Les proverbes et la culture

1. Les proverbes et la culture Sarah Kay Hurst

2. Les proverbes • Whatis a proverb? • Whatis the purpose of a proverb? • When do youlearnproverbs? • Why are proverbseasy to remember? • How are proverbsused in society? • Where do proverbs come from? • Whatmightproverbsreveal about culture? • List 5 popularproverbsthatyou know.

3. Les proverbes • Whatis a proverb? • Whatis the purpose of a proverb? • When do youlearnproverbs? • Why are proverbseasy to remember? • How are proverbsused in society? • Where do proverbs come from? • Whatmightproverbsreveal about culture? • List 5 popularproverbsthatyou know.

4. Équivalents !Can youthink of an English equivalentfor each of thesesayings?

5. Les proverbes • Whatis a proverb? • Whatis the purpose of a proverb? • When do youlearnproverbs? • Why are proverbseasy to remember? • How are proverbsused in society? • Where do proverbs come from? • Whatmightproverbsreveal about culture? • List 5 popularproverbsthatyou know.

6. Les proverbes et le publicités Complete these expressions. • If at first youdon’tsucceed, _______________ • __________ makes the heartgrow fonder. • Good things come to thosewho _____________

7. Les proverbes et le publicités Complete these expressions. • de l’argent • français • le beau temps • Après la pluie, _______________ • Le temps, c’est ______________ • Impossible n’est pas _______________ Whatdoeseach expression mean? Is there an English equivalent? What values mightbeconveyed by each of thesesayings?

8. Les proverbes et les publicités Après la pluie…

9. Les proverbes et les publicités Après la pluie… • Il ne faut pas réveiller le chat qui dort. • Qui vivra, verra. • Il y a une différence entre connaitre le chemin et l’arpenter • Il n’est nulle montagne sans vallée • Jamais honteux n'eut belle amie. • C’est la vie. • Mieux vaut savoir que richesse. • Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse • Langue muette n'est jamais battue.

10. Les proverbes et les publicités Après la pluie… • Qui vivra, _______. • Il y a une ____________ entre connaitre le chemin et l’arpenter • Il n’est nulle ___________ sans vallée • C’est la __________ • Pierre ______ roule n’amasse pas mousse • Et après la __________

11. Les proverbes et les publicités Après la pluie… • Qui vivra, verra. • Il y a une différence entre connaitre le chemin et l’arpenter • Il n’est nulle montagne sans vallée • C’est la vie • Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse • Et après la pluie, [le beau temps] Whatdoeseach expression mean? Is there an English equivalent? What values mightbeconveyed by each of thesesayings?

12. Les proverbes et les publicités Après la pluie… • Et après la pluie, [le beau temps] la sortie ! Whyisthisfunny? Whyisit a catchy line for advertising?

13. Les proverbes et les publicités Publicité CIC What English proverb do youhear in this commercial? What translation of thisproverb do youhear? Is this a fullyaccurate translation? Why or why not? Whatdoes the translation/ humor of the advertisement tell you about French culture and their perception of American culture? Do youfindthis to be an accurate perception?

14. Les proverbes et les publicités Publicité CIC What aspects of this commercial reflect stereotypes about Americans? About the French? What stereotypes are prevalent in American culture about the French? Are these reflected in our commercials? Can you think of any examples?

15. Les proverbes et les publicités Impossible n’est pas… • belge ! What values does the original proverbconvey? What values does the modifiedproverbconvey? Do we have any similar proverbs or expressions?

16. Après avoir regardé • What do these uses of proverbs in advertising tell us about the role of proverbs in society? • Proverbs are cultural ties/ background knowledgewhichin this case help us understand the humor of the commercials • Proverbs encode underlying values in memorablesnippets

17. Les proverbes • Whatis a proverb? • Whatis the purpose of a proverb? • When do youlearnproverbs? • Why are proverbseasy to remember? • How are proverbsused in society? • Where do proverbs come from? • Whatmightproverbsreveal about culture? • List 5 popularproverbsthatyou know.

18. Where do theseproverbs come from?

19. Where do theseproverbs come from? • “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” • “Honesty is the best policy.” • “Look before you leap.”

