Editing Proverb (section)

===Metaproverbs===
In many cultures, proverbs are so important and so prominent that there are proverbs about proverbs, that is, "metaproverbs". The most famous one is from [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] of Nigeria, "Proverbs are the horses of speech, if communication is lost we use proverbs to find it", used by [[Wole Soyinka]] in ''Death and the King's Horsemen''. In Mieder's bibliography of proverb studies, there are twelve publications listed as describing metaproverbs.<ref>p. 1050. Wolfgang Mieder. 2009. ''International Bibliography of Paremiology and Phraseology''. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref> Other metaproverbs include:
* "As a boy should resemble his father, so should the proverb fit the conversation." ([[Afar people|Afar]], Ethiopia)<ref>p. 276. Parker, Enid. 1971. Afar stories, riddles, and proverbs. ''Journal of Ethiopian Studies'' 9:219–287.</ref>
* "Proverbs are the cream of language" (Afar, Ethiopia)<ref>p. 283. Parker, Enid. 1971. Afar stories, riddles, and proverbs. ''Journal of Ethiopian Studies'' 9:219–287.</ref>
* "One proverb gives rise to a point of discussion and another ends it." (Guji Oromo & Arsi Oromo, Ethiopia)<ref>p. 36. Tadesse Jaleta Jirata. 2009. ''A contextual study of the social functions of Guji-Oromo proverbs''. Saabruecken: DVM Verlag.</ref><ref>p. 43. Tullu, Sena Gonfa. 2008. ''The images of women in the proverbs and sayings of the Oromo: The case of West Arsi zone.''</ref>
* "Is proverb a child of chieftancy?"  (Igala, Nigeria)<ref>p. 301. Pachocinski, Ryszard. 2000. ''Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition.'' Professors World Peace Academy.</ref>
* "Whoever has seen enough of life will be able to tell a lot of proverbs." (Igala, Nigeria)<ref>p. 260. Pachocinski, Ryszard. 2000. ''Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition.'' Professors World Peace Academy.</ref>
* "Bereft of proverbs, speech flounders and falls short of its mark, whereas aided by them, communication is fleet and unerring" (Yoruba, Nigeria)<ref>p. 12. Owomoyela, Oyekan. 2005. ''Yoruba Proverbs.'' Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.</ref>
* "A conversation without proverbs is like stew without salt." (Oromo, Ethiopia)<ref>Cotter, George. 1990. ''Salt for stew: proverbs and sayings of the Oromo People with English translations.'' Debre Zeit, Ethiopia : Maryknoll Fathers.</ref>
* "If you never offer your uncle palmwine, you'll not learn many proverbs." (Yoruba, Nigeria)<ref>p. 141. Eduardo da Silva. 1973. ''Prince of the People: The Life and Times of a Brazilian Free Man of Colour.'' Verso.</ref>
* "If a proverb has no bearing on a proverb, one does not use it."<ref>p. 178. Owomoyela, Oyekan. 1988. ''A kì í: Yorùbá proscriptive and prescriptive proverbs.'' Lanham, MD: University Press of America.</ref> (Yoruba, Nigeria)
* "Proverbs finish the problem."<ref>Gertrud Schneider-Blum. 2009. ''Máakuti t'awá shuultáa: Proverbs finish the problems: Sayings of the Alaaba (Ethiopia)''. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.</ref> (Alaaba, Ethiopia)
* "When a proverb about a ragged basket is mentioned, the person who is skinny knows that he/she is the person alluded to." (Igbo, Nigeria)<ref>p. 391. Pachocinski, Ryszard. 2000. ''Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition.'' Professors World Peace Academy.</ref>
