádřené
ve většině definic. Nejvhodnější definicí se ukázala definice Internetové verze
Oxford English Dictionary, která byla přijatelná jak svou délkou, tak tím, že
pokryla vše důležité, co bylo nalezeno v definicích jiných. Mezi nejdůležitější
charakteristiky tedy patřila: stručnost, tradovaná skutečnost, metaforický jazyk,
vyjádření obecné pravdy a hlavně rady pro budoucí život. Mimo tyto typické
znaky byly zmíněny i jiné, obsažené v dalších definicích, které ovšem nebyly
shledány tolik důležitými avšak pro úplnost byly také zmíněny. Pro porovnání
českého a anglického pohledu na věc je uvedena i česká definice Eduarda Lotka,
která se s navrženou anglickou definicí v důležitých bodech shoduje.
Pro dokreslení pojmu přísloví a jeho chápání je uvedena i jeho etymologie a
historický vývoj. Přísloví jsou považována za dědictví národů, za moudrost, která
byla pravděpodobně předávána pomocí příběhů a písní. Vzhledem ke stále se
měnícím postojům společnosti se měnila i samotná přísloví; jak jejich platnost, tak
jejich použití. Navíc je potřeba zmínit, že i díky tomu, že většina přísloví vznikla
za doby Antiky a za vlády Římanů mnoho národů má určitá přísloví společná;
můžeme je najít například v Knize přísloví, která je částí Starého zákona.
Druhá kapitola teoretické části zmiňuje i další termíny, které se často zaměňují
s pojmem přísloví. Mezi ně patří v angličtině maxim, locution, adage, idiom,
phrase, saying a dictum. V této části je ke každému z těchto termínů přiřazena
jeho definice a poté vysvětleno, z jakého důvodu daný termín nemůže nahrazovat
pojem přísloví. Avšak za nejdůležitější zjištění této kapitoly považuji názor Johna
F. McKenny, který tvrdí, že vzhledem k tomu, kolik mají tyto termíny společných
40
znaků s termínem přísloví, často je pojem přísloví těmto termínům nadřazen,
popřípadě se tyto termíny s termínem přísloví stávají synonymními.
V poslední, třetí části je zmíněna věda, která se příslovími zabývá-
paremiologie, a dále věda, která se zabývá sběrem přísloví- paremiografie.
Druhá, praktická část se dělí na 2 části. První vysvětluje metodologii
výzkumu, další část se již zabývá samotným výzkumem a přiřazováním
anglických přísloví k výchozím českým. Jako výchozí materiál byla použita sada
24 nejfrekventovanějších českých přísloví z knihy Dany Bittnerové a Franze
Schindlera Česká přísloví: Soudobý stav konce 20. století. Dále je vysvětleno,
z jakého důvodu je daných 24 přísloví považováno za nejfrekventovanější. K této
sadě českých přísloví byla dále přiřazována přísloví anglická. Jako zdroje bylo
použito pět různých publikací. Za primární byly považovány publikace české,
hlavně z důvodu, že se data jejich prvního vydání nelišila od data vydání knihy
Bittnerové a Schindlera o více jak 10 let. Navíc tyto publikace ukazují i pohled
českých autorů na přiřazení anglických přísloví k českým a naopak. Sekundární
zdroje byly zdroje anglické, které na rozdíl od českých obsahovaly i vysvětlení
významu daného přísloví, což bylo velice užitečné při dohledávání anglických
ekvivalentů. Nevýhodou však bylo stáří těchto publikací, které se od Bittnerové a
Schindlera lišilo o více jak deset let.
Při zkoumání daného přísloví je ke každému českému modelu doplněn jeho
význam. Přestože se toto může zdát jako banální, z mé vlastní zkušenosti, kdy
jsem si mezi lidmi ověřovala, jak význam daného přísloví chápou- a jejich
interpretace se někdy značně lišily- jsem se rozhodla, že význam daného přísloví
doplním. Pro příklad bych uvedla přísloví „Co se vleče, neuteče.“, kdy mi na
jednu stranu bylo řečeno, že přísloví vyjadřuje, že ne vše, co dlouho trvá, je
ztraceno (někdy je výsledek dokonce i jistější), na druhou stranu byl navrhnut
význam přísloví, že vše, co člověk odkládá na později, ho jednou dostihne. Proto
jsem ke každému českému modelu měla snahu doplnit i jeho význam. Překvapivě
však v České Republice neexistuje žádná ucelená publikace, která by význam
přísloví osvětlovala. Ústavem pro jazyk český mi byl doporučen pouze Čermákův
Slovník české frazeologie a idiomatiky: výrazy slovesné, kde bylo možné najít
pouze přísloví některá. Ty jsem samozřejmě zařadila, stejně jako vysvětlení
nalezené v pedagogických příručkách Petra Kukala. Zbylá jsem se pokusila
41
vysvětlit svými vlastními silami zároveň se snahou si mé vysvětlení u několika
lidí ověřit.
