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English Proverbs Functions in English Learning

. Introduction
Nowadays, more and more Chinese people are learning English because of Chinas
entering into the WTO. Many of them spend a lot of time in learning English everyday.
But only a few can speak fluent English. They learn English just in order to pass some
English tests, such as CET-4, CET-6, TEM-4 and so on. The only thing they measure a
persons English is whether he can pass those examinations. Therefore, they dont pay
attention to putting English into practice in everyday life. Memorizing the English
words and grammar rules becomes the only thing they do.
In fact, when we learn English, we should not only pay attention to the words, but
also spend time to memorize the phrases and sentences, and then put them into practice.
In this respect, English proverbs are good materials for people to learn English because
they have close relationship with English speaking nations culture, economic life,
social customs, etc. If we can have a good command of English proverbs, we will have
a better understanding of the English speaking nations. And if we can use English
proverbs when we speak English, we will act in a more native way.
This thesis is discussing the functions of English proverbs in English learning, and
aiming at helping students aware of western culture and finally improving their
language competence.

. Definition of English Proverbs
An English proverb is a brief familiar maxim of folk wisdom, usually compressed
in form, often involving a bold image and frequent a jingle that catches the memory..
The words familiar and folk suggest proverbs have close relationship with the
experiences of ordinary people who are majority of creations of proverbs. Proverbs are
usually brief and easy to remember and operate with mouths and metaphorical. We will
get a better idea of English proverbs from the old saying carry coals to Newcastle
Which reveals the truths of unnecessary to do something by comparing with a plain
action of carrying coals to Newcastle, where coal is abundant. So a brief saying may
carry extremely rich information with reflects its national resources and the living of
people.
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.Rich Sources of English Proverbs
The sources of English proverbs have been frequently explored. Proverbs are
mainly of folk origin, they are the oral creation of the common people. Besides, Some
English proverbs are from classical works, others are from ancient legends, stories and
some are borrowed from other languages.
3.1 Proverbs of Folk Tradition
As discussed before, common people are the major creators of proverbs, and
proverbs are the crystallization of common peoples wisdom. Since proverbs are the
daughters of daily experience, they can reflect almost every aspect of peoples life
experience, thoughts and feelings.
On the one hand, proverbs reflect peoples experiences in struggling with the
nature. The UK has close relationship with voyage, and many proverbs are created on
this basis. For example, a great ship asks deep waters. At the beginning, this proverb
only reflected basic experience and knowledge in one field. As time passing by, it is
polished and widely accepted by people. One more example, the proverb hoist sail
when the wind is fair may guide the sailors only, now it has a common instructive
meaning catch the opportunity to do things.
On the other hand, proverbs reflect peoples social experience and their thoughts.
Money could not buy happiness.
The face is the index of the mind.
These proverbs are shining peoples wisdom accumulated in a long history of
social life and people show their understanding to the sophisticated world.
3.2 Proverbs from Literature and Classics
Literature works provides many English proverbs. Among those, Shakespeares
works are the most effective. Shakespeares main contributions are plays. Dialogues in
plays are mainly oral English. So, many of the dialogues are proverbs in his plays. For
example,
Lend your money and lose your friend.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
The above two are from Hamlet.
It is a wise child that knows his own father. (The Merchant of Venice),
Furthermore, English absorb many proverbs from classics. They include legends
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and fables, especially legends and fables from ancient Greek and Rome. Proverbs from
legend: far from J upiter, far from thunder. J upiter is a God in Roman legends. He is in
charge of the thunder. Proverbs from Aesopes fables: kill not the goose that lays the
golden eggs. This proverb warns people do not spoil something you have or that is
good by being greedy. The grapes are sour. It means that people often find fault with
things they would like but can not get.
3.3 Proverbs from Religious Books
Christian is the dominant religion in English countries. Bible is the holy book of
the Christians. It influences English in a deep degree and it greatly enriches English
proverbs. So, quite a number of English proverbs are from Bible, such as: a good wife
is a good prize and stolen waters are sweet.
3.4 Proverbs from Other Languages
Because of economic and cultural development and communication, many foreign
proverbs of other languages come into English.
