Wellerism Proverbs: Mapping Their Distribution

GIALens 2017 Volume 11, No.
Wellerism proverbs: Mapping their distribution

by Peter Unseth, Daniel Kliemt, Laurel Morgan, Stephen Nelson, Elaine Marie Scherrer 1
email: pete_unseth@gial.edu
The tentative nature of the conclusions set forth here should be evident to the reader.
(Greenberg 1963: 58)
One of the many fascinating aspects of the study of folklore is the determination of the geographical
distribution of the various forms of folklore. Some forms may be universal; some limited to specific culture
areas… the initial task is clearly to ascertain whether specific major and minor genres of folklore are in
fact limited by cultural boundaries. In the cases of the Wellerism … the geographical distribution has not
yet been accurately established. (Dundes 1964: 113)
Abstract: Wellerism proverbs have been collected from many languages, but very little
has been written on the distribution of these types of sayings geographically. This paper
is a first attempt to map the broad distribution of this type of proverb and finds an
absence of them in eastern Asia.
Key words: proverb, wellerism, proverb distribution
1. Introduction
Scholars have been consciously aware of wellerism proverbs as a class for over
150 years (A. Taylor 1962: 201, 202 and references there). A wellerism “is normally
made up of three parts: 1) a statement (which often consists of a proverb or proverbial
phrase); 2) a speaker who makes this remark; and [often] 3) a phrase that places the
utterance into an unexpected, contrived situation” (Litovkina & Mieder 2006:20, see also
Mieder 2004: 15). For example, “A woman unable to dance said, ‘The drum is
defective’” (from Telugu, Bhuvaneswar 2012: 41). Archer Taylor devoted 21 pages of his
book The Proverb to discussing wellerisms (1962: 200-220), a groundbreaking
contribution.2 Much of this was devoted to a pioneering discussion of their distribution in
languages within Europe.
For wellerism proverbs (WP’s), the discussion of their distribution has been very
limited, never systematic. As he contemplated his data on the distribution of this type of
proverb, Peter Unseth wondered if this kind of proverb is found in the language
communities of central and eastern Asia. In an effort to fill this gap in our knowledge, the
GIAL Oral Traditions and Literature class in the fall of 2016 specifically looked for
evidence of WP’s in languages of central and eastern Asia. For the class project, as
students studied proverb collections, they systematically sampled books to examine at
least 300 proverbs from each language. What follows is a summary of the data so far on
the geographical distribution of the languages that have WP’s.
1
In addition, two other students were part of this project, but prefer not to list their names.
2
Archer Taylor’s book was originally published in 1931; but because it was later published with an added
extensive index in 1962, the citations in this article cite this later edition. Taylor deserves credit for his
1931 insights which were far ahead of other scholars.
1
GIALens 2017 Volume 11, No. 3
In the proverbs cited in this paper, the punctuation has been standardized. The
names of languages that are listed here are not always spelled the same as in the original
sources. Also, some names found in the original sources have been replaced by names
that are more standard, such as “Turkish” for “Osmanli.” Most languages are labeled with
a three-letter identifying code from the International Standards Organization section 639-
3, enclosed in square brackets, e.g. [nch] for Chumburung. In some cases, the original
sources have not been specific enough to allow the selection of an ISO code. And some
language communities want a separate identity from other communities, even if scholars
have included their language with another language sharing the same ISO code. In
addition, to the best of our ability we have labeled languages as to the country where they
are predominantly spoken.
2. Toward defining wellerism proverbs

Before mapping the distribution of WP’s can begin, we must have clearer criteria
for defining what is, and is not, a wellerism proverb. This section explains the origin of
the term “wellerism,” going on to explore the boundaries of the term “wellerism.” This
leads to a more detailed, and hopefully more insightful, understanding of what a
wellerism proverb is and what a wellerism proverb is not.
The wellerism is an ancient proverb form, found as far back as ancient Sumer, e.g.
“The fox urinated into the Tigris: ‘I am causing the high tide to rise!’ [he said]” (Alster
1975: 212). Wellerisms are also found across Europe, including English. What Whiting
called “the oldest English Wellerism”3 is from AD 642, about Oswald of Northumbria
falling in battle: “‘May God have mercy on their souls,’ said Oswald, falling to the
ground” (Whiting 1936: 310, 311).4
The term “wellerism” (sometimes capitalized as “Wellerism”), is derived from the
character Samuel Weller in the 1836 novel The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.
Samuel Weller was noted for his habit of attributing a quotation to some generic or non-
specific speaker. Many of his sayings are very witty, such as “‘Hope our acquaintance
may be a long one,’ as the gentleman said to the five-pound note.”5 As a result of
Dickens’ character Weller saying such constructions, they have come to be known as
“wellerisms.”
The label “wellerism” has been adopted and adapted into some other languages.
In Wikipedia, examining the English article for “wellerism,” we see that borrowed forms
are used for the cognate Wikipedia articles in other languages, i.e. “wellerismo” in
Italian, “Wellerismi” in Finnish, “Веллеризм” in Russian, “Wellerismus” in German,
“Wellerisme” in Norwegian (Bokmål), “Wellerismus” in Slovak, and ‫“( ولریسم‬wlrasm”)
in Persian. The Walon (Walloon) Wikipedia page uses the term “sapinsté,” also offering
“welerisse” as an alternate.
3
Previously it had been thought that the oldest English wellerism proverb was from Chaucer, “Lat this
proverbe a lore unto you be; ‘To late y-war!’ quoth Beaute” (A. Taylor 1962: 203).
4
This wellerism by Oswald was labeled a “prouerbio” in Latin (Whiting 1936: 311), but it is not known
how it was used as a proverb by later generations, or in what sense it was a proverb in the current
English language understanding of the term.
5
The spelling here has been regularized; the original form conveyed Weller’s non-standard dialect.
2
However, other languages also have their own original terms for such sayings.
