David Crystal - As They Say In Zanzibar

Anthologies are never finished, only abandoned. In the case of proverbs, one has to recognize very early on that the field is one of extraordinary magnitude. The proverbs of the world are numbered not in thousands but in millions. What is a couple of thousand among so many? I believe that small-scale compilations have their place, for there are still many avenues in the investigation of proverbs which remain to be explored. For this book, I have attempted to integrate just two dimensions – the cross-cultural and the semantic. But they are dimensions which are not usually considered together, and I hope thereby to make a small contribution to the evolution of this fascinating field.

This has also been an exercise in standing on shoulders. My research has taken me from the early classical collections, such as Ray’s Proverbs of 1767, into modern popular collections, of the ‘Thousand Chinese Proverbs’ type, and from there into the World Wide Web, where there are now some remarkable intercultural sites. I give some references in Further Reading. I warmly acknowledge the help I have had from earlier paremiographers, and hope that this latest anthology does them, and their field, no disservice.

David Crystal

THEMATIC CLASSIFICATION

1 Existence

2 Family

3 Sameness

4 Difference

5 Small amount

6 Large amount

7 Increase – Decrease

8 One alone

9 One of two

10 One of several

11 Accompaniment

12 Two – Twice – Both

13 Three – Third

14 Four or more

15 Next to nothing

16 Multitude

17 Better – Worse

18 Uniting

19 Separating

20 Chain – Rope – String

21 Whole – Part

22 Full – Entire

23 Empty – Lacking

24 Sequence – Order

25 Assemblages

26 Contents

27 Kinds

28 Always happening

29 Conformity

30 Repetition

31 Time

32 Years – Seasons – Months – Weeks

33 Days – Nights

34 Mornings – Afternoons – Evenings

35 Hours – Minutes – Seconds

36 Long time

37 Never

38 Clocks – Watches

39 Beginnings – Endings

40 Beforehand

41 Afterwards

42 Past – Present – Future

43 Sooner or later

44 Newness

45 Oldness

46 Age

47 A time and a place

48 Sometimes

49 Lasting

50 Ceasing

51 Changing

52 Happenings

53 Cause – Effect

54 Strength – Weakness

55 Production

56 Destruction

57 Force

58 Parents – Children

59 Locations

60 Standing – Sitting – Lying

61 Finding

62 Home – Abroad

63 Countries

64 Cities – Towns – Villages

65 Where to live

66 Houses

67 Doors – Windows – Keys

68 Guests

69 Absent – Present

70 Bags – Sacks

71 Barrels – Casks

72 Baskets

73 Bottles – Cans

74 Cups – Glasses

75 Dishes – Plates

76 Pots – Bowls – Jugs

77 Spoons – Ladles

78 Wells

79 Other containers

80 Loads

81 Big size

82 Little size

83 Big v Little

84 Distance

85 Nearness

86 Long – Short

87 Middle – Ends

88 Wide – Narrow

89 Hairs – Threads

90 High – Low

91 Depth

92 Hills – Mountains

93 Top – Bottom

94 Holding

95 Support

96 Tables – Chairs

97 Upright – Falling

98 Outside – Inside

99 Covering

100 Clothing

101 Bodywear

102 Footwear

103 Headwear

104 Weaving

105 Between

106 Walls

107 Edges

108 Enclosures

109 In front – Behind

110 Sides

111 Building

112 Straight – Bent – Crooked

113 Roundness

114 Prominences

115 Holes

116 Sharp things

117 Rough – Smooth

118 Opening – Closing

119 Motion

120 Standing still

121 Coming – Going

122 Walking

123 Riding

124 Carrying

125 Travel by land

126 Travel by sea

127 Travel by river

128 Swimming

129 Travel by air

130 Fast

131 Slow

132 Striking

133 Directions

134 Throwing

135 Pushing – Pulling

136 Arrival

137 Departure

138 Entering – Leaving

139 Hunger

140 Thirst

141 Eating

142 Food

143 Cooking

144 Meals

145 Fruit

146 Vegetables

147 Meat

148 Soup

149 Bakery

150 Dairy

151 Sauces – Condiments – Sweeteners

152 Alcoholic drinks

153 Non-alcoholic drinks

154 Excretion

155 Inserting – Extracting

156 Passing

157 Ascent

158 Descent

159 Lifting – Rising

160 Lowering – Dropping

161 Jumping

162 Revolving

163 Shaking

164 Things

165 Materials

166 World

167 Sun – Moon – Stars

168 Sky – Clouds – Weather

169 Wind

170 Weight

171 Hard – Brittle – Soft

172 Flour

173 Rubbing – Lubricating

174 Water

175 Semi-liquids – Semi-solids

176 Wet – Dry

177 Seas

178 Rivers – Streams

179 Inland water

180 Conduits

181 Land – Ground

182 Rocks – Stones

183 Breathing – Blowing

184 Birth

185 Life

186 Death

187 Life v Death

188 Killing

189 Drowning

190 Corpses – Burials

191 Bears

192 Camels

193 Cats

194 Cattle – Oxen

195 Dogs

196 Elephants

197 Foxes

198 Goats

199 Horses – Donkeys

200 Hyenas

201 Lions – Tigers – Leopards

202 Mice – Rats

203 Monkeys – Gorillas

204 Pigs

205 Rabbits – Hares

206 Sheep

207 Wolves

208 Other wild animals

209 Birds

210 Types of bird

211 Poultry

212 Fish – Fishing

213 Types of fish – Crustaceans