Erik Aasland

In the U.S., proverbs are not a big part of life. When the preeminent proverb scholar in the West wrote about our most recent oratorically-skilled president, Barack Obama, he had to admit that candidate Obama used proverbial phrases and not even true proverbs 1. The main purveyor of proverbs in the U.S. are advertising companies. When someone asks me about proverb use in the U.S., I will often give the example of Nike's slogan "Just do it" and how this sentence functions as a proverb. How did I get interested in Kazakh proverbs? I noticed how important they were to Kazakhs. I was intrigued because I could encounter a proverb, look up the unfamiliar words, analyze the syntax, and still be without a clue as to its meaning. I realized that I would not be the most astounding Kazakh-speaking foreigner. My ear wasn't good enough and I had learned the language much later in life than would have been most advantageous. Studying Kazakh proverbs offered the promise of gaining a deep knowledge of Kazakh culture and thought.