International Journal of Language Academy
ISSN: 2342-0251
DOI Number: http://dx.doi.org/10.18033/ijla.315
Volume 3/4 Winter
2015 p. 251/269
REFLECTIONS OF ELT STUDENTS ON
Article History:
Received
27.10.2015
Received in revised
form
12.11.2015
Accepted
24.11.2015
Available online
15.12.2015
LEARNING PROVERBS
İngilizce Öğretmenliği Öğrencilerinin Atasözleri Öğrenimine
İlişkin Görüşleri
Selami OK1
Abstract
Learning English proverbs is important for ELT students to understand the language and culture better
because they form an essential part of daily speech. The goal of this study was to explore the reflections of
ELT students on learning proverbs from various perspectives. The participants were 24 senior teacher
trainees attending The Department of English Language Teaching in Pamukkale University Faculty of
Education. The data were mainly comprised of the written reflections of the participants based on a practice
work to teach English proverbs and they were analyzed through content analysis. Brainstorming technique
was also used in the post-practice session in order to identify the opinions on why ELT students would use
and teach proverbs in their classes. In addition, a native instructor was also interviewed and asked to give
her views on the use of proverbs. The opinions received from the teacher trainees were classified under nine
themes. The findings of the study reveal that teacher trainees in our program did not have much experience
in learning proverbs previously, but as a result of the practice work they were involved, they find learning
and teaching proverbs important. The participant ELT students report that they can express an opinion
directly in an easy and effective way by using a proverb rather than using its translation, and in this way,
they can be more fluent in language use. It is also reported that conscious use of proverbs develops their
confidence in language use and this raises their motivation to learn more of them. It seems that the
participants are also interested in the cultural aspect of proverbs and it is reflected that they can use them
to teach values of the target culture, specific vocabulary and various components of English in their future
teaching experiences. Consequently, ELT students can be helped to focus on proverbs and develop an
awareness of them in language use, and as a natural outcome of this, they can benefit from their knowledge
of proverbs in their native language and reflect their knowledge of English proverbs into their own teaching.
Key Words: Proverbs, teacher trainees, English Language Teaching (ELT)
Özet
Bu çalışmanın amacı, İngilizce öğretmenliği öğrencilerinin atasözleri öğrenimi üzerine görüşlerini değişik
perspektiflerden araştırmaktır. Katılımcılar, Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi İngiliz Dili Eğitimi
Anabilim Dalında öğrenim gören 24 son sınıf öğretmen adayından oluşmaktadır. Veriler, temel olarak
İngilizce atasözlerini öğretmek amacıyla yapılan bir sınıf çalışmasına dayalı olarak katılımcıların yazılı
görüşlerinden oluşup, içerik analizi yoluyla değerlendirilmiştir. İngilizce öğretmenliği öğrencilerinin hangi
nedenlerle İngilizce atasözlerini kendi derslerinde kullanıp öğreteceklerine ilişkin görüşlerini belirlemek
amacıyla, sınıf çalışması sonrası beyin fırtınası tekniği de kullanılmıştır. Buna ilaveten, bir yabancı öğretim
elemanı ile görüşme yapılmış ve atasözleri kullanımına ilişkin görüşlerini aktarması istenmiştir.
Öğrencilerden elde edilen görüşler dokuz tema altında sınıflandırılmıştır. Çalışmanın bulguları, İngilizce
öğretmen adaylarının atasözleri öğreniminde çok fazla deneyimi olmadıklarını, ancak katıldıkları çalışmanın
sonucu olarak atasözü öğrenimi ve öğretimini önemli bulduklarını göstermektedir. Çalışmaya katılan
İngilizce öğretmenliği öğrencileri, bir düşünceyi tercümesini kullanmaktansa atasözü kullanarak direk
olarak kolay ve etkin bir biçimde ifade edebileceklerini ve bu yolla dil kullanımında daha akıcı
1
Asst. Prof. Dr., Pamukkale University, e-mail: [email protected]
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2 Selami OK
olabileceklerini bildiriyorlar. Bilinçli atasözü kullanımının dil kullanımında öğretmen adaylarının kendine
olan güvenlerini geliştirdiği ve bunun da daha fazla atasözü öğrenmeye yönelik motivasyonlarını artırdığı
bildirilmektedir. Katılımcıların atasözlerinin kültürel yönüyle de ilgilendikleri görünüyor ve hedef dilin
değerlerini, spesifik sözcükleri ve dilin değişik unsurlarını öğretmek amacıyla atasözlerini gelecekteki kendi
öğretim deneyimlerinde kullanabilecekleri yansıtılmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, İngilizce öğretmenliği
öğrencilerinin atasözlerine odaklanmalarına ve dil kullanımında farkındalıklarının geliştirilmesine yardımcı
olunabilir, ve bunun doğal bir sonucu olarak, öğretmen adayları ana dillerindeki atasözleri bilgilerinden
faydalanıp, İngilizce atasözü bilgilerini kendi dil öğretimlerine yansıtabilirler.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Atasözleri, öğretmen adayları, İngiliz Dili Eğitimi (ELT).
