by Anna Machura
A wise man once said “communication is key,” therefore minding our language, saying only good things about others or nothing at all, is critical in comprehending the world around us.
The way we communicate and connect with others through the words or language we use can serve various purposes. We may want to make others think more deeply on a certain subject, we may want to break the ice when meeting someone for the first time, or we might decide that the elephant in the room has remained unaddressed for long enough.
Nobody would accuse me of reinventing the wheel when I posit that sayings, proverbs, and popular expressions have been used by generations and for good reason – they are true, yet in many cases, forgotten wisdom. They are the pearls hidden in every language, held in high regard by linguists and language enthusiasts of every variety, and without them, we would be lost. Hands down. No doubt whatsoever.
Isn’t it high time we teachers gave them a closer look and thought of situations where we could make more use of them to optimise our daily classroom dynamics?
Challenge accepted?
If you are an attentive reader, you have most likely noticed at this stage that there have been quite a few sayings or expressions shoehorned into this article already. How many more jewels in the crown of the English language are you able to identify? Please count them all as you move along and use them with your class. I have also included suggestions of how to put them to use to teach grammatical structures, lexical concepts, and meaningful reflection in class. Some food for thought. So, without further ado, bite in and enjoy the feast!
What’s the point?
Using authentic materials as resources is encouraged and should not be limited to magazines, newspapers, videos, or podcasts. Next to idioms and other fixed expressions, sayings and proverbs stand out and give shape to a given culture – language and culture go hand in hand. Their origin may be surprising too. They may be historical: “to paint the town red”, “turn a blind eye”, and “resting on laurels”; they might even be nautical, such as “to be under the weather.” Ask your students to decide if “money can’t buy happiness” or “laughter is the best medicine.”
The Cambridge dictionary explains that a ‘saying’ is a “well-known wise statement that often has a meaning that is different from the simple meanings of the words it contains.” Mystery solved? To be on the safe side, you’d better use a proverb instead, as it is regarded as a “short sentence, usually known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice.”
Anyone lost for words?
Has it ever happened to you that you could not find the right answer to the question when solving a crossword or playing brain teasers with your friends? This feeling when you usually unconsciously bite your lip or tap your lap with your palms to show that the answer is definitely on the tip of your tongue; however, funnily enough, it got stuck in your head reaching a “dead-end”.
On the other hand, it happens that we involuntarily say something through a slip of the tongue - Freud described this as saying one thing but meaning your mother. Or did he? Whilst we would be embarrassed a little bit in the first case, not knowing the right answer to a question on the spot, the second scenario – saying things we do not really want or mean – can leave a long lasting effect. Been there, done that? Have you ever said e.g. ‘deeding your fog’ instead of ‘feeding your dog’ when talking to friends? You’d wish you could erase that moment from your memory, but your friends would not mind refreshing it by asking “Did you deed your fog today?” How are you to handle such awkward situations? Why not learn some popular sayings or expressions, just in case. Humour works best. A slip of the tongue is still less dangerous than a slip of the foot, after all.
No-one wants to be like Jack
Teaching new fixed expressions, sayings, or proverbs to your students seems easy and fun, hardly rocket science; but hold your horses, as great haste makes great waste. In reality, being a teacher is not a piece of cake, not so easy-peasy with its everyday challenges, endless hours of preparation, assessment, corrections, responding to messages, again more lesson plans, tests – a never-ending story. It is easy to become caught up in the fast pace and then fall into a rut which, in my opinion, can demotivate any teacher, let alone their students. Only work and work, and then, one day you realise that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Don’t be like Jack, or worse, do not treat any of your students like a potential one. Live a little. Live, love, laugh.
Most teachers I know bend over backwards to surprise their students with new games, songs, crosswords, worksheets, role plays… you name it. The sky's the limit. Introducing something new to the class can be a bit nerve wracking, but hopefully it will all be worth it, and a real breakthrough will happen. We can say it is like one small step for you, the teacher, but it can well be one giant leap for your learners - conceptually, at least. Once you get out of your comfort zone, the magic happens. There’s no stopping you. For a new teacher experimenting with class dynamics this might prove a wind of change or a heavy blow, so let’s put it that way: mind-blowing.