The Dutch Wikipedia article uses the title “apologisch sprichwort”; in the Swedish
Wikipedia such sayings are called “ordstäv.” In Bamana (Mali), the category “ntale”
includes sayings that begin with “the Bamana say ..., the hyena said ..., etc.” (Kone 1997:
62). “This form of proverb is popularly known among the Dagaaba [of Ghana] as donne
yelyelli ‘animal sayings’” (Kogri 2014: 53). Some German writers have also used the
labels “Beispielssprichwort,” “apologisches Sprichwort,” and “Sagwort” (A. Taylor
1962: 201, fn. 1). Also, “welleryzmy” is now used by Polish proverb scholars (Pomierska
2015).
This paper is concerned with wellerisms that are indeed actual proverbs, so the
unambiguous term “wellerism proverb” (WP) is used here. A standard English example
of a wellerism is: “‘I see,’ said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw.”
This saying is in the form of a wellerism; it is very witty indeed, but it is not a proverb.
Differences and similarities between wellerisms and proverbs can be seen in Table 1. The
upper left quadrant contains the sayings that are the topic of this paper. These contain a
quotation and are also considered to be proverbs, not merely jokes.
saying is a proverb saying is not a proverb
saying contains a “Where there are no eagles, “‘I see,’ said the blind
quotation & speaker the grasshopper says, ‘I am carpenter as he picked up his
an eagle.’” Malay (Lim hammer and saw.”
2003:125)
saying does not “Don’t judge a book by its “Penguins live in the
contain a quotation cover.” southern hemisphere.”
& speaker
Table 1. Four-way classification of wellerisms and proverbs
The matter of whether wellerisms should be considered to be proverbs does not

have unanimous agreement. “Wellerisms have been considered a type of proverb and
have much in common with other types” (Caro 1997: 839). Taylor acknowledged the
complex status of wellerism proverbs, writing that it was possible to say that a wellerism
“belonged to a very special class of proverbs” (A. Taylor 1962: 202). Prahlad believes
“true proverbs must further be distinguished from other types of proverbial speech, e.g.
… Wellerisms” (Prahlad 1996: 33). Table 1 may add some clarity to such classification
uncertainty. In this paper, the term “wellerism proverb” is used to unambiguously to refer
to only wellerisms that are proverbs.
While searching for WP’s, it became apparent that the definition of a “wellerism
proverb” has not been worked out at the level of detail needed to definitively analyze and
classify proverbs from a variety of languages, leaving us unsure about whether certain
proverbs should be classified as being WP’s or not. As stated above, it is standard to
describe a wellerism, whether it is a true proverb or not, as being made up of three parts:
“1) a statement (which often consists of a proverb or proverbial phrase); 2) a speaker who
makes this remark; and [often] 3) a phrase that places the utterance into an unexpected,
contrived situation” (Litovkina & Mieder 2006: 20, see also Mieder 2004: 15).
3
After comparing a large number of proverbs containing quotations, from a variety

of languages, some further clarifications for defining wellerisms have emerged. They are
stated here as working hypotheses, rather than as dogmatic statements.
Proverbs that include imperatives to say an utterance are not WP’s, e.g. from
Korean, “Say ‘Uncle, uncle,’ and give only heavy burdens to carry” (Ha 1970: 160).
Similarly, from Biblical Hebrew, with a negative imperative, “Do not say to your
neighbor, ‘Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it’—when you have it with you”
(Proverbs 3:28 RSV). Also, in English we find, “Never say ‘Never’” (Doyle, Mieder &
Shapiro 2012: 178) and “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war.’” None of these are
classified here as wellerisms.
Also, 3rd person imperatives (also called “jussives”) may be used in proverbs; but
these are not WP’s, e.g. such as from Spanish, “Who has a mouth, let him not say to
another, ‘Blow’” (Trench 1862: 111). This is not a WP. Similarly, proverbs with modals
(e.g. “would,” “could,” “should,” “must”) are not wellerisms, e.g. the second half of the
German proverb “Who says A must also say B” (Mieder 2004: 92). It appears that
Wellerisms are always spoken in the indicative voice.
It appears that quotations in conditional clauses are not candidates to be WP’s.
Suppose a proverb has the quotation in the protasis of a conditional clause (the “if ...”
part), e.g. Sierra Leone Creole, “If you hear a child say, ‘Mamma is cooking okra,’ it’s
because Papa said it” (Sierra Leone Krio, Sierra-Leone.org/Krio-Proverbs.html); then it is
not a WP. If the quotation is in the apodosis (the result part) of a conditional sentence,
then it also appears that the proverb is not a WP, e.g. the Burmese proverb, “If one does
not win the affections of a lady one says, ‘She is ugly’” (Lat 1939: 42).6
If the quotation is identified as something that is not said, then it appears that the
proverb is not a WP, e.g. in Ashanti Twi “When you are (really) dying, you do not say,
‘Oh, I am dying! Oh, I am dying!’” (Rattray 1916: 51).
Similarly, when a proverb is formed with “when” and a quotation in a subordinate
clause, it is not a WP, such as the following from Burushaski of Pakistan, “When one
says ‘sum’, Sumán becomes sulky; when one says ‘gurgán’, Gurgali becomes sulky”
(Tiffou 1993: 70). Similarly, from Bamana of Mali, “It is out of respect that one calls
one’s father ‘Baba’. When you call him ‘Mother’s Husband’7 he should listen to you”
(Kone 1997: 71).
When a quotation itself is in the subject of a clause, it is not a WP, such as this
example from Korean: “From a house on fire comes the cry ‘Fire!” (Ha 1970: 61). If a
proverb contains compared quotations, then it is not a WP, as in the following proverb
from Italian: “It is better they should say, ‘Here he ran away’ rather than ‘Here he died’”
(Collison 1980: 82).
Another construction that does not seem to be a true WP is built with a question
about what a speaker said in one clause, followed by the quotation; this is not a WP, as in
6
This example looks very much like the “sour grapes” wellerism, but it is grammatically different; it is not
a WP.
7
This proverb, with “Mother’s Husband,” is “controversial,” raising questions of paternity (Kone 1997:
71).