20. Et ces proverbes ? • « Ni l’or ni la grandeur ne nous rendent heureux. » • « Rien ne sert de courir ; il faut partir à point. » • « Apprenez que tout flatteur vit au dépens de celui qui l’écoute. »

21. 1678

22. À vous ! • Choose an English proverbthatissalient for you and write a back story based on the style of the fables of Jean de la Fontaine. Think about modern day society and how the proverbcouldresonate. • Example: Whatcould « The grassisalwaysgreener on the otherside » reallymean? Is it about possums in Indiana who are constantly in search of bettergrass, only to findthat by the time they have relocated in the humidity, itseemsthatwheretheylefthadbettergrassafter all? Is this a metahpor for studentswhocan’twait to bedonewithhomework and get out of school and then once they are out in the real world, can’twait to be back in school, given the currenteconomicclimate?

23. Les proverbes • Whatis a proverb? • Whatis the purpose of a proverb? • When do youlearnproverbs? • Why are proverbseasy to remember? • How are proverbsused in society? • Where do proverbs come from? • Whatmightproverbsreveal about culture? • List 5 popularproverbsthatyou know.

24. Les associationsAssociatewordswitheach of the proverbsbelow • Where there’s a will, there’s a way. • If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. • Nothingventured, nothinggained. • You reap what you sow. • Time is money. Compare withyourpartner. Didyou come up withsimilarwords? What value mighttie all of thesesayingstogether? Success? Whatissuccess and how issuccessachieved? Is thistrue for all Americans?

25. Les assocationsAssociatewordswitheach of the proverbsbelow • L’abondance engendre la nausée. Plentyendgersnausea. • Mieux vaut savoir que richesse. Betterto have knowledgethan riches. • La fortune sourit aux audacieux. Fortune smiles on the audacious. • Il y a péril en la demeure. There is danger in waiting. • Jamais paresseux n’eut grande écuelle. Never did a lazyperson have a bigbowl. L’argent ne fait pas le bonheur. Money doesn’tbringhappinness. Whatvalue(s) mighttie all of thesesayingstogether?

26. Success v. reussite 1. Write down at least 3 wordsyouassociatewith « success ». 2. Compare with a partner. 3. Look at the data collectedfromanotheruniversity class (one American class and one French class). What cultural themesseem to emerge? 4. Are these cultural themessimilar to thoseyoudrewfromreading the proverbs in English and French? Why or why not?

27. Les proverbes et la langue • Il faut tourner sa langue sept fois dans sa bouche avant de parler.You should turn your tongue 7 times in your mouth before you speak. • Il faut être matelot avant d’être capitaine. You must be a sailor before you are a captain. • Il faut réfléchir avant d’agir. You shouldreflectbefore acting. • La seconde pensée est la meilleure. The second thoughtis the best. • Les plaisanteries les plus courtes sont les meilleures. The shortestjokes are the best. • La parole a été donnée à l’homme pour déguiser sa pensée. Wordsweregiven to man to disguisehisthoughts. Do we have equivalentsayings? Whatthemesrecur in thesesayings?

28. Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un œil. A desertwithoutcheeseis a beautifulwomanwhoismissing an eye. La table est l’entremetteuse de l’amitié.The table is the mediator of friendship.

29. La nourriture dans des proverbes et des expressions idiomatiques • J’ai du pain sur la planche. • Elle a le cœur d’artichaut. • Il a les cheveux poivre et sel. • Nous étions serrés comme des sardines. • Un jour sans vin est comme un jour sans soleil. • Ma valise est pleine comme un œuf. • De mauvais grain jamais bon pain. • Jean raisonne comme une casserole. • Occupe-toi de tes oignons. • Il a mis son grain de sel. • Ce n’est pas la fin des haricots! • La fille est tombée dans les pommes. • Il va en faire tout un flan! • J’ai la pêche aujourd’hui! • Tu as écrit des tartines! • Nous avons marche sur des œufs.

30. Proverbs Show Differing Cultural Views of U.S, China Released: 10/31/1998 12:00 AM EST Source Newsroom: Ohio State University A new study uses an unusual source -- proverbs -- to reveal cultural differences in how Chinese and American citizens view risks and risk-taking. When Chinese and American students compared proverbs from their countries they agreed: Chinese proverbs generally advocated greater risk-taking than did American proverbs. […] What cultural themesmight come to light fromstudying French and American proverbs in thisway? How wouldyou set about designing a similarexperiment?