All-in-one, for real?
Imagine you are just starting a lesson - no coursebooks, a multicultural environment, a mixed-ability class, new students. All you can use is forgotten wisdom. How about eliciting some ideas from the class first, then writing some proverbs from various countries on the board to spark a discussion? You can move on to explaining the parts of speech, pronunciation issues, sentence structure… the choice is yours. A full package: comprehension, task personalisation, practicality, authenticity – you couldn’t ask for more! But what’s that - you do ask for more? Well, let’s get talking in that case!
Get Talking!
Ask your students to figure out which languages these proverbs likely come from (provide a list of choices if you want to make it a bit easier!).
- “Truth is more valuable if it takes you a few years to find it.”
- “There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.”
- “Coffee and love taste best when hot.”
- “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
- “If you can’t live longer, live deeper.”
- “The tree with the most leaves will not necessarily produce juicy fruit.”
- “A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.”
- “Even though you know a thousand things, ask the man who knows one.”
- “Those who wish to sing always find a song.”
- “Hunger is felt by a slave and hunger is felt by a king.”
- “Even from a foe a man may learn wisdom.”
Answers: 1. French 2. Russian 3. Ethiopian 4. Japanese 5. Italian 6. Brazilian 7. Chinese 8. Turkish 9. Swedish 10. Ghanaian 11. Greek
Some more ideas:
- Analyse the different parts of speech, verb forms, syntax, sentence structures, comparative forms, use of tenses, conditionals, cause & effect, defining and non-defining clauses, commands, connectors, countable and uncountable nouns, articles, prepositions, adverbs, etc.
- Point to possible pronunciation challenges: short or long vowels, diphthongs, word stress, etc.
- You can group or classify the saying according to the topic or context.
- You may pick only a few proverbs (chunking recommended) and provide visuals to accompany them. Start with images to elicit the answers.
- Select some proverbs based on the sounds you wish to teach. Then, transcribe them into IPA. Let students figure out the rest.
- Ask students to write a story or a discourse essay using one of the proverbs discussed in class.
- Provide the meanings, ask students to rephrase/paraphrase them.
- Prepare a simple matching activity for lower levels. For example:
|
1. Actions speak |
a) you will get burnt. |
|
2. Don’t put off until tomorrow |
b) the tough get going. |
| 3. Good things come | c) should not throw stones. |
| 4. If you play with fire | d) what you can do today. |
| 5. Keep your friends close | e) gets the grease. |
| 6. People who live in glass houses | f) louder than words. |
| 7. The squeaky wheel | g) and your enemies closer. |
| 8. When the going gets tough | h) to those that wait. |
Answers: 1f, 2d, 3h, 4a, 5g, 6c, 7e, 8b.
References
Andrews E. (2023), ‘10 Common Sayings with Historical Origin’, available online: Five common sayings with surprising origins - BBC Bitesize [accessed: 19 Feb 2024].
BBC (2023); Five Common Sayings with Surprising Origin, available online: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/znftvj6 [accessed: 20 Feb 2024].
Cambridge Online Dictionary, available: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/ [accessed: 20 Feb 2024]
Engvid.com ‘50 Common Proverbs and Sayings’; available online: https://www.engvid.com/english-resource/50-common-proverbs-sayings [accessed 26 Feb 2024].
Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (2015; 6th Ed.), Oxford University Press.
Zeitlin A. (2021), Rider’s Digest, ’22 Most Beautiful Proverbs from around the World’ , available online: Beautiful Proverbs About Life from Around the World | Reader's Digest (rd.com) [accessed 20 Feb 2024]
Author Biography
Anna Machura is a highly experienced and passionate English language teacher, teacher trainer, therapist, dyslexia tutor and course creator. Based on her research in neuroscience and insightful specialist knowledge, she has created an innovative method – Teaching with Therapeutic Techniques. Anna writes poems, rhyming stories for children, and articles. Her interests include: neurolinguistics, cognitive behavioural science, quantum physics, and Greek philosophy. You can find her teaching at UCC (University College Cork), Ireland.