4
the following Swahili example: “What said the winnowing tray? ‘Give me, and I will
give thee’” (W. Taylor 1891: 129).
The similarity between WP’s and dialogue proverbs is obvious, though our
research found many languages had only one category without the other. This suggests
that the difference between these two categories of proverbs is not trivial. A proverb from
an unidentified language in Sudan seems to almost be on the border of these two
categories: “‘The land belongs to me!’ said the hyena. The hedgehog said nothing”
(Knappert 1989: 100). The silence of the hedgehog is used to classify this as a WP in this
paper, but it does raise questions about the definition of dialogue proverbs.
If a quotation is in a relative clause, the proverb is not a WP, as in the following
Biblical Hebrew example: “He who says to the wicked, ‘You are innocent,’ will be
cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations” (Proverbs 24:24, RSV).
It is not so clear how to analyze and classify the following example from Biblical
Hebrew: “‘It is bad, it is bad,’ says the buyer; but when he goes away, then he boasts”
(Proverbs 20:14, RSV). It does not seem to be a true WP, but some may disagree.
If a proverb says that something is not said, this quotation does not make the
proverb a WP, e.g. Nepali “The king doesn’t say ‘small’ and the fire doesn’t say ‘raw’”
(Inchley 2010: 47).
One of the challenges faced in the research is understanding the grammar of the
various languages viewed through the English translations. For example, it is not always
clear from a translation if a quotation is direct or indirect. To be classed as a wellerism
proverb, is it determinative that a quotation must be direct? Since some languages do not
differentiate these linguistic categories, for some languages an indirect quotation in the
English translation is little different from a direct quotation in the English translation.
Definitive analysis of whether or not a proverb is truly a WP must be based on
examination of proverbs in their original language.
With such unresolved questions, it is not always clear exactly which collected
proverbs should be classed as wellerisms, but the data presented here have been analyzed
as being WP’s.
3. Distribution of wellerism proverbs

The first general description of the distribution of WP’s seems to be Taylor’s
1950 work, which referred to their presence only in Europe. He wrote, “They are now
especially popular in northern Germany and Sweden,” and went on to speak of them in
Romance languages also (A. Taylor 1950: 1169).
The first deliberate step in expanding our knowledge of the distribution of WP’s
outside of Europe was by Dundes (1964). In that article Dundes summarized the research
on the geographic distribution of WP’s by referring to Archer Taylor’s work,
summarizing it by writing that that this type of saying “appears to be limited to European
tradition, enjoying special popularity in northern Germany and Scandinavia. Certainly,
the occurrence of examples in Latin and Greek literature attests to the venerable age of
the form, but it does not settle the question of the form’s geographic distribution”
(Dundes 1964: 113). Dundes then broadened our knowledge by showing that WP’s are
5
also found in “West Africa.”8 But he did not think he had covered their distribution
definitively, explaining “In the cases of the Wellerism ... the geographical distribution has
not yet been accurately established” (Dundes 1964: 113).
Thirty years later, Grzybek enlarged the list of places (1994: 290), noting that
WP’s are found “all over Europe,” “frequently found North in Germanic” languages, also
in France, Belgium, Italy, Asia Minor, “Nigeria/Africa,”9 but “rarely documented in
Slavic cultures.” He hinted at the broad gap in knowledge, “it is not easy to say if the
w.[ellerism] is a universal form.” In the same year, Mieder & Kingsbury noted that
wellerisms had been documented “in the Slavic and Baltic languages and there is an
impressive amount of scholarship on African wellerisms,” speculating that they are found
“almost everywhere” (Mieder & Kingsbury 1994: xii).
Building on such previous knowledge and speculation, this article presents the
evidence from the authors’ research, the broadest research to date into the distribution of
WP’s. After noting on a map the regions where WP’s are found, it became clear that there
is an area of eastern Asia in which no languages were found to have WP’s.
What follows is a list of 129 languages, each listed with one of its WP’s. The
punctuation of the various translations has been regularised from the various punctuation
styles that were found in the originals. It was not always clear if proverbs were direct
quotations or indirect quotations, so those cited are a bit of a mix.
Afar [aar] (Ethiopia): “‘If the tongue were not in me,’ the head says, ‘I would not have
been cut off’” (Parker 1971: 283).
Akan [aka] (Ghana): “The cockroach said, ‘To throw your friend before a hen is no
joke’” (http://content.ghanagrio.com/templates/?a=89).
Alaaba [alw] (Ethiopia): “‘Cook me with the hump!’ said the intestines” (Schneider-
Blum 2009: 57).
Albanian [sqi]: “The bear could not reach the pears and said, ‘They are unripe!’”
(Friedman 2003: 122).
Akpam [akf] (Nigeria): “The lizard said that it had jumped from a high place but it was
not appreciated and it should praise itself” (Pachocinski 1996: 123).
Amharic [amh] (Ethiopia): “‘In my mouth, who has eaten?’ said the snake-eating bird”
(Aberra 2016: 105).
Antillean Creole French [gfc] (Martinique): “Rabbit says, ‘Eat everything, drink
everything, but don't tell everything’” (Funk 1953: 93).
Arabic [ara] (Egypt): “A splinter entered the sound eye of a one-eyed person. ‘I wish you
good night,’ said he” (Burkhardt 1875: 13).
Igbo (Ariocha) [ibo] (Nigeria): “Porcupine said that until the bushfire is over, it cannot
celebrate the ilo-chi festival” (Monye 1996: 82).
8
Dundes is generally cited as the scholar who drew attention to wellerism proverbs in West Africa; but he
himself noted that earlier, “J. Berry [1961] claimed that wellerisms were known in West Africa, but
were probably rare” (Dundes 1964: 113, fn. 2).
9
It is not clear how large an area of Africa Grzybek meant by the label “Nigeria/Africa.”
6
Armenian [hye]: “The ass which fell into a granary said, ‘It is better here than in our
stable’” (Bayan 1889: 23).