1. INTRODUCTION
A proverb is an old, familiar saying that has been handed down over many years. Thus,
when we hear a proverb, it is as if we were hearing the advice of our ancestors (Hirsch,
1996, p.1). In this sense, Collis (1994, p.ix) points out that ‘proverbs, by stating basic
principles of folk wisdom and conduct, have become an essential and enduring part of
daily speech in all societies.’ Collis also stresses the similarity of the cultures in the use
of proverbs, stating that ‘very often the precepts of one culture are precepts of another,
for they are an outgrowth of common experiences.’ In addition to this similarity between
cultures, Collis draws attention to the uniqueness of proverbs in each language as well
though they may be expressed with different words and language structures, saying:
Each language has its own proverbs. The phrasing is unique and contributes to the color
of the language. But whatever the paraseological turns, many proverbs convey similar
meanings in different forms. (p.ix)
To exemplify what Collis says, the Turkish proverb “Bana arkadaşını söyle, sana kim
olduğunu söyleyeyim” finds a similar equivalent in an English proverb as “A man is
known by the company he keeps”, which can be explained as “Tell me who you associate
with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” Another typical Turkish proverb “Oynamasını
bilmeyen gelin yerim dar dermiş” finds a totally different and more interesting equivalent
in English as “A bad workman always blames his tools”. The Turkish version speaks of a
bride who rejects to dance as the place is too small, whereas the English version is about
a workman blaming his tools for his bad performance. On the other hand, apart from
idioms, Wright (1999, p.3) sees proverbs as ‘idiomatic expressions’ which are fixed and
cannot change, as in “Two heads are better than one” or “Early bird catches the worm”,
which can be used in the same sense in both Turkish and English, but by using different
words. As can be seen in these examples, proverbs are unique in every culture with their
similarities and differences in terms of the vocabulary used and the sense they create in
mind, so it would be a valuable experience for teacher trainees to focus on such specific
sayings that need to be learned as a whole without attempting to use a translation or
making any interpretation of them. As a result of such a focus, they will presumably be
able to reflect them into their own teaching experience and help their students to learn
how to express an opinion by using a proverb.
To stress the importance of using proverbs in speech while explaining and defending an
opinion, Erdem (in Yurtbaşı, 2002) draws attention to the fact that using a proverb is
more effective, convincing and permanent. Erdem asserts that:
When I use a proverb as a proof or evidence while explaining or defending my opinion, I
believe that it is more effective, convincing and permanent because the proverbs reflect,
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 3
with a couple of words, years and even centuries of experience belonging to a society, the
way a society perceives the events, its understanding of moral, way of thinking, its
culture and philosophy, and I see that there is a piece of advice in each of them.
Similarly, Yurtbaşı (2012, foreword) sees proverbs as “a rich cultural heritage” reflecting
the observations, advice and warnings of our ancestors.
In a focus on Turkish proverbs, Aça et al. (in Oğuz et al., 2012, p.205) also draw attention
to the point that proverbs benefit from various literary arts, and that they are short, to
the point, clear and simple. With respect to the structural properties of proverbs, Aça et
al. point out that proverbs are sayings which have turned into cliché expressions. Every
proverb uses a certain structure and specific words. The words in it as well as its
structure cannot be changed. They give a lot of messages with just a few words. Most
proverbs contain one or two sentences. Commands are used in some proverbs if they
especially convey advice.
On the other hand, Aksoy (1984, p.21-22) speaks of the functional properties of proverbs.
Aksoy points out that proverbs tell us objectively how social and natural events happen
as a result of long observations and experiments and remind us that we ought to take
lessons out of them. They also convey moral lessons and advice based on experiments
and logic. In addition, proverbs guide us in life by expressing some facts of life,
philosophies and wise thoughts. They inform us on traditions and customs as well as
beliefs.
Based on the views given, we can assert that it is the proverbs as well as idiomatic
expressions what one directly needs to use in specific situations in every language rather
than their interpretations or one-to-one translations. In this sense, language learners
need to be helped to learn the most commonly used proverbs in a target language
whatever level is concerned or targeted.
As proverbs are essential and natural parts of our language use, a language teacher may
use or benefit from the proverbs in his/her classes, and teaching them when necessary
may result in a sort of different flavour or variety in English classes and will certainly
change the monolithic atmosphere of the classroom. Also, they will serve the learning
needs of students when they learn their meanings and use them consciously in the right
context. Speaking of the reflection of proverbs into the language classroom, Collis (1994)
says:
Proverbs are relatively easy for nonnative speakers to learn and use. Once the concept of
the proverb is understood, students can often relate it to similar concepts in their own
languages. (p.ix)
Just to make an anology, Nattinger and Decarrio (1992, in Fernando, 1996, p.232), from
a theoretical point of view, cast the most light on the role of ‘prefabricated multiword
expressions’ in language acquisition. Nattinger and Decarrio (1992) term them as ‘lexical
phrases’ whereas Fernando (1996) call them as ‘idioms’ which admit no variation
whatsoever. According to Nattinger and Decarrio, picking up prefabricated expressions
constitutes one of the means of acquiring language whether this is a first (L1) or second
(L2) language. In a similar vein, a proverb such as “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”
can be seen as a ‘lexicalized multiword sentential expression’ (Fernando, 1996, p.27) in
the sense that it is a conventional way of saying. When viewed from such a perspective,
proverbs can also be approached as prefabricated or lexicalized multiword expressions
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which have no other variation in a language; hence, they need to be learned as whole
statements in which no word or phrase can be replaced by another.
In short, raising students’ awareness on the commonly used proverbs in both the target
and their native culture can be enhanced. The basic ground for this is that there are
proverbs to fit almost any situation that may be of our concern. It seems that, whatever
the reason, proverbs may come into our language use so naturally in many situations;
and therefore, they have to be considered as little fillers in language use. As students
learn the proverbs, they can be important components in their knowledge while building
up their level. To this end, students of English in various contexts and levels can be
helped to understand and use proverbs that relate to everyday situations. By relating
proverbs to everyday situations in line with the content of class work, we can facilitate
students’ understanding the language in particular contexts. When EFL teacher trainees
are concerned, it seems that proverbs can be approached as a learning need and students
can be guided to learn and use them consciously and effectively in their communication
and writing with a focus on their meanings in both the target language and their native
language.
Keeping all these views in mind, this present study specifically attempted to explore the
reflections of ELT students in a Turkish university on learning proverbs from various
perspectives. Identifying the reflections of teacher trainees on learning proverbs would
offer ELT instructors valuable implications to reflect on their class work in various
courses and hence they can approach this rich language input in the target language
more positively.
2. METHOD
2.1 Participants
The participants in this study were comprised of 24 teacher trainees attending The ELT
Department in Pamukkale University Faculty of Education. They were taking the
Materials Evaluation and Development in ELT course on their senior year when the study
was done.
