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Chapter2: Review of Related Literature and Studies

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Chapter II Review of Related Literature and Studies This chapter presents the literature and related studies which have direct bearing on this study. It also discusses the values reflected in the proverbs and the proverb as a reflection of Filipino character, its function in the society, its nature and purpose, its stylistic peculiarity and its significance in Filipino culture. Folklore Prof. Damiana Eugenio (2002), a renowned Filipina folklorist, said that there is no universally accepted definition for the word “folklore”. But she gave a description that folklore is any form of knowledge that is handed down from generation to generation that portrays the way of life of ancestors of the chosen ethnic group can be considered part of …show more content…

This shows that many people are interested in proverbs. Lopez (2006) further added that the important rule in the study of folksaying is not to cite what one people say in one culture but to explain what another people say for another culture. For her, any folklore material translated to another language suffers in the process of translation. Thus, the definition of proverb is necessary for serious research on this genre. Many definitions of proverb have actually been made. According to Lydia Arguilla as cited by Lopez (2006) “Proverbs are a people’s soul”, while Carmelo Jamias as also cited by Lopez (2006) said that “Proverbs are the wisdom of the elders”. However, the definition of the proverb as “Folk wisdom” is rejected in the Philippine culture because of the existence of “crossed proverbs”―two proverbs that recommend two contrary kinds of action. Lopez (2006) continued that the biggest problem in the Philippine proverbial studies that should be solved is the total neglect of the context of the materials collected. The study of proverbs requires not only knowing the content of the material, but also knowing when to use them because usage is the most important aspect of proverbs. She added that there is distinction between recording the text of proverbs and

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