Arabic proverbs

1. Arabic proverbs Arabic proverbs ''bear the stamp of approval from tradition and are thought to express best one's thoughts on many occasions. In fact, the widespread use of proverbs in general conversation ''in the East as in the West'' has been dealt a fatal blow by the influence of ''modern:-meaning Western—education, and that' the younger generation rapidly losing their father's memory of and taste for proverbs

2. The study of Arabic proverbs • active school of Arab philologists sought to preserve the verbal heritage and protect the language from non-Arabic influences by recording what they could of ancient usage, including proverbs and related forms of expression. In fact ,almost all the noted philologists devoted special works to proverbs The result was an extensive literature on Standard Arabic proverbs

3. The study of Arabic proverbs • The oldest extant philological treatise on Arabic proverbs is the eighth century Kitab al-Amthal(Book of proverbs ) of Mufaddal Ibn Salamah al –Dabbi . Ibn Salamah, who died in the second century of Hijra, was a Kufan philologist and an authority on pre-Islamic poetry. His work on proverbs, one of the best known collections of Standard Arabic proverbs, was among his many works on a variety of subjects.

4. The study of Arabic proverbs • Hamza al –Isfahani`s 10th century collection survives in manuscript form. This collection deals with proverbs in the afa`lu min verbal form and was used extensively by later writers; it was, for example, '' copied word for word by al-Maidani for the corresponding section of his book ''.

5. The study of Arabic proverbs • The best known and most comprehensive of the early Arabic proverbs studies is the Kitab Majma` al Amthal (Book of collected proverbs) of Ahmed b. Muhammed al- Maidani, another philologist. Al- Maidani, who died October 27, 1124, gathered together material collected by forerunners and ''expanded each section by an appendix on modern proverbs ''.AlMaydani`s Kitab, still extant in several manuscript and regarded as a standard book on Arabic proverbs appeared in two volumes,

6. Arabic proverbs and their translation: • أبصر من زرقاء اليمامة • More observant than Zarqaa' Al Yamama. (A famous woman with incredible eye sight) • احذروا من لا يرجى خيره و لا يؤمن شره. • Beware of the whose goodness you can't ask for and whose evil you can't be protected from. • احفظ قرشك الأبيض ليومك الأسود. • Literal meaning: Save your white penny for your black day. • Idiomatic translation: A penny saved is a penny earned.

7. Arabic proverbs and their translation: • آخر الحياة الموت. • (The end of life is death). Live life to its fullest. • إذا بلغ الر أي المشورة فاستعن بحزم ناصح أو نصيحة حازم. • If there's no choice but advise, ask for the decisiveness of an advisor or the advice of a decisive person. • إذا أردت أن تطاع فأمر بما يستطاع. • If you wanted obedience command with what is possible.

8. Arabic proverbs and their translation • إذا تفرقت الغنم قادتها العنز الجرباء. • Shall the sheep go astray; they will be led by the ill goat. • إذا عرف السبب بطل العجب. • When the reason is known, there will be no more shock. (Said when you are wondering why something happened). • إذا لم تستحي فافعل ما شئت. • If you have no shame then do whatever you want.

9. Arabic proverbs and their translation • إذا هبت رياحك فاغتنمها. • If a wind blows, ride it! (If a chance comes, take advantage of it). • إذا كنت تدري فتلك مصيبة و إن كنت لا تدري فالمصيبة أعظم. • If you know then it's a disaster, and if you don't know then it's a greater disaster. (Like: if a leader knows or doesn't know about the corruption in his group). • إذا قصرت يدك عن المكافأة فليصل لسانك بالشكر. • If you can't reward then you should thank.

10. Arabic proverbs and their translation • إذا غامرت في شرف مروم فلا تقنع بما دون النجوم. • If you reach for the highest of ideals, you shouldn't settle for less than the stars. • الأعور في وسط العميان ملك. • Among the blind, the one-eyed man is king. • اشتدي يا أزمة تنفرجي. • A problem is solved when it gets tougher. • اشكر من أنعم عليك و أنعم على من شكرك. • Thank who gives you and give who thanks you.

11. Arabic proverbs and their translation • اضحك يضحك العالم معك و ابك تبك وحدك. • Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone. • أصحاب العقول في نعيم. • Smart people are blessed. • أطهر الناس أعراقا أحسنهم أخلاقا. • The purest people are the ones with good manners. • أعط الخبز لخبازه و لو أكل نصفه. • Literal meaning: Give the dough to baker even if he eats half of it. • Translation: Give the job to a person who knows how to perform it best even if it will cost you.

12. Teaching English proverbs • Teaching through dialoguing • Businessperson 1: "I can’t believe the weather. It’s raining cats and dogs!" • Businessperson 2: "Oh yes, but I think it will improve. However, we shouldn’t count our chickens before they’ve hatched. I saw the forecast and it may well continue raining until the weekend."•

13. Teaching English proverbs • • Deal with proverbs and idioms as and when they crop up in their contexts, such as in reading and listening tasks or when you use one naturally in class. • • Use visuals and pictures to help learners remember them. For eample, draw a bird in the hand and two in the bush.

14. Teaching English proverbs • Do some matching activities. For example, give students five proverbs that have been cut in half and get them to match them up. • • Ask students if any of the proverbs translate directly into their own language. Most of the time students will know a similar expression in their language and it can help them to remember them if they compare the differences between English and their language.

15. Teaching English proverbs •Put them into context. Try to use situations when people actually use the expressions and get students to create dialogues or role-play and to use a few of the proverbs to reinforce the meaning. • Explain to students that it may be more useful for them to be able to understand the expressions when they hear them than to be able to produce them. Ask them how they would react if you used this type of expression in their language. Would they find it a bit strange? • Don’t overload students with too many at a time. Five is probably a good number for one class.