3.4.1 Indian
Only an elephant can bear an elephants load. This proverb refers to those who
dont have the ability to do a specific task. The sandal tree perfumes the axe that fells
it. India is the original country that Buddhism came from. And Buddhism is famous for
its virtue and love, so it is quite natural for Indian to create this proverb.
3.4.2 Chinese
China was and is a great nation. Its culture has affected the world a lot. Many
English proverbs came from Chinese proverbs. Such as: Everything is difficult at
first. A good rat will not injure the grain near its own whole.
Though a tree grows ever so high, its falling leaves return to the root.
A great tree attracts the wind. A kind word warms
for three winters. A little impatience, big plans ruined.

All in all, the rich sources add unique characteristics to English proverbs.

. Engl i sh Proverbs Functions in English Learning
4.1 Helping to Get Aware of Western Culture
4.1.1 Ocean Culture of England
The UK is an island country. It is surrounded by sea. Its one of the most important
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sea food countries. It has a long costal line and peoples lives there are influenced a lot
by sea. Many of them are fishermen, especially before the first industrial revolution. So
with the years passing by, a lot of fish-related English proverbs were passed down from
one generation to another. Some of them have developed to other meanings. In a word,
those English proverbs about the sea have great value in English language development.
The best fish swim near the bottom. This proverb is just a fact at first. Now, it means
we cant get the valuable things so easily. There is as good fish in the sea as ever came
out of it. It means though a chance lost, there are many chances ahead. Little fish are
sweet. It tells us that although the gift is small, it is filled with love.
People usually use a net to catch fish. So there are some proverbs having connected
with net. It is in vain to cast your net where there is no fish. When the fish is caught,
the net is laid aside. It means that some people have done a successful job, but they
dont insist the way they did. Some fish, some frog. When we use net to catch fish,
there is not only fish in the net, but also with lots of other things. It means everything
has two sides. We also use bait to catch fish. There are some related English proverbs:
it is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. From this proverb, we know
that we should not make the same mistake for another time. There are also some English
proverbs related to fish transaction. Dont cry stinking fish. When selling fish, the
seller must try his best to praise his fish, even though the fish is stinking, It teaches us
not to be too humility.
When we talk about catching fish, we can not ignore the sea. There are a lot of
proverbs about the sea. As the wind blows, you must set your sail. It contains the
meaning that we must catch the right moment to do things. A great ship asks deep
waters. It means a great person should show his ability through difficult tasks.
The above are some English proverbs about the ocean. From those proverbs, we
know those peoples living environment and social activities.
4.1.2 Social Status of Western Female
Language is a mirror of the real world. It can reflect all kinds of social customs and
peoples sense of value. English proverbs were handed down from long time ago. So
they contain peoples working experiences and thoughts of different times. The sources
are wide-from literature to folk legends, from beliefs to natural phenomenon. Peoples
experiences and thoughts of different times are in the proverbs. So when we analyze
womens social status in western countries, the English proverbs are representative
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materials. We can have a general idea of womens social status from three the following.
From English proverbs contents, we can see that there are a lot of proverbs having
relationship with womens social status, but only a few of them are positive. Such as:
men make houses, and women make homes and the daughter of a good mother will
be the mother of a good daughter. But most of those proverbs are limited to one
topic-womens obligations and responsibilities to the family, their husbands and their
children. All those reflect that womens position was inferior to men. There are only a
few proverbs about womens positive behaviors on careers and society, because many
people have the idea that women should not have jobs about science and the society.
Their duty is to cook and take care of the children and their husbands. They are the
wealth of men. A good husband makes a good wife. A little house well filled, a little
land well filled, a little wife well filled are great riches. In the Bible, a woman is made
from one of a mans ribs, which means women are part of men. They are mens
belongings and dont have the rights to choose their future. Nature makes women to be
won, and men to win. Men try their best to restrict women at home, so as to keep them
trueness and goodness and not to be influenced by the outside world. Because in mens
mind, womens best is in their trueness and simple, such as: a simple maiden in her
flower is worth a hundred coasts of arms.
From those English proverbs, we can know that men try to restrict womens
activity space and use a full set of standards to measure them. From their points of view,
women are mindless. Such as: music is the key to the female heart and maids are
drawn to pleasure as moths to the flame.
