Proverbs:

Marty:

Sayings originate: Norway

Assumptions: One might think Norwegians believe that the Spanish are reckless drivers (which is a very common stereotype in northern Europe) but the saying originates from old sailing slang

Value: Be careful about what you say around your children.

small pots also have ears = Små gryter har også ører (meaning that children often pick up on more than we think)

To do a Spanish one = Å ta en spansk en (something thats in the gray area, typically spoken during traffic).

 

Putri:

Sayings originate: Indonesia

  1. Ada udang dibalik batu / There are shrimps behind the rock = someone who does something but has ulterior motives (value:
  2. Sepandai-pandainya tupai melompat, sekali waktu jatuh juga / No matter how smart the squirrel jumps, once in a while they will fall too = no matter how clever humans are, once in a while they’re gonna make mistakes too

Both of these sayings might sound weird and somehow too simple, but once you find out the meaning behind them, they both have deep meanings. One of the reasons why these sayings are the most used by indonesians is because of the feelings of reluctance to express something clearly for indonesians, that’s why they overcome that feeling by creating these sayings.

 

-What country does this saying originate from?

-What is the message being communicated? What assumptions does saying carry (or not)?

-What value could this message be supporting? In what ways can (or can’t) this expression be confusing for people from other cultures?

Zaina:

  • a hard head makes a soft behind=
    • not listening will get you in trouble
  • What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger =
    • what doesn’t break/destroy you will only build you up

The first expression  may be confusing to people because it may come across as somewhat inappropriate. Anytime someone is talking about their bum things can be taken out of context.

The other saying can also be taken out of context because some can take this as literal because of the word “kill,”  when in all reality it is a figure of speech.