The figurative quality of proverbs is especially striking one of their most noticeable characteristics is their allusive wording, usually in metaphorical form. It is no wonder therefore that the use of proverbs has continued to be a living tradition in GhanaД¤ In many African cultures a feeling for language, for imagery, and for the expression of abstract ideas through compressed and allusive phraseology comes out particularly clearly in proverbs.

approach to proverbs which is evident in the speech of people who are regarded as accomplished speakers or poets of a sort makes the proverbs not only a body of short statements built up over the years and which reflect the thought and insight of Ghanaians into problems of life, but also a technique of verbal expression, which is greatly appreciated by the Ghanaian. This enables him to avoid hackneyed expressions and give a certain amount of freshness to his speech. Familiarity with its techniques enables him to create, as it were, his own proverbs. In addition to drawing on it for its words of wisdom, therefore, he takes interest in its verbal techniques- its selection of words, its use of comparison as a method of statement, and so on. For the poet today or indeed for the speaker who is some sort of an artist in the use of words, the proverb is a model of compressed or forceful language. The value of the proverb to us in modern Ghana does not lie only in what it reveals of the thoughts of the past. As Nketia puts it in his comment on Ghanaian proverbs Proverbs are a rich source of imagery and succinct expression on which more elaborate forms can draw. Also many editors say that they doubt whether their collections are complete.ДЈ The literary relevance of these short sayings is clear. In addition Bascom lists about thirty other African peoples for whom 500 or more proverbs have been recorded (Bascom 1964: 16вЂ“17 Doke 1947: 115вЂ“7 Whitting 1940). 4,000 have been published in Rundi, for instance, about 3,000 in Nkundo, and roughly 2,000 in Luba and Hausa. In other areas proverbs seem universal and in some African languages occur in rich profusion.

It is notable, however, that there are apparently few or no proverbs among the Bushmen of southern Africa and the Nilotic peoples (Doke 1933: 6 Evans-Pritchard 1963 b : 109), and few seem to have been recorded in Nilo-Hamitic languages. Particularly well represented are proverbs from the Bantu area (especially the Southern Bantu) the Congo and West Africa have also provided many extensive collections. Relatively easy to record, they have been exceedingly popular with collectors.

IДў Proverbs seem to occur almost everywhere in Africa, in apparent contrast with other areas of the world such as aboriginal America and Polynesia. 1 The significance and concept of the proverb.

Ashanti baby rhetorical devices