On the paremiological continuum

Abstract

The present study takes as a starting point the famous quotation from Don Quixote “I think, Sancho, there is no proverb that is not true, all being maxims drawn from experience itself, the mother of all the sciences”, and aims to investigate sayings and proverbs in general with special attention precisely to that “experience itself”, taking into account the cultural foundations of each language community as well as those established through dialogue between different cultures. The main objective is to show, through the examples in Spanish, Serbian and Slovenian, the gnoseological relativism of proverbs and sayings which is necessarily reflected in the structure and use of these constructions. The study also discusses why proverbs fall into disuse and presents some modern equivalent mechanisms and forms.