2.2 Data Collection Instruments
The data used in this study were based on a practice work on English proverbs which
were covered in three class hours and were collected in three steps: Firstly, the written
reflections of the students on learning English proverbs were used as written documents
to be analyzed through content analysis. Secondly, brainstorming technique was used in
the post-practice session in order to identify the opinions on why ELT students would
teach proverbs in their classes. Thirdly, a native instructor was also interviewed and
asked to give her views on the use of proverbs.
2.3 Data Collection Procedure
The data collection procedure was preceded by an activity on proverbs. The students were
asked to match the halves of 92 common proverbs in three different sessions. When the
students found the right halves, they were put on the board so that the students could
take notes. They were also given meanings and explanations for the proverbs when the
students found them too complicated. When the students were unable to match the two
halves of a proverb, the vocabulary game ‘hangman’ was used to help the students to
guess or find a key word and learn the proverb easily and to enable them to keep it in
their long-term memory, as in “A _______ in time saves nine.” For the blank the students
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 5
were expected to find the word “STITCH”. Sometimes, the students were also expected to
find the two most important key words in a proverb, as in “_______ heals all ________.
(Time heals all wounds)”. The examples for this activity were adopted and redesigned from
Collis (1994). After the practice was completed in three sessions, the participants were
asked to write their opinions on learning proverbs. After this, they were also asked to
brainstorm and give their views on why they would use and teach proverbs in their future
classes. In addition to these, a native instructor who was teaching at our department as a
visiting scholar also gave her views in a separate session and they were recorded on the
spot.
2.4 Data Analysis
This research was a qualitative study. In this study, the teacher trainees who participated
in the practice sessions wrote their opinions on learning proverbs in the post-practice
session and they were used as the written documents to capture their reflections on
various aspects of learning and using proverbs.
Content analysis was used in order to identify and classify the students’ opinions under
certain themes. Content analysis can be used for isolating, counting, and interpreting the
concepts, problems, and subjects repeated in collected data (Miles and Huberman, 1994;
Denzin and Lincoln, 1998). Strauss and Corbin (1990, in Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2011,
p.223) point out that content analysis requires an in-depth analysis of collected data and
finding out themes and dimensions which are not previously evident. As Yıldırım and
Şimşek (2011, p.227) stress, the fundamental aim in content analysis is to reach some
concepts and relationships, and then to identify the themes that explain the collected
data. Concepts lead us to themes and we can better organize the phenomena based on
the themes and make them more comprehensible (Strauss and Corbin, 1990, p.62, in
Yıldırım and Şimşek, 2011).
Each written document was read by the researcher and each specific opinion was
underlined and given a code. A name that is closest to the concept it was describing was
used whilst giving names to the codes (Miles and Huberman, 1994; Strauss and Corbin,
1990). Then, another instructor was asked to read a second copy of the student opinions
in order to make sure that they fall into the same thought or concept group and increase
the validity and reliability of the findings. Different researchers are required to form the
same categories to achieve convincing findings. The purpose of different researchers in
looking into the same data in a study is not to verify each other but to find a common
category by understanding each other (Woods and Catanzaro, 1988; Kızıltepe, 2015, in
Seggie and Bayyurt, 2015, p.259).
In this sense, Miles and Huberman (1994, p.64) note that ‘definitions become sharper
when two researchers code the same data set and discuss their initial difficulties’, and
stress that ‘check-coding not only aids definitional clarity, but also is a good reliability
check.’ Furthermore, Trumbull (2005, p.121, in Tailor, 2005) recommends using another
coder for the validation of the process in order to avoid subjective scoring of data and
stresses that a percentage agreement between 80-90% is essential in order to establish
coder reliability. Once such an agreement level is met and coder reliability is established,
data will not be considered subjective.
After the second coder went through the same opinions in this study, it was observed that
there was agreement on 59 opinions and there was disagreement on 15 opinions. The
formula Reliability = number of agreements / (total number of agreements + disagreements)
(Miles and Huberman, 1994; Trumbull, 2005) was used in order to calculate the inter-
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coder reliability rate and it turned out to be .7972 over 74 opinions, which refers to a high
reliability between the evaluation of the researcher and that of the second coder. The
disagreements were rescreened by the researcher and second coder in order to achieve a
much higher level of reliability as well as to avoid any subjectivity of the researcher. As a
result, it was agreed that six opinions could be considered under two separate themes as
they relate both. Four opinions were placed in two different themes by dividing them. In
addition, five opinions were moved into different themes. One opinion was found totally
irrelevant as it did not fit any theme and we decided to leave it out. One opinion was
exactly a similar repetition of another participant’s opinion, so it was left out as well. Two
opinions were combined in two places as they belonged to the same participants and were
related to the same themes. After all these changes were made, eighty opinions were
classified under nine themes as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
students’ previous experiences in learning proverbs
importance of learning and teaching proverbs
expressing something shortly and effectively by using proverbs
influence of proverbs on the students’ fluency
developing students’ confidence in language use
raising students’ motivation to learn proverbs
cultural aspect of the proverbs
using proverbs to teach vocabulary
interest in teaching proverbs in their future classes
3. FINDINGS
3.1 Students’ previous expriences in learning proverbs
As can be clearly understood from the opinions below, the students commonly reflect the
fact that they did not have much experience in learning proverbs during their previous
studies in English, so they seem to value this learning experience as a way or tool of
learning English and improving their level. They now express a belief and much higher
interest in learning as many proverbs as possible and their meanings to help them
improve their English. As some opinions indicate, if given enough importance, proverbs
can be easy to learn rather than leaving them as an untouched area which will be
regarded as difficult to learn. The students also give the message that if they learn the
proverbs and know their meanings, they can use them when necessary. Otherwise, they
might have to use a translation or an interpretation of what is supposed to be said in a
situation.