Vzhledem k vysokému počtu nalezených anglických přísloví (celkem 160)
byla tyto anglická přísloví při přiřazení k českým roztříděna na 3 skupiny.
Skupina první (Section A) obsahovala přísloví, která se shodují jak významově,
tak formálně (samozřejmě menší odchylky byly tolerovány). Druhá skupina
(Section B) zahrnuje přísloví, která vyjadřují pouze část toho, co český model
vyjadřuje, a nebo jeho více omezený nebo specifikovaný význam. Třetí skupina
(Section C) obsahuje přísloví, která vyjadřují obecný význam českého modelu.
V některých případech je k anglickým protějškům uvedeno i další vysvětlení, proč
se nachází v dané skupině.
Poslední část, závěr, shrnuje výsledky celé bakalářské práce. Je zde nastíněna
složitost nalezení vhodné definice přísloví vzhledem k jak rozdílným definicím
různých slovníku, tak vzhledem k dalším podobným termínům, které se často
s pojmem přísloví zaměňují. Dále je potřeba zmínit i problém subjektivnosti
vysvětlení významu českých přísloví vzhledem k tomu, že neexistuje ucelená
publikace, která by tyto významy interpretovala.
Avšak i přes tyto problémy jsme se překlenuli k samotným výsledkům.
K celkem 24 českým příslovím z Bittnerové a Schindlera bylo přiřazeno celkem
160 anglických protějšků, které byly roztříděny do 3 skupin. V první skupině
(Section A) bylo nalezeno 23 ekvivalentů pro 24 českých přísloví. Je zde i
osvětleno, proč celkem čtyři přísloví zůstala bez výsledku a proč ke dvěma
českým příslovím byly přiřazeny výsledky dva. Druhá skupina (Section B)
vykázala velkou variabilitu a rozmanitost anglických protějšků. Do této skupiny
bylo přiřazeno celkem 54 anglických přísloví. V tabulce jsou ukázána i ty česká
přísloví, pro které bylo nalezeny více, jak dva anglické protějšky. Do třetí sekce
bylo zařazeno 80 anglických přísloví. Vzhledem k tomu, že vyjadřují obecný
význam daného českého modelu, je toto nejvyšší číslo pochopitelné.
Tato práce ukázala variabilnost a velkou rozmanitost anglického jazyka, kdy
k jednomu českému přísloví bylo možné přiřadit několik variant přísloví
anglických.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY WORKS CITED:
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ANOTACE
Příjmení a jméno autora Monika Grohová
Název katedry a fakulty Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky, FF UP
Název bakalářské práce Česká nejfrekventovanější přísloví v porovnání s anglickými
Vedoucí práce Prof. PhDr. Jaroslav Macháček, CSc.
Počet stran 51
Počet příloh 1 CD
Rok obhajoby 2010
Klíčová slova přísloví, česká přísloví, anglická přísloví
Jazyk práce angličtina
Charakteristika
Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá českými příslovími v porovnání s jejich anglickými protějšky. V teoretické části bakalářské práce bude vymezen pojem přísloví jako takový a jeho chápání. Praktická část bakalářské práce se bude dále zabývat nejfrekventovanějšími českými příslovími a jejich porovnáním s příslovími anglickými.
Author Monika Grohová
Department Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky, FF UP
Title The most frequent Czech proverbs in comparison to the English proverbs
Supervisor Prof. PhDr. Jaroslav Macháček, CSc.
Number of pages 51
Number of appendices 1 CD
Year of presentation 2010
Key words proverb, Czech proverb, English proverb
Language English
Characteristics
This bachelor thesis analyzes Czech proverbs in comparison to their English counterparts. The theoretical part deals with the term proverb and its definition and interpretation. In the practical part the most frequent Czech proverbs are compared with the English proverbs.