Arsi Oromo [gax] (Ethiopia): “‘I have reserved enough butter, I have also born a son;
did I fail to churn; did I fail to reserve; or am I unable to incense myself?’ said a
senior wife” (Tullu 2008: 56).
Assamese [asm] (India): “They met the blacksmith on the road and said, ‘Make a knife
for us’” (Gurdon 1896: 44).
Azeri [aze] (Azerbaijan): “The bride couldn’t dance; she said, ‘The room [floor] isn’t
flat’” (Daneshgar 1995: 223).
Badaga [bfq] (SE India): “In the fifth month [of pregnancy] the child will say, ‘Shall I
come out or shall I remain inside?’” (Hockings 1988: 114).
Bamoun/Bamun [bax] (Cameroon): “The toad said, ‘What a happy adventure!’” (Yeyap
1969: 67).
Basque [eus] (Spain, France): “The pot tells the kettle, ‘You black bottom’” (Paczolay
1997: 318).
Beja [bej] (Sudan): “If you don't gather dung in the rainy season, you can't do it in the
summer time,’ said the dung beetle” (Anonymous friend. Personal
communication. 2014.).
Berber (unspecified): “‘I won't tie up the mule in a horse's place,’ says the widow”
(http://www.special-dictionary.com/proverbs/source/b/berber_proverb/).
Bihar [bho] (India): “The cricket mounted on a bundle says, ‘I am the owner of this
wealth’” (Christian 1891: 43).
Borana Oromo [gax] (Ethiopia & Kenya): “‘As I was crying for horns, they cut my
ears,’ said the donkey” (Shongolo & Schlee 2007: 20).
Burji [bji] (Ethiopia & Kenya): “The donkey became rebellious and said, ‘Put your load
on whoever is available, not on me’” (Chelo 2016: 17).
Burushaski [bsk] (Pakistan): “The tree said to the axe, ‘If I give you my hand, will you
cut it off?’” (Tiffou 1993: 99).
Gurage (Chaha) [sgw] (Ethiopia): “When the water carries him away, the weaver says, ‘I
would weave once more’” (Leslau 1949: 220).
Chechen [che] (Russia): “‘My guest asks for water means he is not hungry, my guest
does not ask for water means he is fasting,’ said a stingy hostess” (Elena Yurkova.
Personal Communication. 2017.).
Chichewa [nya] (Malawi, Zimbabwe, Zambia): “‘This is lovely,’ said the monkey, and
he fell on his back” (Kessel 2015).
Chumburung [ncu] (Ghana): “Chameleon says, ‘Quickly quickly is good and slowly
slowly is good’” (Hansford 2003: 79).
Circassian (Kabardian) [kbd] (Russia): “The mosquito on the horn of the harnessed bull
said, ‘We are ploughing’” (Jaimoukha 2009: 100).
7
Cook Islands (unspecified Polynesian language): “‘It’s a different day,’ said Tiaure”
(Short 1951: 256).
Dagara [dag] (Ghana): “The monkey says that dog has a guardian and that is why he
fears dog” (Kyiilelang 2017: 174).
Dagbani [dag] (Ghana): “The ant says, ‘Helping to lift is strength.’ This proverb actually
means ‘unity is strength’” (Kogri 2014: 53).
Dargin [dar] (Dhagestan, Russia Federation): “She couldn’t do milking, because, she
said, ‘The cow’s horn is crooked’” (Gasanova, Magomedova & Gasanova 2016:
11874).
Dari [prs] (Afghanistan): “A porcupine speaking to its baby says, “O, my child of
velvet’” (Wilson 1996: 19).
Dutch [nld] (Holland, Belgium): “‘That is a good riddance,’ said little Griet, and her
husband died” (Ley 1998: 81).
Ebira [igb] (Nigeria): “A millipede says that many feet help destroy more plants than a
few feet” (Pachocinski 1996: 219).
Eggon [ego] (Nigeria): “A squirrel says it cries for only one day” (Pachocinski 1996:
105).
Ekajuk [eka] (Kajuk) (Nigeria): “The pig says, “Luck only comes when you move from
place to place” (Ganyi, Owan & Ellah 2015: 59).
Enga [enq] (Papua New Guinea): “The kaiwe bird which does not have bright plumage is
saying, ‘I am good, I am good” (Gibbs 2000: 188).
English [eng]: “‘Every little helps,’ quoth the wren when she pissed in the sea” (Mieder
& Kingsbury 1994: xvi).
Ewe [ewe] (Ghana): “The wasp says several regular trips to a mud pit make it possible
for it to build a house” (Dzobo 1973).
Farsi [pes]: “The old woman spilt the broth, so she said, ‘I was wishing for bread only
anyway’” (Zekaria 2015: 295).
Finnish [fin]: “Hunger says, ‘I’ll kill you, if you don't work’” (Lauhakangas 2012).
Ganda (Luganda) [lug] (Uganda): “‘I’ll die for a big thing,’ says the biting ant on the
big toe’” (Finnegan 1970: 401).
Georgian [kat]: “A person has found a horseshoe and says: ‘Oh, now I just need a horse
and three horseshoes!’” (Elena Yurkova. Personal Communication. 2017.).
German [deu]: “‘Non semper oleum,’ said (St.) Michael and pooped into the lamp”
(Prędota 2010: 297). (The proverb is in German, but the quotation is in Latin,
meaning “Not always oil.”)
Gə’əz [gez] (Classical Ethiopic): “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God”
(Taräqäny 2008: 76, 77).
Greek [ell]: “The fly sat on the axle-tree of the chariot wheel and said, ‘What a dust I
raise!’” (Stavropoulos 2003: 116).
8
Guji Oromo [gax] (Ethiopia): “‘What is our sin?’ said a dog after giving birth to nine
blind puppies”10 (Jirata 2009: 80 and Jaleta 2004: 85).
Harari [har] (Ethiopia): “The rude jerk says to his mother, ‘You did not give me birth’”
(Qoram 1984: 24).
