THE CONCEPT OF A WOMAN IN GEORGIAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH, AND GERMAN PROVERBS

Irine Goshkheteliani; Natalia Surguladze; Maia Kikvadze; Teona Beridze

Irine Goshkheteliani Doctor of Pedagogy, Emeritus Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, 32/35 Rustaveli/Ninoshvili Str, Batumi, 6010, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8879-640X
Natalia Surguladze Doctor of Philology, Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, 32/35 Rustaveli/Ninoshvili Str, Batumi, 6010, Georgia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6868-5398
Maia Kikvadze Doctor of Philology, Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, 32/35 Rustaveli/Ninoshvili Str, Batumi, 6010, Georgia, http://orcid.org/0009-0002-5048-9011
Teona Beridze Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor, Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, 32/35 Rustaveli /Ninoshvili Str http://orcid.org/0009-0002-2764-0561

Abstract

Proverbs provide intriguing insights from both cultural and linguistic perspectives. By comparing proverbs in Georgian, English, French, and German, we can gain valuable insight into how women are represented across these four societies.

This research aims to examine how proverbs in these languages reflect centuries of accumulated wisdom and experience, with a focus on categorizing them thematically by the depiction of women across different cultures.

The comparative and contrastive analysis of Georgian proverbs along with their English, French, and German counterparts reveals both universal themes—such as motherhood, virtue, and the centrality of family—and cultural differences, particularly regarding independence, marriage, and women's rights.

Our thematic analysis reveals that women are often portrayed as mothers, wives, and homemakers in all four languages, with a strong emphasis on the positive image of motherhood. However, we also identified stereotypical views of women, portraying them as either evil or seductive; indeed, sexist or outdated proverbs can be found in each language. Additionally, humor is prevalent in English proverbs, which often emphasize intuition, while French proverbs tend to be more poetic and elegant. In contrast, German proverbs are generally direct and strict. Georgian proverbs, on the other hand, highlight women's strength, intuition, and the importance of respecting mothers and other women.

The proverbs have been organized thematically into the following categories: Family and household roles; Marriage, widowhood, and independence; Virtue, beauty, and modesty; Women’s tongue and temper; Old age; and Poverty, suffering, and patriotism.

Keywords: Georgian, English, French, and German proverbs; concept of women; contrastive analysis; semantic and thematic analysis.