The opinions below reveal that the ELT students in our program did not
experience on learning English proverbs previously, so it is considered as
valuable experience for them. Another reason behind the problem seems to
that their teachers in high school might not have given enough importance
proverbs.
have much
a new and
be the fact
to teaching
‘I haven’t learned so many proverbs before until practising them in our classes. Now I
learned many proverbs and I’m happy to learn.’ (S4)
‘How does it feel if you don’t know something? I didn’t know most of the proverbs and their
meanings. I couldn’t use them as I didn’t know them and their meanings exactly. When I
learned them last week, I asked myself why I didn’t learn them until now. I can use them in
daily life now.’ (S5)
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 7
‘I just knew a few idiomatic expressions like “it’s raining cats and dogs” which I learned at
high school. I didn’t give much importance to using and learning proverbs. While watching a
movie I sometimes came across proverbs and I didn’t understand them. Our teachers in
high school didn’t give much importance to proverbs, either.’ (S9)
‘I’ve seen many of these proverbs for the first time in my lifetime. As an ELT student, I think
I should know as many proverbs as I can. It helps me understand the language better that
I’m gonna teach.’ (S10)
‘Previously I had no idea about the proverbs but now I have. I can use them while speaking
in English. As a result, I can remember them and their meanings.’ (S11)
‘Many times I came across some proverbs and some of them are still in my mind. I can use
them when they are necessary, but last week in our classes I realized that I knew just few
of them.’ (S18)
The following opinions indicate that the students have developed a belief that learning
English proverbs can be difficult to learn if neglected, so they can be considered as a way
or tool of developing their knowledge of English.
‘I think that they developed my knowledge in English. Before those lessons, I didn’t know
many proverbs and I haven’t heard them much. I only knew one or two and they weren’t
enough. These proverbs showed me a new way of improving my English. I will try to enrich
my speaking by using more proverbs.’ (S8)
‘In high school I didn’t give so much importance to proverbs because the most important
thing was preparing for the university exam. However, now I believe that proverbs are
really important as a learning tool.’ (S22)
‘Learning proverbs in English can be very difficult for students even for ELT students like
us. As an ELT student, I think they are one of the most difficult things to learn in English.
When I started this department, I had no idea about the proverbs because I didn’t know
how they can be helpful for me.’ (S14)
The opinions below show us that the practice work on learning English proverbs seems to
have helped the students raise their awareness about using proverbs in a specific context
rather than trying to use translations of them.
‘When I started this department, I didn’t know any proverb, except for just a few easy ones.
When I needed some proverbs while speaking, I tried to say it in other words, but it didn’t
give the same meaning exactly.’ (S23)
‘I didn’t know proverbs very well previously and now I can’t say that I know many of them
but I can say that I’m familiar with many of them. When I see a proverb in a text or hear
one of them, I can predict that it is a proverb and I can figure out its meaning. (S24)
3.2 Importance of teaching and learning proverbs
The opinions presented below were found to be closely related to the importance of
teaching and learning proverbs. The participants report that proverbs as well as idiomatic
expressions are what we need in a context. If a focus is created on learning proverbs, they
can remember and use them in similar situations in the long run as a different way of
saying something when something related to a proverb is concerned. They can be more
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permanent in their minds over time and they can give the exact meaning by using the
right proverb without thinking what to say, for instance, when they need to talk about a
fact of life or when they need to give someone an advice. Similarly, when they hear or see
a proverb in a text, they would not have to translate it into Turkish, or vice versa. By
learning more proverbs, it seems that teacher trainees’ awareness about the idiomaticity
of English can be enhanced. In other words, they will be aware that they would have to
say something specific in a specific context, rather than solely applying a grammar rule
with some words. Furthermore, they will be aware that they can teach a proverb when a
situation or context arises.
The first two opinions below reveal that it is possible to help ELT students to gain a
different sense of learning by teaching proverbs and enabling them to use the right
proverb in the right context. Being aware of that there is a different way of expressing
something can be seen as a valuable experience. In this way, they can be helped to learn
how to use some key vocabulary as well.
Using the right proverb at the right time gives students a different sense of learning and
learning proverbs expands our vocabulary as well.’ (S3)
‘Proverbs are very important in teaching a language because a person who learns a
language should know different ways to say something. He doesn’t use some words,
instead of this, he uses proverbs or idiomatic expressions. For example, “don’t judge a book
by its cover.” What we mean is: “don’t judge a person by looking at him, try to see his
personality and have a conversation with him.” (S6)
The two opinions below reflect that learning a language does not cover only grammar and
vocabulary but learning proverbs should also be considered important on the way
towards acquiring fluency.
‘Learning a language is not only grammar and vocabulary, but you should also learn the
proverbs, so we should also teach them to our students.’ (S13)
‘After coming across proverbs in our classes, I developed an idea that they are really
important for acquiring fluency. Learning proverbs provides a rich background in speaking
and writing.’ (S14)
The following opinions indicate an awareness about learning more proverbs and being
able to use them correctly without any attempt to translate to understand the meaning.
‘I think that as an English teacher I should know the English proverbs as well, because I
will encounter with them in many places and at that time I don’t want to be out of the
subject.’ (S18)
‘It was a good idea to make the proverbs the focus of our class. It has definitely developed
my knowledge of the proverbs. But honestly I didn’t repeat at home what I learned in the
class. I remember less than I could. I can remember some examples like “Practice makes
perfect”. But without thinking on the proverbs, they get rooted in our minds.’ (S19)
If I’m not familiar with a proverb, I can’t understand it and I try to translate it into Turkish,
but it’s useless.’ (S24)
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 9
3.3 Expressing something shortly and effectively by using a proverb
As can be clearly seen below, some opinions of the students were related to expressing
something in a short, direct, easy and effective way by using a proverb in only one
sentence, rather than expressing the same thing in a couple of sentences, which will be
nothing more than its one-to-one translation or interpretation in the target language to
express the meaning needed. It appears that if they learn the proverbs consciously and
are aware of their meanings, they may be able to give the exact meaning in various
situations and enjoy using them in the right context without having any difficulty
whenever they speak to native speakers or write about a topic.