Hausa [hau] (Nigeria): “God says, ‘Wake up and I’ll help you’” (Pachocinski 1996: 25).
Hebrew (Biblical) [hbo]: “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! There is a lion
in the streets!’” (Proverbs 26:13).
Hindi [hin] (India): “The sluggard fell in the draw-well, and he said to himself, ‘I feel
fine here’” (Todorova-Marinova 2015).
Hindustani [non-specific] (India): “A sick man met a sick man and said, ‘Drink nīm
water’” (Fallon 1886: 196).
Ibibio [ibb] (Nigeria): “A small bird though pinning [sic] away, says it is enjoying good
health” (Akpabio n.d.: 6).
Icelandic [isl]: “‘Poor you, how black you are,’ said the iron pot to the clay pot”
(Paczolay 1997: 319).
Idoma [idu] (Nigeria): “The hen always says, ‘Let us bury in the bed in the sand and pick
up grains together and share’” (Pachocinski 1996: 80).
Igala [igl] (Nigeria): “The chameleon says that he will not alter his dignified manner of
walking just because the forest is on fire” (Egbunu 2014: 262).
Igbo [ibo] (Nigeria): “The vulture asked what it has to do with a barber” (Opata 1990:
223).11
Ilaje [yor] (Yoruba dialect of Nigeria): “The owl says, ‘I see with all the parts of my
body’” (Ojoade 1980: 67).
Italian [ita]: “The pan tells the kettle, ‘Get off, do not make me dirty’” (Paczolay 1997:
320).
Jabo (dialect of Grebo) [grj] (Liberia): “North wind says: ‘If you rise, they will know
you are there’” (Finnegan 1970: 420).
Kafa [kbr] (Ethiopia): “‘Fearful has many sticks,’ said the dog” (Wodajo 2012: 112).
Kabyle [kab] (Algeria): “As the ass said, ‘I will not accompany you to heaven if there are
children in it’” (Belkhir 2014: 175).
Kambaata [ktb] (Ethiopia): “‘The sky is wide,’ said the sorghum plant” (Treis 2008: 15).
Kasena [xsm] (Ghana): “The chameleon says, ‘When on a tree, assume the colour of its
leaf’” (Awedoba 2000: 47).
10
This wellerism is a reformulation of the classical proverb, “The bitch in her haste has given birth to the
blind.” The significance of this proverb being found in Ethiopia is discussed by Unseth (2017).
11
Some might say that the indirect speech (at least in the English translation) disqualifies this from being a
wellerism structure, but Opata clearly labeled examples like this as “wellerisms” (1990).
9
Kashmir [kas] (India): “The hen asks, ‘What is my fault I have just hatched duck’s
eggs?’” (Koul 2006: 32).
Kashubian [csb] (Poland): “‘It is not so easy to do thinking,’ said gbur [rich Kashubian
farmer] to the priest, ‘I see an example in my oxen’” (Sychta 1976 vol. 1: 314).
Kikuyu [kik] (Kenya): “Hyena says, ‘Men are wise because they know how to hold a
firebrand’” (Barra 1939: 153).
Kirundi (also known as Burundi and Rundi) [run] (Burundi): “‘The time has come to
celebrate the feast of the first fruits,” as the old woman said after a rat had left his
droppings in her mouth while she was sleeping” (Rodegen 1974: 533).
Koonzime [ozm] (Cameroon): “Chimpanzee said to his wife, ‘It’s never bad to have a
drop of rain fall on you’” (http://www.silcam.org/folder020601/page.php).
Korean [kor] (Korea): “When it rains, people in Seoul say, ‘The crops will be good’”
(Ha 1970: 287).
Kurdish [unspecified] (Mid East): “‘Hurry up, the herd is going away,’ said the Wolf, as
they were reading the Gospel to him” (Permyakov 1979: 205).
Kurdish [kmr] (Northern): “The fox couldn’t reach the grapes, (so) he said, ‘They’re
sour’” (Bailey, in preparation).
Kyerepong [cpn] (Ghana): “The bat says, ‘All that God (Onyame) will do is good’”
(Damman 1972: 38).
Latin [lat]: “‘You are black!’ as the cauldron said to the pot” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
Lur, Southern [luz] (Iran): “The goat said to the sheep, ‘I’ve seen your tail’” (Freidl
2014: 247).
Luyia [luy] (Kenya): “The hyena said to the stone that even if the stone chose to remain
silent, the hyena had excreted on it” (Wambunya 2005: 25).
Maasai [mas] (Kenya): “They hyena said, ‘I am not lucky, but I am always on the
move’” (Mulatya 2013: 51).
Macedonian [mkd]: “‘The grapes are beautiful but still immature,’ said the fox when she
could not reach them” (Friedman 2003: 122).
Malay [mly]: “Where there are no eagles, the grasshopper says, ‘I am an eagle’” (Lim
2003: 125).
Malagasy [unclear which variety]: “A fortuneteller says, ‘If it’s not a boy, it will be a
girl’” (http://www.rodneyohebsion.com/madagascar.htm).
Marathi [mar] (India): “The shawl took him twelve years to weave, and he said, ‘It is for
the king’s shroud’” (Manwaring 1899: 68).
Moroccan Arabic [ary] (Morocco): “The high-bred horse says, ‘Feed me as your
brother, ride on me as your enemy’” (Westermarck 2015: 162).
Nepali [nep]: “The Brahmin who has a full stomach says, “Molasses are bitter’” (Inchley
2010: 393).
10
Nawuri [naw] (Ghana): “The cat says, ‘Fall down and I fall down is a good game’”
(Hansford 2003: 79).
Ndau [ndc] (Mozambique): “The worm in the cattle kraal says, ‘I am an ox’” (Finnegan
1970: 396).
Nuer [nus] (Sudan & Ethiopia): “Gazelle said, ‘The village could not be left because of
the lack of water to drink’” (Kawich 2012: 49).
Nupe [nup] (Nigeria): “A vulture says that normally it is in the morning that excrement is
sweet, in the afternoon it turns sour.” (Pachocinski 1996: 267).
