Anti-proverb

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An anti-proverb is the transformation of a stereotypical sequence of words such as a proverb , a winged word or a phrase for the purpose of a humorous effect.

Stereotypical word sequences are essentially fixed sequences of words that are known to a large group of people, for example the saying "Many cooks spoil the broth". If this sequence and its meaning are changed (for example to “Many cooks spoil the cook”), then such a transformation has occurred.

The classification of the transformations according to formal criteria

The transformation is formally divided into several aspects that are used for identification. This includes the association : the similarity to the original sequence is sufficient for identification. Beyond that there is no formal connection. Example: "The horse's greatest happiness is the rider on earth".

In the case of a homonym change, however, a word with several meanings is reinterpreted. Example: "All people are the same - at least for me." Here the word equal changes the meaning from equal to indifferent. Several sequences can also be combined with one another, for example: “Some people fall out of line even though they weren't in the picture beforehand”.

Such an anti-proverb can also arise from the situation and not linguistically; one then speaks of an occasional allusion . Example: “That doesn't help either, Pilatus!” (On a hand dryer). With permutation , the meaning of words is changed by rearrangement, but the syntactic structure remains the same. Example: "Better rich and healthy than poor and sick".

Further forms are reduction, substitution and supplementation, in which a sequence is shortened or expanded in a meaning-changing manner or in the substitution one part is replaced by another. Examples are “All's well that ends”. The last word ( well ) is omitted. (Reduction); "A step is worth a thousand words" (instead of " A picture ... "), so here one part is replaced by another. "A man's home is his castle - let him clean it", with an addition that contrasts content, which is typical for supplements.

Finally, an anti-proverb can also be generated through a syntactic change, in which the semantic structure of the sentence changes with the order of the words remaining the same: "Man thinks: God directs".

The classification of the transformations according to content criteria

The content of the transformation can also be subdivided according to various criteria. In the event of a weakening, the statement is initially retained, but then relativized by an addition. Example: "Modesty is an ornament, but one gets further without it".

The original sequence is defended against attacks by apology , for example “Art comes from being able to, not from wanting, otherwise it would be called Bead”. In the case of an athesis, the statement of the original sequence is destroyed without creating a meaningful new one, as in: "A camel is more likely to go through the eye of a needle if it is greased beforehand". In contrast, the sense of conservation remains similar: "Mistakes make you smart - that's why one is not enough".

A contrast sets the original statement in relation to another area of ​​life: "After Adam Riese and Eva Zwerg". If a metaphor, such as “men made of steel will one day be scrapped” is interpreted literally, one speaks of a metaphor break. Another criterion is the so-called neogenesis , in which the statement of the transformed sentence is independent of that of the original. Example: "A step is worth a thousand words".

Further criteria are the rejection, in which the original statement is rejected (for example, "We are all pulling on the same strand. Only: at different ends") and the synthesis , in which an actual statement emerges exclusively from the transformed sequence and the original sequences are merely idioms (“Everyone wants to go back to nature, but nobody wants to walk”).

Some of these formal and content-related classification classes are further subdivided.

Types of humorous effects

There are four forms of humorous effects that are triggered. The term " bisociation " was coined by Arthur Koestler . A funny text belongs to two semantic levels at the same time, of which the listener or reader is only aware of one at the beginning. In the punch line , there is a sudden switch to the other level, which triggers laughter. This mechanism can be easily recognized in the following example: “I only want your best” - “but you won't get that”.

There is something liberating about pulling the sublime into the banal and is generally felt to be funnier than the opposite. Many of the humorous transformations are of this kind. Example: “Jesus loves you - but does he also respect you the morning after?” This process is called destruction .

Another humorous effect can be the contrast between form and content. One example is the aforementioned rider on earth - a banal awkwardness in its literary form. A sentence like this is funny even if you don't know the original sequence.

Another type of these humorous effects is the catastrophe fiction, which sometimes has cynical features. In contrast to real catastrophes, merely imagined ones can be quite humorous. So in the transformed sequence: “The light at the end of the tunnel is probably a muzzle flash”.

literature

See also