Author(s): Polina OLENEVA

Title: ENGLISH ANTI-PROVERBS AS STYLISTIC DEVICES

Source: Sz. Simon, R. Brdar-Szabó, A. Tóthné Litovkina (eds.): 14th International Conference of J. Selye University. Language and Literacy Section. Conference Proceedings

ISBN: 978-80-8122-450-8

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36007/4508.2023.55

Publisher: J. Selye University, Komárno, Slovakia

PY, pages: 2023, 55-67

Published on-line: 2023

Language: en

Abstract: This paper aims at exploring the types of English proverb transformation from a stylistic perspective. The data of the study consisted of 103 English anti-proverbs from various sources addressing certain topics in life. The analysis of English anti-proverbs in the data put emphasis on the frequency of the proverb transformations. Also, the analysis focused on the language users’ choice of these types of transformations to introduce ideas or express feelings by changing original proverbs structurally. This choice may reflect a stylistic tendency based on patterning in each type of transformations. A future study can focus on a larger sample of anti-proverbs in English as well as in other languages to find out how these transformations can show certain stylistic choices of speakers.

Keywords: Anti-proverbs, proverbs, transformations, stylistics, foregrounding.

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