The use of proverbs in the speech of characters by

English and Uzbek writers.

Tuxtayeva Mohinur Ahmadovna

First year Master student of faculty of English literature at Bukhara State

University

Supervisor: Ph.D. M.Niyazova

Annotation: this article deals with some classification of English proverbs in

relation to the Uzbek equivalents, translation from English proverbs into Uzbek
language and analysis of using proverbs by English and Uzbek writers in the
speech of characters.

Key words: proverbs, English and Uzbek writers , translation of proverbs,

equivalents, speech , character.

The origin of proverbs and sayings goes back to ancient times and accompanied
the life of nations throughout history. Since ancient times, every nation has used
proverbs and sayings in everyday speech, which reflect the long process of
development of the culture of the people, the spirit and originality of the nation.
Proverbs are folk wisdom, a set of rules of life, practical philosophy, historical
memory of different peoples. At the same time, proverb is one of the most
intriguing genres of folklore studied by many scholars. It still continues to
arouse scientific interest.

English and Uzbek proverbs are diverse in their content and cover all aspects of
the life of two nations. For example, war is often condemned in proverbs: “war
is the sport of kings” - that is, war is needed by kings, not the people or
“Tinchlik barpo qiladi, urush vayron qiladi”- comparative description of peace
and war in Uzbek proverb. Proverbs in English and Uzbek also teach frugality
and diligence: “a penny saved is a penny gained” , “take care of the pence, and
the pounds will take care of themselves” – in the version of the Uzbek language
it sounds like “Boylik ushoqdan yig’ilar” , “Birin-birin ming bo’lar, toma-toma
ko’l bo’lar”. On the other hand, idlers and non-working people are strongly
criticized in both nations : "Idleness is the root of all evil", “Idle folk have the
most labor” – “Dangasaning ishi bitmas, yoz kelsa ham qishi bitmas” In
proverbs the rich historical experience of the people, the ideas connected with
work, life and culture of the people are reflected.

It is important to highlight that because of different historical conditions,

English and Uzbek proverbs expressing similar ideas are often uttered with
different ways to reflect the different social condition and way of living of their
peoples even if the thought behind it is roughly alike. For instance, the proverb
“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” which means that
people always think that others have it better in life, even if it’s not the case. But
in the Uzbek language there is no such proverb, but there is another proverb:
“Qo’shnining bog’idagi meva shirinroq bo’ladi”. These two proverbs are
principally equivalent in meaning although the literal translation of the Uzbek
proverb would sound like: “The fruit in your neighbour’s garden seems tastier”.
These both have the moral of others being better off, even if it’s not the case.
Many proverbs are common across the world, but even if they have the same
meaning, they are sometimes used with different expressions or words in each
country.

Many proverbs are easily translated into Uzbek language (Better late than never.
– Hechdan kora kech) while others need explanation to be understood as they
have nothing to do with Uzbek expressions, though it might be possible to guess
what an English man wants to say. As it is shown, proverbs can be categorized
into the following types:
1. English proverbs and sayings that can fully be translated into Uzbek
language, English version of the fully corresponds to the Uzbek. For
example: Better late than never. – Hechdan ko’ra kech;
2. English proverbs and sayings that are partially translated the same in Uzbek
language. For example: “To kill two birds with one stone”. – Bir o’q bilan
ikki quyonni otmoq; The literal translation is “To kill two rabbits with one
shoot”.
3. English proverbs and sayings that are totally different translation into Uzbek
language, English version does not match the Uzbek. For example: Look
before you leap. – Yetti o’lchab bir kes. The literal translation of this
proverb in English might sound like this “Measure seven times before you
cut” .

Many writers have been using proverbs as a means of literary device in their
works. Foreign and Uzbek writers often characterize the various personal
characteristics of the heroes of their works with the help of proverbs and
sayings. Shakespeare was one of the greatest playwrights in England. His works
are the peak of Renaissance literature. In the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet”,
Shakespeare used the proverbs "boil-leave" , "a bold-rested moving" [1] ;

The American writer R. L. Stevenson in the story "The Black Arrow" [2], in the
dialogue of the characters, used the proverb: "when it hurts, remember the old
shoe" ;

The well-known English writer J. London in the story “White Fang” [3], in the
dialogue of his characters, used the following proverb: “who’s afraid of
whipping, he’s like whipped”.

Often proverbs characterize the relationship between the appearance and the
inner world of a person. In the hero of Sydney Sheldon’s novel "Memories of
Midnight" [4], the author uses the proverb "the eyes are the mirror of the soul."
With this proverb, the writer draws the attention of the court to the fact that a
woman with an open and clear look cannot kill a man.

Uzbek writers also widely used proverbs in their works. For example, In the
story “Thief” Abdulla Qahhor used the proverb “Otning o’limi, itning bayrami”
as an epigraph. After reading the epigraph, the reader knows that the someone’s
sorrow can bring happiness to someone else . The words death and holiday are
used as antonyms. A horse and a dog also creates a negative contrast. Also in
the story the author uses the proverb throughout the whole story in both
narrator’s and characters’ speech such as , “Begim deguncha belim sinadi”,
“Tekinga mushuk oftobga chiqmaydi”, “Berganga bitta ham Ko‘p, olganga
o‘nta ham oz”, “Quruq qoshiq og‘iz yirtadi”, “O’ynashmagil arbob bilan – seni
urar har bob bilan” to express the despair and misery of main characters. At the
end of the story of "So’ngan vulqon", Abdulla Kahhor used “Yer tepganni el
tepadi” within the speech of the main hero. In this story, Shermat who is old
and retired from his job , could not accept this situation, and said this after
evaluating himself. In the story “Sep” the writer effectively and with a great
skill used the proverbs like “Mashqda qiynalsang, urushda qiynalmaysan” in
the dialogue of characters to portray the genuine look of heroes. [5]

In conclusion, the rich historical experience of the people is reflected in

proverbs and sayings. The use of proverbs and sayings gives speech a unique
originality and a special artistic, literary expressiveness. Proverbs and sayings
of the English language are sometimes difficult to translate into Uzbek, because
the true and deep meaning of the spoken phrase is lost. As the study shows, in
Uzbek it is still possible to find equivalents for English proverbs and sayings.
Moreover, both English and Uzbek writers skilfully used proverbs in their
works not only to teach or reinforce morals, but to deliver the exact image of
their characters they want to depict as well.
References:

1. А. Гайнельянова, Т. В. Мугтабаров, А. И. Хабибуллина, А. А.

Миниахметов. — Текст : непосредственный // Юный ученый. — 2015. —
№ 3 (3). — С. 22-24.

2. Стивенсон Р. Л. Черная стрела. — М.: АСТ, 2008. — 320 с. 14.             

3. Лондон Д. Белый клык. — М.: Дом Ридерз Дайджест, 2008. — 352 с.

4. Шелдон С. Полночные воспоминания. — М.: АСТ, 2010. —384с.

5. A. Qahhor, Anor. Qissa va hikoyalar to’plami, Toshkent, G’afur G’ulom,
2012.