The opinions below reveal that the participants can now see proverbs as a short, simple,
effective and economical way of expressing the things they would like to say as long as
one of them fits a situation.
‘In some situations we have difficulty expressing our beliefs, ideas and comments about
something, so using a proverb is the best way to express something shortly and effectively.
For example, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is the easiest and most effective way
to explain the benefit of eating an apple a day for good health.’ (S1)
‘I think I can express myself more effectively by using proverbs.’ (S5)
‘I guess, what makes a language more beautiful is using a proverb when it fits a situation.
Rather than using a number of sentences, a few words would be enough to express the
same thing, as in “Time heals all wounds”. It is amazing I think.’ (S10)
‘Proverbs help us say our thoughts with a simple sentence. I believe I can use them while
speaking with a foreigner.’ (S11)
‘We can express ourselves effectively with one proverb rather than telling our idea by using
several sentences.’ (S15)
‘We really need proverbs because sometimes they can tell what we want to say in the best
way. Instead of trying to express ourselves by using lots of sentences, we can use proverbs
instead.’ (S17)
‘I think learning proverbs is useful for us because sometimes a proverb is the best way to
express our thought or feeling instead of making a number of sentences to give the same
meaning. Because when you translate them, they are meaningless. It shows your
knowledge about the language. It is better to use the right proverb or idiomatic expression
that fits your thought or feeling in a situation.’ (S24)
The following opinions tell us that these particular students were concerned with the
enjoyment they got out of the experience of expressing something by using a proverb. In
other words, the experience of knowing the right expression to be used in the right
context and giving the exact meaning by using a proverb as we do in the use of Turkish
seems to be important for them.
‘In the future, I’d like to use them in my speech or in my classes because it is enjoyable to
express an opinion directly by using a saying. For instance, when we are far away from
home and when we go back to our home for a holiday, we say “there is no place like home”.
It is enjoyable to know the right expression and use it in the right context. Therefore, I want
to use and teach proverbs in my classes as well.’ (S13)
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‘Whenever we need to say something differently or to give the exact meaning in our culture,
we can use our knowledge of proverbs as a valuable source. We can do the same while
using English.’ (S14)
3.4 Influence of proverbs on students’ fluency
In some of the opinions given by the teacher trainees, it can be seen that learning
proverbs influences the students’ fluency and adds variety and color into their speech. As
they can be easily memorized, using the right proverb at the right time and in the right
context may help teacher trainees to gain a different sense of learning. One student
reports that it enhances the meaning she wants to give. If they can use proverbs in
various situations, they will be more permanent in their knowledge, which means that
they can use them again and again. As indicated by the students’ opinions, knowing what
to say by using a proverb in a specific situation would make a difference for them. To put
it another way, it may be an indicator of fluent use of English and hence can be
considered as a significant way of acquiring fluency and a much higher level of
proficiency in language use.
The first two opinions below indicate that the teacher trainees in our program believe that
proverbs bring color and a kind of richness to their language use.
‘Proverbs make our speech more colorful.’ (S1)
‘Because they give some color to our speech when we use them.’ (S4)
The following opinions reveal that using proverbs adds variety to the students’ language
use.
‘The most important thing about learning proverbs is that they will help us to add variety to
our speech. Speaking English fluently is good but using these proverbs in our speech is
better.’ (S2)
‘They add variety into our speech and writing. Thus, we should learn and teach proverbs in
the target language.’ (S15)
‘In my daily speech I love using proverbs in my mother tongue. It makes my language
richer. Also, I know that I’m gonna use English proverbs while speaking in English because
it enhances the meaning that I want to give.’ (S10)
The opinions below give us the message that learning proverbs can help teacher trainees
acquire fluency.
‘We sometimes use proverbs not only in Turkish but also in English in daily speech instead
of telling something by producing a lot of sentences. When we use proverbs we may sound
more fluent in the use of English.’ (S16)
‘If we use some proverbs in our speech, that will be very nice and it also shows that our
English is at high level and fluent.’ (S12)
‘After coming across proverbs in our classes, I developed an idea that they are really
important for acquiring fluency. Learning them provides a rich background in speaking and
writing.’ (S14)
‘I see that speaking is the most important skill, so we should improve our level as much as
possible by learning proverbs. As English teachers, we should speak English well and
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 11
should attract students’ attention. Our sentences will be much more beautiful when we use
proverbs in our speech.’ (S22)
‘Using proverbs makes you sound more fluent and knowledgeable in the language.
Sometimes we need some proverbs in our speech instead of saying our real thought
directly.’ (S23)
The last two opinions below show that using the right proverb at the right time in the
right context gives the teacher trainees a different sense of learning; and thus, learning
proverbs can be approached as a tool to help them be more proficient in language use.
‘I think that students can easily memorize proverbs. Using the right proverb at the right time
gives students a different sense of learning.’ (S3)
‘Learning proverbs makes you a more proficient language user.’ (S24)
3.5 Developing students’ confidence in language use
Learning proverbs and their meanings consciously may help teacher trainees in ELT
programs in raising their confidence while using English. The two opinions below draw
our attention to the fact that if they learn proverbs and their meanings, they can use
them effectively. If they have never learned some proverbs, though simple, they cannot be
expected to use them correctly when a situation requires, which also means that they
cannot understand the meanings of proverbs when used by native speakers.
Consequently, proverbs can be used as material in order to develop teacher trainees’
confidence in language use.
‘After learning these proverbs, I feel more confident and I strongly believe that I can use
them and teach them to my students. I also believe that knowing and using proverbs will
help them feel more confident and relaxed while using the language.’ (S2)
‘As I’m learning proverbs in English, I understand better when I hear them and I start to
use in my communication. As I use them, my self-esteem is getting better. (S9)
3.6 Raising students’ motivation to learn proverbs
Learning proverbs and their meanings and seeing that they can use them in their speech
may alo motivate the teacher trainees to learn more of them. Observing even one
classmate of theirs in our case while using the proverbs successfully seems to have
motivated one participant to learn more proverbs. As revealed by the opinions below, the
more often they hear and understand their meanings, the more motivated they would be
to learn and use common proverbs in their speech. As they use the proverbs, they can be
more permanent in their knowledge, although it may take time to learn all of them. It
seems that each proverb they learn can be a new learning experience by making a
difference in their use of English as they will know for sure what to say in a context.