Also, men believe that women are insatiable. Maids want nothing than thousands,
but when they have them, they want everything. People also believe that women prefer
to make rumors. A womans tongue is the last thing about her that dies. Women are
thought to be changing a lot. They are unpredictable. A womans mind and winter wind
change off. Women are thought to be weak. A woman and a glass are ever in danger.
Women are made of glass. From mans point of view, females like to doubt. It is
easier to make a hundred watches agree than ten women. In mens mind, women are
nave and they are lack of knowledge. A man is as old as he feels and a woman is as
old as she looks. The beauty of a woman is in her beauty. A man of straw is worth a
woman of gold. At the same time, men give women a title the origins of sins. They
believe womens beauty is an unforgettable mistake. Womens jars breed mens wars.
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They even think the ugliest girl makes the best housewife.
4.1.3 Americans Sense of Value
4.1.3.1 Americans Attitude toward Time
Time is very important to Americans. Time is a kind of resource and material. It
has its own value and can be utilized. In English, time can be used with the words- save,
spend, waste, lose and so on. Time is highly regarded in America. Time is money.
Every American knows that only one who cherishes time can he succeed in the fierce
competitions. Such behavior as wasting time is seemed as a shame. The following
proverbs can reflect times importance. An hour a day is worth two in the evening.
Lost time is never found again. Americans are known for their on time habits. In
America, to be on time is a must. Being late is considered to be impolite. Everyone
should do things in accordance with the schedule. A punctual person will receive highly
commends. In America, time is defined clearly. When to do what, or what should be
finished before a certain time should be noticed clearly in mind. People always have a
precise time planning. They hate last minute notice, and admire those who do things
well according to his own agenda. To grasp the time ahead is also an important point to
Americans. Future is always more important than the past, because future is within our
reach. One can achieve his goals by cherishing time. They like to use the following
proverbs to show their cherishing time behaviors. Time and tide wait for no man.
The early bird catches the worm. One day is worth two tomorrow.
4.1.3.2 Individualism
Individualism dominates American culture. One can see the individualism through
self-discipline and privacy. God help those who help themselves. Benjamin Franklin
used this sentence in the Poor Richards Almanac to mention that if the Puritans wanted
to change their destiny and become the voters of God, they must rely on no others but
themselves. When facing the difficulties, the first person one should think of is himself.
Put yourself up by your own boot straps. Every tub must stand on its own bottom.
One will be afraid of nothing if he is an independent person. They will try their best to
show their abilities, and achieve their goals.
Privacy right is one feature of individualism. People should respect others privacy
and not to interrupt into it. Put not your hand between the bark and the tree. It means
one must not interrupt into others business. Give your own fish-guts to your own sea.
It means to keep the good things and not to give them to others. A mans home is his
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castle. This sentence tells us that home is a privacy place and we should not enter into
it unless we have the hosts permission. All those proverbs reflect the individualism in
American culture.
4.1.3.3 Materialism
In the American metaphysics, reality is always material. In the early age, many
people went to America just for one thing: to go from rags to riches. The place of
maiden was waiting for those who are diligent to cultivate it and let them become rich
as reward. The only standard to judge a persons social status is not the social classes or
the title, but how much money a person has. This is also the most important standard to
measure a person is successful or not. A man without money is no man at all. The
materialism decides that the up most important thing in the universe is money. All
things should be obedient to money. There are even sentences like those: a full purse
never lacks friends and who owns the purse rules the house. In turn, poverty means
loosing everything, even the dignity. A light purse makes a heavy heart. Empty
sacks cannot stand up. They believe great gain makes work easy. Many Chinese
people think it is wrong to think this way. But Americans dont agree. They believe
money is the source of hard working. Because of this kind of concept, American
economy developed fast in the past century.
4.2 Benefit for Pronunciation Practice
Proverbs, like literary works and poems, are the essence of English. We all know
that the pronunciation practice is a dull thing. If only we can use English proverbs in it.
We will have a lot more fun.