Nyala [nle] (Kenya): “The hyena said to the stone, ‘Even if you chose to remain silent, I
have excreted on you’” (http://www.afriprov.org/images/stories/ebooks/nyala.pdf
p. 26).
Nymampuruli [maw] (Ghana): “A chameleon says, ‘Keep away from trouble and
trouble keeps away from you’” (Plissart 1977: 439).
Orma [orc] (Kenya): “The dik dik said, ‘Whoever has seen my footprints will not desire
my meat’” (Katabarwa & Chelo 2012: 6).
Oromo (om): “‘The ground is nice, too,’ said the old woman, falling off her horse”
(Cotter 1992: 475).
Panjabi [pan] (India): “The farmer standing on his corn heap said to the king’s elephant
driver, ‘Will you sell that little donkey?’” (Usborne 1905: 61).
Pashto [pbt] (Afghanistan, Pakistan): “The fish said, ‘I would have spoken if I had not
had a mouth full of water’” (Bartlotti & Khattak 2006: 328).
Peshai [unclear which variety] (Afghanistan): “When a thirsty cat sees water in a bottle,
it says, ‘The water is not fresh’” (Yun & Pashai Language Committee 2010: 31).
Portuguese [por]: “The pan tells the kettle, ‘Get off, do not make me sooty’” (Paczolay
1997: 320).
Rendille [rel] (Kenya & Ethiopia): “‘Nobody told me not to,’ said the dog when he ate
the faeces” (Schlee & Sahado 2002: 108).
Rotuman [rtm] (Fiji): “Hi’i said, ‘It is my habit to eat flies and if I stop no one else will
do it’” (Inia 1998: 31).
Russian [rus]: “‘When the fool sees blue flowers, he shouts, ‘A flax field!’” (Langnas
1960: 54).
Scottish Gaelic [gla]: “‘It’s the bigger of that,’ as the wren said when he added a drop to
the sea” (Williams 2010: 32).
Senoufo [unclear which variety] (Côte d’Ivoire): “When the termites are smarter than the
digger, he says, ‘They disappeared’” (Pierre Soro. Personal Communication.
2017.).
Setswanna [tsn] (South Africa and Botswanna): “One tortoise said, ‘I wish it would rain
so that we may feed on green herbs’” (Plaatje 1916: 48).
11
Sidaama [sid] (Ethiopia): “While the cat was sleeping a rat moved it slowly, saying, ‘Let
me see what happens to her’” (Anbessa Teferra. Personal Communication. 2017.).
Sinhalese [sin] (Sri Lanka): “‘It is not that I cannot dance, but the floor is not level,’ said
the dancer” (Senaveratna 2005: 32).
Somali [som] “A snake said, ‘A man is ungrateful’” (Kapchits 2000: 156).
Sorbian [hsb] (Slavic in Germany): “The fox says, ‘Not every berry is a raspberry’”
(Hose 2004: 56).
Sotho (South Africa): “‘I and my rhinoceros,’ said the tick bird” (Finnegan 1970: 396).
Spanish [spa]: “Said the pot to the kettle, ‘Get away, blackface’” (A. Taylor 1962: 158).
Sudan (language unspecified): “‘The land belongs to me!’ said the hyena. The hedgehog
said nothing” (Knappert 1989: 100).
Sumerian (modern Iraq): “The fox, having urinated into the sea, said, ‘The depths of the
sea are my urine!’” (Alster 1975: 212).
Swahili [swh] (Tanzania and Kenya): “The cock said, ‘The old things are not (any
longer) in this present world’” (W.K. 1899: 7).
Swedish [swe]: “‘How black you are,’ said the pot to the kettle” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
Tajik [tgk] (Tajikistan): “The pen declared, ‘I am shah of the world, I bring the writer to
his goal’” (Bell 2009: 238).
Tamil [tam] (India and Sri Lanka) “He says ‘To cook, there is a woman; for outdoor
work, a man’” (Percival 1874: 140).
Telugu [tel] (India): “A woman unable to dance said, ‘The drum is defective’”
(Bhuvaneswar 2012: 41) (“many wellerisms in Telugu” Bhuvaneswar 2012: 12).
Tigré [tig] (Ethiopia, Eritrea): “And does not the disease of animals attack the donkey?’
said the Ad Takles” (Littmann 1910: 54).
Tigrinya [tir] (Eritrea): “‘When I speak, the donkey lets loose,’ said the poor man”
(Täklä et al. 1985: 197).
Tiv [tiv] (Nigeria): “The bat says that there is no difference between standing down12 and
upright” (Pachocinski 1996: 305).
Tonga [toi] (Zimbabwe & Zambia): “[Saying,] ‘This is sweet and that is also sweet!’ a
monkey missed a branch and fell upside down” (Mphande 2001: 63).
Tsakhur [tkr] (Azerbaijan): “When the cat cannot reach the meat, she says that it is
already spoiled” (Shamkhalov 2012: 14).
Tswana [tsn] (Botswana): “The Moon laughs at the sun, saying, ‘You are white’”
(Campbell 1972: 124).
Turkish [tur]: “The bride got on the horse (to go to the groom’s village) and said,
‘Whatever God wills will be’” (Gökhan 1992: 157).
12
“Standing down” likely means “being upside down.”
12
Turkmen of Iraq [tuk]: “The hedgehog says, ‘No one is smoother than my baby’”
(Mustafa & Moosa 2008: 144).
Twi variety of Akan [aka] (Ghana): “The tortoise says, ‘Quickness is advantageous,
slowness is also advantageous’” (Akrofi 1958: 104).
Urhobo [urh] (Nigeria): “The monkey says that he should be shaved the way his mates
are shaved” (Maledo 2015: 84).
Vai [vai] (Liberia): “The frog says, ‘I have nothing, but I have my hop’” (Ellis 1914:
150).