‘Maybe it takes a long time to learn all the proverbs. But it is interesting and I like learning
them.’ (S4)
‘I can use different proverbs and while using them I’m happy because it is new for me.’ (S5)
‘I can use English proverbs when something related to a proverb happens. I can use them in
my speech, so they will be more permanent.’ (S7)
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‘Learning proverbs has made a difference in my English as I couldn’t use them before. By
using them, my English sounds more advanced. Before learning proverbs, I was not so
good at controlling the daily speech in some situations because I didn’t know what to say
and what fits there, but now I feel much better. (S10)
‘Last week we learned 92 proverbs in a different activity. We tried to find the other half
parts of the proverbs and I realized that Ahmet in our class knows many of them and I
envied him. He can use them when they are necessary because he knows them. For this
reason, I decided to learn more proverbs and their meanings.’ (S18)
‘The thing that triggered me to learn proverbs is that while I was watching a movie I heard
a proverb and I knew the meaning of it, so it encouraged me to learn more proverbs.’ (S18)
‘I hope to use the proverbs that I have learned in my speech in the future. In this way
people will think I’m good at using English.’ (S23)
3.7 Cultural aspect of the proverbs
Some of the opinions given by the participants were on the cultural aspect of proverbs. It
seems that, by learning proverbs as the cultural elements of that society, the students
can find similarities and differences between their own culture and that of the target
culture. Although proverbs may be difficult to learn at first, students can learn how to say
things appropriately in the target language in a more enjoyable and interesting way over
time rather than using one-to-one translation or interpretation of a saying in their own
culture to express the same thing in the target language. “Two heads are better than one”
is a good example for the cultural aspect because in Turkish the equivalent of that
proverb is “Bir elin nesi var, iki elin sesi var.” In the Turkish version, the key word is not
head but hand. The opinions given on the cultural aspect of proverbs are given below:
Some of the opinions are to do with the similarities and differences in the use of proverbs
between the target culture and our own culture.
‘We can use proverbs to draw similarities between the target culture and our own culture.
Maybe we can introduce the topic in a conversation with a proverb.’ (S3)
‘Learning English proverbs was interesting and enjoyable for me. I learned in what ways
English proverbs are similar to ours and different from ours. I also learned which issues
English people give importance to in proverbs. I noticed that English proverbs are not wordby-word translation of the Turkish ones.’ (S7)
‘While I was learning these proverbs, I realized that some of the English proverbs and ours
are very similar. Maybe it means that our ancestors experienced nearly the same things. It
was a little surprise for me. We have similar values about various things sometimes.’ (S10)
‘I can use proverbs to help students understand the cultural aspect of English. They can
examine the proverbs to gain a general understanding of English culture. They can make a
comparison between our proverbs and those English ones. They can find the similarities
and differences.’ (S22)
‘With proverbs we can make a connection between our culture and the English culture and
we can compare the usage of our proverbs with the English ones. For example:“Save up for
a rainy day” and “Sakla samanı, gelir zamanı.” These two proverbs have the same
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 13
meaning but different usages. That is, we may translate differently if we did it word by
word from one language to the other.’(S20)
The participants give us the message that proverbs can serve instructors in introducing
the values of the target culture, so learning proverbs and their meanings consciously may
help teacher trainees say the equivalents of the Turkish proverbs appropriately in the
target language.
‘These proverbs also give me some information about the target culture and their values.
For example, “Jack” is a common English name, and it is used in a proverb “All work and
no play makes Jack a dull boy”. I liked it and picked it up quickly’ (S11)
‘Learning a language means learning the culture of that language. Proverbs are important
elements of the culture; therefore, proverbs are a kind of bridge to the culture of that
language. However, learning proverbs can be very difficult for the students. They are
sentences when we read them, but they may mean very different, so I can say that learning
proverbs is a crucial process. When we learn them for the first time, they are very difficult
for us. However, the more we get used to the language and its culture, the easier it is to
learn proverbs.’ (S12)
‘By using proverbs we can integrate language and culture, so students can learn not only
the language but also its culture and it will be more permanent and useful because
students want to know what kind of idiomatic expressions are used in the target language
so that they can use them in the situations which they encounter.’ (S13)
‘Proverbs are cultural elements of a language. When we learn them, we also have an idea
about the culture of the target language.’ (S15)
‘Learning proverbs in English class is a good idea because a language isn’t isolated from
the context it is used in and from the society it belongs to, so we can use the proverbs
existing in the daily use of the language.’ (S19)
‘I also learned about the culture of the target language and how to say things more
appropriately in that culture. I’m happy to learn them.’ (S8)
3.8 Using proverbs to teach vocabulary
Some of the opinions of the students were on learning and teaching vocabulary through
the use of proverbs. Though few, the opinions below are signalling the message that it
would be a good idea to benefit from commonly used proverbs in order to teach
vocabulary to assist our teaching. Based on my personal experiences with ELT students,
they generally fail to choose the right word when they need to use a proverb and give the
exact meaning. “You can lead a horse to the river, but you can’t make him drink” is a good
example. The verb lead may be used as a key word to introduce and teach in this proverb
as it seems to be the most challenging one. When students are asked how to say this in
English, they usually fail to give the right proverb. Instead, they usually attempt to
express it by translating it into English and using other words. The opinions below are all
related to using proverbs to teach vocabulary in language classes.
