Date:  Wed, 13 Dec 1995 21:43:57 -0500

From:  "Dennis R. Preston" <preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PILOT.MSU.EDU>

Subject: Re: Proverbial Knowledge



The universality of proverbs is pretty well-known among folklorists (e.g.,

Mieder), and even some linguists have had a look at the universality of

idioms (although the 'big' works on this point leave me at the moment).



I have your proverb in the 'changed' (or 'variant') form. I guess I thought

it was the original. I always folk-ethymologized it be a sort of gambling

proverb.



What is it really (since you seem to have a handle on the original form)?



Dennis (always had it wrong but still a native speaker) Preston

preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pilot.msu.edu



>Part of communicative competence includes a knowledge of proverbs. Thus,

>many English speakers have heard the following proverb: "You pays your money

>and you takes your choice." This is listed in the Oxford Dictionary of

>Quotations, 3rd ed., 1979:9. Today I heard a variant of this from a native

>speaker

>in which the word "chances" occurred for "choice." How many have heard this

>version? Are there any other permutations with this proverb? Does anyone

>have other examples of proverbs with variations in English or in any other

>language?

>My theory is this. Proverbs are universal, and native speakers change them

>according to well-defined rules ("chances" is monosyllabic and begins with

>a voiceless affricate, etc.).

>I will post a summary of examples sent to me or the network + reasons/

>explications of the phenomenon.

>Does anyone know of any research on this?

>--Alan Kaye--

>Linguistics

>Calif. State Univ., Fullerton --- akaye[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]fullerton.edu