Welsh [cym] (United Kingdom): “‘Black bottomed,’ the crow said to the seagull and she
herself being black bottomed” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
West Cameroon Pidgin [unclear which variety] (Cameroon): “When the jam is all
finished, the monkey eats pepper, saying, ‘It is a garden egg.’” (This reflects an
interpretation of an incompletely glossed proverb form cited from another
scholar’s collection, Todd 1971: 85-100.)
Wolaytta [wal] (Ethiopia): “‘Everything that is in the book is my name,’ said the blind
person” (Tällacchäw & Ammänu 1987: 165).
Yoruba [yor] (Nigeria): “The mouth does not say, ‘I ate once before’” (Owomoyela
2005: 370).
4. Findings of this paper

The goal of this research project was to map the distribution of WP’s. That has
been accomplished, documenting patterns of distribution of this type of proverbs. Figure
1 shows the number of languages that have WP’s in various regions of the world. Clearly
the maps are very general, based more on geography than cultural and linguistic factors.
Europe – 24
Africa – 73
Mideast – 10
South Asia – 17
Sinosphere – 1 (Korea)
13
Figure 1. Map showing the distribution of wellerisms proverbs

Summarizing the results of the mapping of WP’s, it is clear that WP’s are found
in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus region, the Persian region,
Europe, and South Asia, but they are not found in large areas of eastern Asia. The area of
eastern Asia without WP’s can be very roughly described as the areas within the
Sinosphere, an area heavily influenced by Chinese culture. But Korean WP’s are a
fascinating exception.
Alert readers will note that there the map does not include North or South
America. This is due to the “striking lack of proverbs among Native Americans” (Mieder
2008: 147, also Mieder 1989). The one example listed from the Western Hemisphere is
from Antillean Creole French, spoken in Martinique, in the West Indies. This is not a true
exception when we remember that the language is a creole, composed largely of elements
of African languages and French.13 Therefore, finding WP’s in Antillean Creole French is
not an exception to the generalization that WP’s are not found in the indigenous
languages of the Americas.
There is not enough data from languages of the Malay area, though a WP has
been found in Malay. More data from the Malay sphere of influence is needed.
Data from Pacific islands is too scanty to make any generalizations about WP’s.
At this point, it can only be said that examples have been found in Enga of Papua New
Guinea (Gibbs 2000), Rotuman of Fiji (Inia 1998), and an unspecified Polynesian
13
Because Antillean Creole French has large influences from both French and African languages, it is not
reflected on the map as belonging to any area.
14
language from the Cook Islands (Short 1951: 256). No examples of WP’s were found in
Maori (Colenso 1878) or Samoan (Schultz 1980).
Very tentative evidence suggests that the southern part of Africa does not have as
many WP’s as languages to the north. This conclusion is based on finding none in
examining a collection of 249 proverbs from six Zambian languages (Sumbwa 1993),
270 proverbs from Nsenga of Zambia (Pluger 2014), and 129 from Zulu of South Africa
(Mayr 1912). However, WP’s have been found in Sotho (Finnegan 1970) and Setswanna
(Plaatje 1916) of South Africa.
4.1 Languages without WP’s (based on our initial, incomplete research)

For a number of languages, a systematic sample of about 300 proverbs was
scanned. This raises a question about whether it is adequate and significant to categorize
a language as not having WP’s or dialogue proverbs based on a sample of 300 proverbs.
For other languages, the available sample was only 100 proverbs, with some collections
falling in between
Burmese: n > 300 (Thamen 2000)
Chinese: firm conclusion by two native speakers with significant knowledge of proverbs
Dehong Tai (Thailand): n = 108 (Swangpanyangkoon & Edwards 1994)
Dzongkha (Bhutan): n = 165 (Sørensen & Nidup 1999)
Japanese: n = 100 (Ganef 2000)
Kannada (India): n = c. 480 (Rao 1982)
Khakas and Shor (Russia, southern Siberia): n > 230 (Roos, Nugteren & Waibel 2006)
Khmay (Khmer) (Cambodia): approx. 290 proverbs (Fressanges 2010)
Maori: (Colenso 1878) n = 235
http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_12/rsnz_12_00_001250.html)
Mongolian: n > 350 proverbs (Raymond 2010)
Nsenga (Zambia): n = 270 (Pluger 2014) n = 270
Philippines: n > 600 proverbs, a collection from a wide variety of Philippine languages
(Eugenio 1992)
Songye (Democratic Republic of Congo): n = 100 (Kazadi & Bibasuya 2011)
Thai: n = c. 300 (Gerini 1904)
Tibetan: n = c. 1,600 (Pemba 1996) 14
Tonga (Pacific): n = 633 (Collocott & Havea 1922) Searched electronically for “said”
and “say.”
Yiddish: n = 1,001 (Kogos 1970)
Zambia (six languages): n = 249 proverbs from six languages of Zambia (Sumbwa 1993)
14
The collection was searched electronically for “said” and “say.”
15
Zhuang (China): n = 2,160 (Zhou 2017)

Zulu (South Africa): n = 129 (Mayr 1912)
4.2 Percentage of WP’s in proverb collections for languages that have them
Well into the research for this paper, it became apparent that among languages
that have WP’s there is great variation in the percentage of their proverbs that are WP’s.
Much of our early research had simply examined collections to see if there were any
WP’s, but it became clear that it would have been useful to note the number of WP’s.
In some languages, less than 1% of the proverb collection are WP’s, but for other
languages WP’s are a higher percentage. For Chaha (Ethiopia), of the 25 proverbs in the
Chaha collection (Leslau 1949), one was a WP, 4% of a tiny sample. For Kambaata
(Ethiopia), of the 75 proverbs in a Kambaata collection (Treis 2008), four were WP’s,
over 5%. For Dagara (Ghana), of 207 proverbs (Kyiilelang 2017), 14 were wellerism
proverbs, 7% of the sample. For Alaaba (Ethiopia), of over 400 proverbs in an Alaaba
collection (Schneider-Blum 2009), about 10% of the proverbs were WP’s. For Nuer
(South Sudan and Ethiopia), of over 358 proverbs in a collection (Carlassare 2015), 35
were wellerism proverbs, about 10%. For Burji (Ethiopia and Kenya), of 100 proverbs in
a collection (Chelo 2016), five were wellerisms proverbs for 20%.
