Proverbial Expressions in Newspapers. A Study in Estonia, Finland, and Slovenia

This article examines proverbs and proverbial expressions in contemporary newspaper contexts and in everyday use in three languages: Estonian, Finnish, and Slovenian. Print editions of the Estonian newspapers Postimees and Tartu Postimees, the Finnish newspapers Helsingin Sanomat, Salon Seudun Sanomat, and Perniönseudun Lehti, and the Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik were scanned for use of proverbial material during May 2013. From the reader’s point of view, proverbs are understood to be both etic and emic concepts. The article discusses how to recognize contemporary proverbial units in this study in newspaper texts. The quantitative part of the study outlines proverbial expressions among newspaper genres and sections, and the location of proverbial expressions within textual units. The qualitative part of the analysis concerns distinctive national differences (use of proverbial expressions in horoscopes in Estonia, combined with TV programs in Finland and opinion pieces or letters to the editor in Slovenia) and focuses on them in a cultural context. The qualitative study highlights the most essential concentrations of proverbs. The differences are outlined in the sections focusing on country-specific features. *** Avtorice preučujejo rabo pregovorov in pregovornih izrazov v kontekstih sodobnih časopisov in v vsakdanji rabi v treh jezikih: estonskem, finskem in slovenskem. Pregledano je bilo gradivo v tiskanih izdajah, objavljenih maja 2013: estonska časopisa Postimees in Tartu Postimees, finski časopisi Helsingin Sanomat, Salon Seudun Sanomat in Perniönseudun Lehti in slovenski časopis Dnevnik. Pregovori so bili zbrani in obravnavani z vidika bralca, zato sta upoštevana tako emični kakor etični vidik obravnave. Avtorice je zanimalo, kako prepoznati sodobne pregovorne enote v časopisnih besedilih. Kvantitativni del študije opisuje pregovorne izraze v časopisnih žanrih in delih ter lokacijo pregovornih izrazov v besedilnih enotah. Kvalitativni del analize se osredinja na mesta z največ pregovori ter obravnava nacionalne razlike (uporaba pregovornih izrazov v horoskopih v Estoniji, v kombinaciji s televizijskimi programi na Finskem in v mnenjih ali pismih uredniku v Sloveniji) in poudarja njihov kulturni kontekst. Razlike so opisane v poglavjih o značilnostih treh držav.