For example, when we practice diphthong /ei/, most students prefer to read haste
makes waste than she is late today. Many proverbs having rhetoric technique likes
alliteration, assonance, repetition, and antithesis. They are easy for us to read. More
examples, fast bind, fast find and out of debt, out of danger. Moreover, if one word
appears twice in a sentence and this sentence is full of rhythm, then it is a good material
for pronunciation practicing. Here are some proverbs for pronunciation practice.
/e/: Necessity is the mother of invention. Better a glorious death than a shameful
life. Death pays all debts. A good health is above wealth. All is well that ends well.
Better to do well than to say well.
/a:/: He laughs best who laughs last. He who has an art has everywhere a part.
/u:/: Children and fools tell the truth. A fool and his money are soon parted. An eye
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for an eye and a tooth for a tooth;
//: Well begun is half done. All work ill done must be twice done. Diligence is
the mother of good luck.
/:/: The early bird catches worm. Kind words are the music of the world. First
come, first served. Good words are worth much and cost little.
//: As you sow you shall mow. A rolling stone gathers no moss. A straw will
show which way the wind blows.
/ai/: A good wife is a good prize. Great minds think alike. While there is life there
is hope. Time and tide wait for no man. Good advice is beyond price. Reason is the
guide and light of life.
//: No joy without annoy. Choice of the end covers choice of the means. J oys
shared with others are more enjoyed. The voice of the people is the voice of God.
//: There are no birds of this year in last years nest. Life is not all beer and
skittles. Hear much, speak little. Talk of the devil and he will appear. The day has eyes,
the night has ears.
/t/: What may be done at any time will be done at no time. Time and tide wait for
no man. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
/g/: Go while the going is good. All that glitters is not gold. A good beginning
makes a good ending.
/h/: It is hard to be high and humble. Handsome is as handsome does. If it were not
for hope, the heart would break. Hedges have eyes and walls have ears.
//: Do not count chickens before they are hatched. Choice of the end covers
choice of the means. Stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach.
/tr/: Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. Try before you trust. You
never know what you can do till you try. Truth is stranger than fiction.
/dr/: Better be drunk than drowned. Drawn wells seldom dry. Dreams go by
contraries. The last drop makes the cup run over.
/ts/: Everybody has his merits and faults. The cat shuts its eyes when stealing
cream. Everything comes to him who waits.
/m/: A miss is as good as a mile. One mans meat is another mans poison. A man
cannot serve two masters. Many man, many minds.
Those proverbs are very important for pronunciation training. They are easy to
read and to be remembered.
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4.3 Having a Better Understanding about Rhetorical Devices
Many English proverbs are expressive and impressive because there are various
rhetorical devices in them. Such as: simile, metaphor, metonymy, personification,
repetition, antithesis and rhyme. From learning those English proverbs, we can have a
better understanding about the rhetoric devices.
4.3.1 Simile
Simile is an expression which describes one thing directly comparing with another,
using the words as or like. The following are two examples: beauty,
unaccompanied by virtue is as a rose without perfume. and three removes are as bad
as a fire.
4.3.2 Metaphor
Metaphor is an expression which describes one thing using words usually used of
something else with very similar qualities, such as: deeds are fruits, words are leaves
and life is not all cakes and beer. In the above sentences, deeds and words
correspond with fruits and leaves respectively, and life corresponds with cakes
and beer.
4.3.3 Metonymy
Metonymy is an expression which usually uses the name of something else that is
closely related to the original. Metonymy is used in the following two sentences. The
pen is stronger than sword. A light purse makes a heavy heart. Here pen
substitutes article, sword for force for arms and purse for money.
4.3.4 Personification
Time and tide wait for no man. Fortune knocks once at every mans door.
Time, tide and fortune are lifeless and abstract. But they become vivid and
concrete after being personified.
4.3.5 Antithesis
Antithesis is an expression which uses the symmetry of different parts in the
sentence. It makes the sentence effective as well as readable. Such as: rich men feed,
poor men breed.
4.4 Promoting Interests toward English Learning
Many people said the process of learning English is very boring and tiresome. Its
true in a certain degree. Because when we learn English, we have to read and memorize
a lot. But there are also many interesting ways to learn English. Such as watching
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English movies, listening to English songs and having a chat with a foreigner. Besides,
there is another interesting way to learn English. Thats to put some English proverbs
into English learning.
