A Word
to the Wise. . .
Proverbs Are Similar
in Many Languages.
POSITIVE,
NEGATIVE,
AND THE REVERSE.
Dog Day.
Budet i na nashej ulitse prazdnik.
Every dog has its day. (Even on our street there will be a celebration!)
Let Them Eat Cake.
I volki city i ovtsy tseli.
(Have one's cake and eat it too. Literally: The wolves are full and the sheep are whole).
Too Many Cooks.
U semi njanek ditja bez glaza.
(Too many cooks spoil the pot).)
Friend in Need.
druz'ja poznajut'sja.
(A friend in need is a friend indeed. Literally: Your friends are made known in times of trouble.)
Own Season.
Vsjakomy ovoshchu svojo vremja.
(Everything has its season. Literally, every vegetable has its own time [to mature].)
Brevity.
Kratkost' - sestra talanta.
(Brevity is the soul of wit.)
Rome.
Vse dorogi vedut v Rim.
(All roads lead to Rome)
Silver Lining.
Net xuda bez dobra.
(There is no tragedy without something good: Every dark cloud has a silver lining.)
To Each His Own.
Na vkus, na tsvet, tovarishcha net.
(For taste and color there are no friends: To each his own.)
Home.
V gostjach chorosho, a doma luche.
(There's no place like home.)
Proverbs or sayings are a great way of practicing the language. Unlike tongue twisters, proverbs can be used (caution: not overused) in everyday conversations. A lot of proverbs are similar in many languages. Some languages express the same meaning, but in a different way. It all ends up meaning the same.
In English we say, "To each his own," but in Russian we say, "When it comes to taste and color there are no friends." Do you feel the difference? The English proverb leans more toward the positive side, while the Russian proverb more towards the negative side. Both really say about the same thing, but the attitude expressed in getting there is not the same. Of course, this could have been the reverse and you will see this with other proverbs.
*This is the next step toward THE One World Language.
Step Forty-Three: *Your proper noun on the public square!
Planet Russkij is ruled by Dr. Todd Alden Marshall, professor of Russian and Slavic Linguistics at the University of Central Arkansas. An independent entity in the CornDancer consortium of planets, Planet Russkij is dedicated to the study and exploration of the Russian language, culture, and society. CornDancer is a developmental website for the mind and spirit maintained by webmistress Freddie A. Bowles of the Planet Earth. Submissions are invited.
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