* "A proverb is the quintessentially active bit of language." (Turkish)<ref>p. 67, Dor, Rémy. 1982. 'Metel' ou l'appretissage du comportement. Le Proverbe chez les Kirghiz du Pamir afghan. ''Journal asiatique''  270:67–146.</ref>
* "The purest water is spring water, the most concise speech is proverb." (Zhuang, China)<ref>p. xxiv. Yangxian, Zhou. 2017. ''Two Thousand Proverbs from China with Annotations and Chinese and English Translation.'' New York: Peter Lang.</ref>
* "A proverb does not lie." (Arabic of Cairo)<ref>p. 76. Mahgoub, Fatma M. 1968. ''A linguistic study of Cairene proverbs''. Indiana University.</ref>
* "A saying is a flower, a proverb is a berry." (Russian)<ref>p. v. Martgavo, Peter. 1995. ''Russian proverbs and sayings.'' New York: Hippocrene Books.</ref>
* "Honey is sweet to the mouth; proverb is music to the ear." (Tibetan)<ref>Pema Tsewang, Shastri. 2012. ''Like a yeti catching marmots.'' Boston: Wisdom Publications.</ref>
* "Old proverb are little Gospels" (Galician)<ref>''{{cite web |url= https://cvc.cervantes.es/lengua/refranero/Ficha.aspx?Par=59494&Lng=2 |title=Os refráns vellos son evanxeos pequenos}}''</ref>
* "Proverb[-using] man, queer and vulgar/bothering man" (Spanish)<ref>''[[:es:w:hombre refranero, maricón y pilonero]]'', also ''hombre refranero, hombre puñetero''</ref>
* "A hasty man talks without using a proverb." ([[Kambaata language|Kambaata]], Ethiopia)<ref>p. 104. Desalegn Haile Arficho. ''Ideophones in Kambaata''. Addis Ababa University: PhD dissertation.</ref>
* "He who has a father knows the proverb of grandfather." ([[Kirundi]], Burundi)<ref>p. 59. Nibafasha, Spes. "Societal construction of masculinity and femininity as portrayed in Kirundi proverbs." PhD diss., Makerere University, 2013.</ref>
* "The wisdom of the proverb cannot be surpassed."  ([[Turkish language|Turkish]], Turkey)<ref>Gözpınar, Halis. "Turkish-Georgian Equivalent Proverbs and Turkish Loan-Words in Georgian Language." Karadeniz Uluslararası Bilimsel Dergi 21 (2014).</ref>
* “Where there is rhythm and alliteration, there lies a proverb.” ([[Gujarati language|Gujerati]], India)<ref>p. 52. Raymond Doctor. “Predictive Sayings in Gujerati”. ''Folklore'' Vol. 97, No. 1 (1986), pp. 41-55.</ref>
* "Proverbs are in the heart, light rain is in the clouds." ([[Mongolian language|Mongolian]])<ref>P. 168. Халзхуугийн Наранчимзг and Баизарын Чимзгсайхан. 2021. ''Dictionary of Mongolian-German-English-French-Russian Proverbs''.</ref>
* "For a person who knows crying, don't tell him proverbs."<ref>Simmons, Donald C., and Lydia F. Akesson. "Fifteen Nzima Proverbs." ''Folklore'' 76, no. 4 (1965): 262-265.</ref>([[Nzima language]], Ghana)
* "When my proverbs finish, that is when my talking will finish." (Igbo, Nigeria)<ref>{{cite book |page=93 |first1=G. M. T. |last1=Emezue |first2=Nefertiti N. |last2=Emezue |contribution=An Encounter with a Proverb-Hunter and the Beingness of Igbo Proverbs |title=Being and Becoming African as a Permanent Work in Progress: Inspiration from Chinua Achebe's Proverbs |date=2021 |editor1-first=Francis B. |editor1-last=Nyamnjoh |editor2-first=Patrick |editor2-last=Nwosu |editor3-first=Hassan M. |editor3-last=Yosimbom |location=Bamenda, Cameroon |publisher=Langaa Research and Publishing Common Initiative Group |isbn=9789956551477}}</ref>
* "To the idiot we say things clearly, To the wise we speak in proverbs."(Yombe, Gabon)<ref>Visce, Philémon Kongo Muanda. ''Corpus parémique yombe: une classification logique''. 2016. Fiesole, Italy: Torrossa.</ref>