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a structural analysis of proverbs in a Sicilian village
Author(s) -
GIOVANNINI MAUREEN J.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1978.5.2.02a00080
Subject(s) - sicilian , meaning (existential) , mythology , ethnography , context (archaeology) , sociology , linguistics , redundancy (engineering) , epistemology , anthropology , literature , philosophy , history , art , computer science , archaeology , operating system
Proverbs are shown to be important sources of cultural meaning in spite of their redundancy and contradictions. To uncover the cultural concepts encoded in proverb form a structural analysis that goes beyond surface level meaning is proposed. This approach is illustrated by applying a modified version of Lévi‐Strauss's model of myth analysis to 192 Sicilian proverbs. The importance of ethnographic context in interpreting the proverb themes, both cognitive and evaluative, is discussed.