SYMBOLIC MEANINGS OF NUMBERS IN PROVERBS

Аннотация

It is well known that in the oral tradition, literature, ethnography and worldview of the peoples of the world, the number system has a special significance. For this reason, their meanings in the text of the work have been specially studied in the field of folklore and literature. The article examines the proverbs of English and Karakalpak language and its functional- semantic features of the numbers encountered in the text of folk proverbs. Keywords: Numbers, symbolic, proverbs, one, two, three, seven. A proverb is a short word that expresses traditional truth or useful wisdom. It is clear that proverbs are based on common sense or practical experience. Any proverb contains a self-evident 15 wisdom and they may have been passed down from generation to generation, mostly by word of mouth, or applied in writing. Numbers are used for a specific purpose in almost all types and genres of folklore. Numbers are especially important in folk proverbs, which express great meaning through their short form. This applies not only to Karakalpak, but also to other folk sayings. In English language, for example, there are many proverbs that use numbers. In English proverbs, as in Karakalpak paremiology, numbers sometimes mean mathematical quantities, while in others they refer to ideas based on certain historical events, natural phenomena, and mythological notions of the people. Proverbs often considered to be “traditional items of folklore” [3;30] in a language. Proverbs are used in conversation by adults more than children, partly because adults have learned more proverbs than children; also, using proverbs well is a skill that is developed over years. Many authors have used proverbs in naming books, in order to inspire readers with the names of books and also at the end of a stories they cite proverbs that have been used for many years to generalize the moral content of the story. The use of proverbs makes our speech better, gives more colorful sound. However, it is essential to know literal translation of proverbs before using them otherwise one may get into ridiculous situations. Meaning of proverbs depends not only on the origin but also on the particular area in which they are used, the situation in which we can be. The linguist W. Mieder defines a proverb in his book: “A proverb is a short, generally known sentence of the folk which contains wisdom, truth, morals, and traditional views in a metaphorical, fixed and memorisable form and which is handed down from generation to generation” [4;27]. In both languages numbers are widely used in proverbs. Now let’s look at some of the numbers in the text of the articles. Number one depicts a single, individual thing or person. It is also a sign of emanation and the human species. “One fool makes a hundred”, “One flower makes no garland”, “One story is good till another’s told”, “One man no man/One body is nobody” [5;65]. In English culture number two indicates duality and partnership. For instance, “Kill two birds with one stone”, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”, “Two heads are better than one” Most people believe in the adage that “all good things come in threes.” When three know it, all know it”. A secret between more than two is no secret. “Two is company, three is none”. Both the English and Karakalpak phrases have the same meanings. The number three represents many or all instead of only three. “Two is company, three is none” [ 1;4] One of the most common numbers in Karakalpak folklore is “seven”. For example, “Seven measures, one cut”, “A fool may ask more questions in an hour, than a wise man can answer in seven years”. It can be seen that numbers are essentially used in the sense of mathematical quantities. I would like to make the following conclusion: The number is considered an interesting topic to help researchers to overcome their illiteracy in the early stages of learning culture of different countries. Numbers, like other genres of folklore, are actively involved in folk proverbs, and they are used in two ways: real quantity and symbolic meaning. Both the Karakalpak and English languages are rich in number phrases, expressions. In Karakalpak proverbs, for example, the numbers three, seven, four, nine, one hundred, and thousand are used more symbolically, and the numbers one and two are used more realistically. 16