‘I think that students can easily memorize proverbs. Using the right proverb at the right time
gives students a different sense of learning and learning proverbs expands our vocabulary
as well.’ (S3)
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‘Proverbs teach you vocabulary as well. Maybe it takes a long time to learn all of them. But
it is interesting and I like learning them.’ (S4)
‘We can use a lot of proverbs to teach vocabulary. In this way, our students can learn the
meanings of some words effectively and memorize the proverbs.’ (S21)
3.9 Teacher trainees’ interest in teaching proverbs in their future classes
The participants in this study shared quite many opinions related to their interest in
using and teaching proverbs in their future classes. The way we practised them in our
own classes seems to have created an interest in using and teaching proverbs. They also
would like their students to learn and be aware of such proverbs to be able to give the
meanings that can be expressed by the use of expressions. They seem to believe that it
can be an enjoyable and interesting learning material for their students as well.
‘After learning these proverbs, I feel more confident and I strongly believe that I can use
them and teach them to my students. I also believe that knowing and using proverbs will
help them feel more confident and relaxed while using the language’. (S2)
‘I want to teach proverbs to my students, too. Expressing yourself in a different way makes
you feel better. I want my future students to taste this feeling.’ (S5)
‘With proverbs I can teach my students how to express their ideas in different ways. And
they can be useful in my future classes. In this way, they can learn new words and
different usages.’ (S6)
‘I can also use English proverbs to warn students indirectly and to make them aware of
facts of life. For example, I can use “No pain, no gain” to tell the importance of making effort
/ taking risks to reach success.’ (S7)
‘I’ll also use them in my English classes. Every week I can teach my students some English
proverbs. I hope that they will enjoy learning them. If there is a situation in a lesson about
these proverbs, I can teach one of them. I can use hangman as a game or scrambled words,
so they can learn the meanings of proverbs easily.’ (S8)
‘In the future, I’ll teach proverbs in my English classes, so my students will be aware of
them.’ (S9)
‘In my future classes I’ll try to use them. For example, I know the meaning of “It takes two
to tango”. I learned it last week for the first time and I loved it.’ (S10)
‘I’m going to become an English teacher, so I should know common proverbs to be able to
teach in the future. I remember that I always wondered how to say a Turkish proverb in
English when I was in high school. Therefore, these proverbs will draw their attention. They
will probably enjoy learning them.’ (S11)
‘Learning a language is not only grammar or vocabulary, but you should also learn the
proverbs, so we should also teach them to our students.’ (S13)
‘After we focused on the proverbs in our classes, I have discovered that learning proverbs is
an enjoyable and interesting process. In my future career, I think I will use them to teach
my students.’ (S14)
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 15
‘They add variety into our speech and writing. Thus, we should learn and teach proverbs in
the target language.’ (S15)
‘Last week we learned a lot of proverbs. I realized that I hadn’t known almost half of them.
It was a useful activity. I hope I will use them while teaching English.’ (S16)
‘We learned lots of proverbs which were useful. It was an interesting task for us. In my
teaching career I want to use and teach proverbs to my students.’ (S17)
‘As an English teacher I want to know about their culture and their proverbs. I know that if
I know well, I can teach them to my students.’ (S18)
‘I myself would use the proverbs in my future teaching. I could make the session short with
young learners; otherwise they can’t be permanent in students’ minds. For example, I can
teach one proverb each week and I would expect them to use it in a context. I can create
this context with a role-play.’ (S19)
‘I can give a proverb and expect my students to write about it as a writing activity, so they
can try to explain it. I guess, as it is true for us, the more proverbs our students learn, the
better they can use English.’ (S21)
‘I strongly believe that I will use proverbs in my classes for some reasons. First of all, I can
teach some proverbs when my students get bored, so with this activity they can relax. As
you did with us, I can cut the proverbs into two and they can try to match the two halves of
each proverb. …’ (S22)
‘ … and I feel more confident and relaxed while speaking. That’s why I want to teach
proverbs to my students. I think they should feel what I feel now, too. (S23)
3.10 An opinion by a native instructor on using proverbs and idiomatic expressions
One native instructor who was teaching at our department as a visiting instructor when
this study was being carried out was also asked to give her opinions on learning and
teaching proverbs in English classes. The opinion below was recorded on the spot and it
reflects the fact that if students know how to use proverbs as well as idiomatic
expressions, they will understand native speakers better because that is the way they
speak and use the language. Similarly, they will be better understood by native speakers.
‘Students like learning proverbs and idioms because they know that’s how native speakers
really talk and how they really use the language. If you can’t use idioms and proverbs, you
will never sound like a native speaker, and if you don’t know them, you’ll never understand
native speakers.’
3.11 Reflections by teacher trainees in the brainstorming session as a follow-up
activity on the reasons why they should use proverbs
In this study, brainstorming was also used as a technique in data collection. The same
group of ELT students were asked to brainstorm as a whole group during the postpractice session on why they should use proverbs in their classes, and their views were
put on the board. The practice session was carried out in three class hours. In this threehour practice, they were expected to join a class work that aimed to match the halves of
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16 Selami OK
92 commonly used proverbs in English. They were also helped to understand
proverbs better by providing the meanings whenever a proverb was found
complicated. Below are the opinions reflected by the teacher trainees. As can be seen,
students gave opinions with respect to: (1) what to teach by using proverbs and (2)
reasons they would use proverbs in their future classes.