4.4.1 Classroom Learning
In class, if a teacher can put English proverbs into the daily teaching activities,
students might benefit a lot from these witty and impressive expressions, and hence
absorb the gist in respect of learning belief and strategies or even merely the language
itself. Thus, students' learning abilities and personal qualities can be promoted. We
would make our classroom full of energy through the following teaching and learning
principles. They are the principle of being relaxing, interesting and effective.
First, teachers can design certain wall newspapers or pictures with English
proverbs printed on them, or just make some English proverbs decorated and posted on
the wall, to create a good learning atmosphere and at the same time to beautify our
surroundings. Also, teachers can organize some oral activities. For example, each time
two students will show their favorite proverbs on the blackboard after preparation, and
explain why they like those proverbs. In this way, students not only acquire the skills of
oral presentation, but also get a chance to know more about each other.
Second, another good way is to invent some games. For example, a teacher can use
the saying "practice makes perfect" as a topic for students to do a brainstorming, or
"gold will not buy everything to create a story or a play. These classroom techniques
serve to help students to learn and practice unconsciously. What's more, novelty and
pleasantness will be achieved so that they will get a change to rest, and work in efficient
spurt.
Third, a teacher might as well employ an appropriate one in the margin or at the
bottom of students' journals or compositions as comments, for instance, "if you dream it,
you can do it", "God helps those who help themselves" or "everyone is his own
architect". These words undoubtedly will reinforce students' aspiration.
To sum up, not only language points, but also the skills of speaking, listening,
reading, translating and writing can all be improved in these proverbs activities. In
addition, the concepts of how to learn and how to behave will sink in.
4.4.2 Self-study
For self-study, if we can invite some interesting English proverbs, maybe we will
feel much easier and interested. The following sentences are some interesting proverbs
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about the twenty-six English words. They are good materials for self study, especially
for new and poor English level learners.
A is for art, art is long, (but) life is short.
B is for beauty, beauty is only skin deep.
C is for children, children and fools cannot lie.
D is for danger, danger is next neighbor to security.
E is for experience, experience is the best teacher.
F is for fact, facts speak louder than words.
G is for gold, gold will not buy everything.
H is for honor, honor and profit lie not in one sack.
I is for industry, industry is the parent of success.
J is for judge, judge not according to appearance.
K is for knowledge, knowledge is power.
M is for man, man is the soul of the universe.
N is for nature, nature is the glass reflecting truth.
O is for offence, offence is the best defence.
P is for patience, patience is a plaster for all sores.
Q is for quality, quality matters more than quantity.
R is for Rome, Rome was not built in a day.
S is for speech, speech is the picture of the mind.
T is for time, time and tide wait for no man.
U is for unite, united we stand, divided we fall.
V is for virtue, virtue is a jewel of great price.
W is for wisdom, wisdom is better than gold or silver.
X is for Xmas, Xmas comes but once a year.
Y is for year, years bring wisdom.
Z is for zeal, zeal should not outrun discretion.

.Concl usion
English proverbs are treasures in English language. They contain rich contents with
the simplest forms. Their languages are vivid and expressive. Because English proverbs
have so many advantages, they have the functions to help English learners to improve
their English competence. Meanwhile, when we learn English proverbs, we are not only
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learning the proverbs themselves, but also learning the English-speaking countries
cultures and histories. For example, when we read the proverbs some fish, some frog
and it is in vain to cast your net where there is no fish, we can have a better
understanding of the ocean culture in the UK. More examples, we can know womens
social status through nature makes women to be won, and men to win. Besides,
English proverbs have the function to promote our interests toward English learning. We
can use English proverbs to play some games. Such as, a teacher can give an English
proverb and asks students to make up some stories about the proverb. In all, English
proverbs have many functions to improve English learners English competence. If we
can have a good understanding of English proverbs, we can speak and write more freely
when using English. At the end of this thesis, I hope more and more people pay more
attention to English proverbs. In this way, we can learn English more effectively.
























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