Folk proverbs in Damascus: A critical view

Multiple books and articles have been authored about Arabic folk proverbs, particularly Syrian folk proverbs. Folk proverbs are narrated verbally and passed down from generation to generation.

 

These proverbs traditionally pass down without due analysis of their purposes, content or occasions.

By using Syrian folk proverbs – particularly those from Damascus – as a research sample, we gain some insight into the Levantine people’s behaviour, traditions, norms, way of thinking and culture. We can identify their thinking by examining the content of these proverbs.

Like us, folk proverbs are characterised by change and instability. Like us, they have existential and functional roles. Therefore, inherited folk proverbs can be viewed as a natural outcome of our behaviour, as in the classic proverb, ‘Birds of a feather flock together’.

In this paper, we seek to consider the social fabric and structure when analysing verbal content in order to familiarise ourselves with its narrative method and background, beginning with the daily reports from Daraa in 2011.
 

Abdullah Abu Rashid
Syria