the
too
our
the
I would use proverbs to teach:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
vocabulary
pronunciation
tense usage
passive use
if clause
comparative use
auxiliaries
prepositions
article usage, and
conjunctions
I would use proverbs because …
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
they allow us to give messages in a short and practical way
they provide variety in our communication just like it happens in Turkish
they influence our fluency
they draw students’ attention
students can be more eager to learn them and their meanings
they reflect the culture and the way native speakers see things
what we say will be more meaningful
they bring some color to our statements
they will be more permanent in students’ minds
they are authentic material
4. Discussion
This study aimed to find out the reflections of ELT students on learning proverbs. Apart
from the Internet sources and materials that can be used for teaching proverbs in English
classes at various levels, the fact that there are not many studies on this topic was the
fundamental source of motivation behind this study. One limitation of the study is that
the practice work was carried out in only three class hours on the same day covering 92
proverbs that can be used commonly in one’s speech; thus, it may not have created the
real influence on some of the participants as expected. Another limitation is that it was
carried out only with the teacher trainees in our program who would need to use and
teach proverbs in their future classes. A third limitation is that the data were mainly
comprised of the students’ opinions and did not aim to look at the impact of the practice
work on students’ acquisition of proverbs quantitatively, so it leaves the ground open for
a study on the effectiveness of various types of practice work in teaching English
proverbs. The opinions received from 24 teacher trainees were analyzed through content
analysis and then classified under nine themes, such as students’ previous experiences
in learning proverbs, importance of learning and teaching proverbs, expressing something
shortly and effectively by using proverbs, influence of proverbs on the students’ fluency,
developing students’ confidence in language use, raising students’ motivation to learn
proverbs, cultural aspect of the proverbs, using proverbs to teach vocabulary and teacher
trainees’ interest in teaching proverbs in their future classes.
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Reflections of ELT Students on Learning Proverbs 17
Initially, the opinions of the teacher trainees reveal that they did not have much
experience in learning English proverbs in their previous studies, except for some easy
ones. Therefore, this learning experience on proverbs, though carried out in a limited
time, seems to have created a belief and interest in learning proverbs and their meanings.
They report that proverbs can be used as a tool to improve their English. They now seem
to have developed a belief that proverbs can be learned easily rather than leaving them as
an untouched or a difficult area of language.
Secondly, with respect to the importance of teaching and learning proverbs, the
participants report that they can use and remember proverbs in the long run when
needed as long as a focus is provided to them. If proverbs are taught regularly and if
students are helped to learn common proverbs in specific courses, they can give the exact
meaning by using the right proverb to talk about a fact of life or to give advice whenever a
situation related to a proverb becomes a focus in their classwork.
Thirdly, the participants reported that if they learn the proverbs consciously and are
aware of their meanings, they may also enjoy using them in the right context without
having any difficulty when they speak to native speakers, as proverbs can express what
they need to say in a short, direct, easy and effective way without having to use a
translation or interpretation of them.
Fourthly, our students’ opinions reveal that learning and using the right proverb at the
right time and in the right context may influence their fluency and add variety and color
into their language use. If they can use them again and again, they will probably be more
permanent in their long-term knowledge. As Collis (1994, p.ix) points out, proverbs
convey similar meanings in each language and contribute to the color of a language
although they may be expressed in different forms.
With respect to the use of proverbs in speech, learning proverbs and their meanings
consciously may help students to raise their confidence while using English. The more
proverbs they learn and use, the more motivated they could be to learn other proverbs as
well as idiomatic expressions.
Another point found significant by the teacher trainees in our study is the cultural aspect
of proverbs. By learning proverbs rather than using one-to-one translations or
interpretations of them, students can discover the similarities and differences in saying
things between their own culture and that of the target culture. As Erdem (in Yurtbaşı,
2002) pointed out, proverbs reflect years and even centuries of experience belonging to a
society with a couple of words, the way a society perceives the events, its understanding
of moral, way of thinking, its culture and philosophy.
Also, as can be seen in the opinions of our students, proverbs can be practically used to
teach and help students learn key words. In this way, they can retrieve the right proverb
with the right word(s) as multi-word expressions and express what they need to say in
English. If they do not know the right proverb to be used in a specific situation, they
usually tend to choose a word or a phrase to express the same meaning; in other words,
they fail to choose the right words and tend to use a translation of a proverb.
The participants in our study seem to agree on using and teaching proverbs in their
future classes. The way we practised them in our own classes and seeing that they can
understand and use them seem to have created an interest in using and teaching
proverbs. They also reflect a belief that they can help their students to learn and be aware
of such proverbs in their own classes. As the native instructor at our department
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18 Selami OK
reported, that is how native speakers really talk and how they really use the language,
either by using proverbs or idiomatic expressions. If they cannot use proverbs and
idioms, they can never sound like a native speaker, and if they do not know them, they
may not be able to understand native speakers.
The brainstorming session that we carried out in the post-practice session revealed that
the teacher trainees would use proverbs in their future classes in order to teach
vocabulary, pronunciation, tense usage, passive use, if clause, comparative use,
auxiliaries, prepositions, article usage, conjunctions, and so on. The participants also
gave a set of reasons for teaching proverbs in their future classes (see findings) which
reveal that they have developed a positive understanding pertaining to the benefit of
learning and using proverbs.
Finally, but presumably most important, as Hirsch (1996) pointed out, ‘proverbs often
express ideas about how to act in daily life’, as in “You can lead a horse to the river, but
you can’t make him drink” or “Look before you leap”. If a task needs careful attention
without hurrying up, someone may need to use “Haste makes waste”; which means
“don’t go too fast or you may ruin your work”. Such examples can be used as a rich
language input to give students an idea on how the target culture views an act in daily
life, so they can compare it with the one in their own culture.
Conclusion
Consequently, teacher trainees can be helped during their studies at ELT departments to
focus on proverbs as a rich and unique language input and an outgrowth of common
experiences of our ancestors rather than leaving them as an untouched area and develop
an awareness of them in language use. As a natural outcome of such a focus, teacher
trainees can gain a lot of experience on the use of proverbs in the target language. Unless
they have such an experience in learning proverbs, they cannot be expected to benefit
from their knowledge of proverbs in their native language, and as teacher trainees, they
cannot reflect proverbs into their own teaching in order to teach various components of
language. If given enough importance in various courses at ELT departments, teacher
trainees can retrieve the right proverb as a cliché expression or a lexicalized multiword
sentential expression and use it in the right context, and presumably, this will help them
feel more confident while using and teaching English and enable their own students to
contribute color to their language use by using proverbs while explaining or defending an
opinion.
Implication for Further Research
As an implication for future studies on proverbs, researchers are recommended to explore
the effectiveness and impact of various activities or types of exercise on learning and
using English proverbs.
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