Paremiography in Spain Since the End of the 19th Century: Problems, Methods and Results

Abstract

Paroemias, or brief and sententious statements, constitute a linguistic treasure trove which is not always easy to compile. This is particularly so for paroemias of popular use, such as proverbs, due to their complex nature (metaphorical meaning, frequent suppression of lexical elements, use of archaic expressions and words, employment of rhetorical figures and so on). They are also expressions of popular wisdom handed down through oral tradition from generation to generation within a largely rural culture. Moreover, since many of these popular proverbs have fallen into disuse, they have become less understood, and therefore, less used. Despite the problems posed by paroemiographical work, there exist many collections dedicated to recording proverbs in popular use, in particular sayings, for their linguistic, didactic and ethnolinguistic value. This paper addresses the paremiographical work on proverbs carried out in Spain in order to take stock of the said work from the end of the 19th century to the present. Then it analyses the paroemigraphical approaches used, the results obtained and their usefulness in paroemiological research. Furthermore, the application of new technologies to paroemiography and the enhancements which they have contributed, are also examined.

Keywords

• Paremia
• Proverb
• Paremiology
• Paremiography
• ICT
• Spanish