Variation of proverbs and proverbial phrases in Spanish: a case study

Abstract

Taking into account the recommendations of the Common Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) on the inclusion of proverbs and sayings in the teaching/learning of the Spanish language in both lexical competence and sociolinguistic competence, this article deals with the study of a frequent but scarcely analysed aspect of proverbs: formal variation. Bearing in mind that proverbs and proverbial phrases are the main categories of popular paremias, this paper analyses the variation in these short and sententious utterances through the study of proverbs and proverbial phrases provided by an informant living in the Spanish region of Ribera del Duero. The results obtained will provide interesting data for paremiographical and paremiological research, as well as for linguistics applied to language teaching.