It would be very interesting to know if the percentage of WP’s lessened near the
edge of the Sinosphere, the Chinese sphere of influence.
4.3 Widespread WP’s

Some WP’s have been found in multiple languages. This is noteworthy since, as
Grambo summarized the work of Iris Jarvo-Nieminen regarding Finnish wellerisms,
“language boundaries form a major obstruction to the spread of wellerisms” (Grambo
1972: 101). There are a number of wellerisms that can be shown to have spread across
language boundaries. This can be seen with the world’s oldest recorded WP’s, still found
in use today.
Urinating into the ocean
Sumerian: ka.a-a a.ab.ba-se gis-a-ni u-bi-in-sur a.ab.ba TUN-bi kas-mu-um-e.se “The fox
urinated into the sea: ‘The sea-(all) its surface(?) is my urine!’ (he said).”
Sumerian: ka5.a idigna-se kas i-sur-sur-ra a.estub.ku6 ba-zi-ge-en-e.se “The fox urinated
into the Tigris, ‘I am causing the high tide to rise!’ (he said)” (Alster 1975: 212).
Welsh: “‘Every little bit is a help,’ as the little wren said while pissing in the sea”
(Williams 2010: 41).
Mieder & Kingsbury cite a parallel wellerism proverb in English from 1605, “‘Every
little helps,’ quoth the wren when she pissed in the sea” (1994: xvi). The same
basic saying was collected orally in Idaho in 1966, “‘Every little bit helps,’ said
the ant as he peed in the ocean” (Mieder & Kingsbury 1994: vxi).
Compare these with examples from Ireland:
“‘Every little helps,’ as the monkey said when he piddled in the ocean” (Williams 2002:
124).
16
“‘Every little helps,’ as the jinny-wren said when he pissed in the ocean” (Williams 2002:
124).
“‘Every wee drop counts,’ said the old the woman when she piddled in the sea”
(Williams 2002: 125).
“‘Everything counts,’ as the woman said when she pissed in the ocean” (Williams 2002:
125).
Unable to dance well
Azeri: “The bride couldn’t dance; she said, ‘The room [floor] isn’t flat’” (Daneshgar
1995: 223).
Sinhalese (Sri Lanka): “‘It is not that I cannot dance, but the floor is not level,’ said the
dancer” (Senaveratna 2005: 32).
Tamil (India & Sri Lanka): “The temple girl who could not dance said, ‘The hall was not
large enough’” (Percival 1874: 62).
Telugu (India): “A woman unable to dance said, ‘The drum is defective’” (Bhuvaneswar
2012: 41).
Hindi (India): “Since she doesn’t know the dance, but is unwilling to admit that, she
claims, ‘The yard’s uneven’” (Todorova-Marinova 2015).15
Gikuyu/Kikuyu (Kenya): “He who cannot dance says that the yard is stony” (Barra 1939:
527).
Makonde (Kenya): “The one who fails to dance says, ‘The ground is stony’” (Ireri 2017).
Pot calling kettle black

Latin: “‘You are black!’ as the cauldron said to the pot” (Paczolay 1997: 318).
Basque: “The pot tells the kettle, ‘You black bottom’” (Paczolay 1997: 318).
Icelandic: “‘Poor you, how black you are,’ said the iron pot to the clay pot” (Paczolay
1997: 319).
Spanish: “Said the pot to the kettle, ‘Get away, blackface’” (A. Taylor 1962: 158).
Swedish: “‘How black you are, said the pot to the kettle” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
Turkish: “One pot tells the other, ‘Your face is black’” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
Sour grapes
Kurdish (Northern): “The fox couldn’t reach the grapes, (so) he said, ‘They’re sour’”
(Bailey, in preparation).
Macedonian: “‘The grapes are beautiful but still immature,’ said the fox when she could
15
Todorova-Marinova reports six variants of this proverb in Hindi, two of which are clearly wellerisms
(2015).
17
not reach them” (Friedman 2003: 122).

Farsi (Iran): “He could not reach the grape, so he said, ‘It is still not ripe [it is sour]’”
(Zekaria 2015: 295).
Language communities to the north share an innovation, keeping the fox in the
wellerism proverb, but having the fox referring to a familiar northern berry rather than to
less-familiar grapes.
Sorbian (Slavic in Germany): “The fox says, ‘Not every berry is a raspberry’” (Hose
2004: 56).
Danish: “‘They are sour,’ said the fox about the rowan berries; he couldn't reach them”
(Brøndegaard 1970).
Finnish: “‘Sour,’ said the fox about rowan berries” (Lauhakangas 2012).
Norwegian: “‘They are sour,’ said the fox [when] he jumped after the berries of the
rowan tree, but did not reach them” (Grambo 1972: 102).
Swedish: “‘Sour,’ said the fox about the rowanberries” (Lauhakangas 2012).
In Albanian, a bear speaks about unripe pears instead of grapes or berries:
Albanian: “The bear could not reach the pears and said, ‘They are unripe!’” (Friedman
2003: 122)
In the Caucasus and Afghanistan, we find a cat instead of a fox, though the
desired object varies:
Peshai (Afghanistan): “When a thirsty cat sees water in a bottle, it says, ‘The water is not
fresh’” (Yun & Pashai Language Committee 2010: 31).
Tsakhur (Azerbaijan): “When the cat cannot reach the meat, she says that it is already
spoiled” (Shamkhalov 2012: 14).
In Farsi, a person speaks instead of an animal, and the food item is different; but
the general idea is still very similar:
Farsi: “The old woman spilt the broth, so she said, ‘I was wishing for bread only
anyway’” (Zekaria 2015: 295).
Soft hedgehog
In some parts of western parts of Asia, a prickly mammal speaks of her baby as
being soft.
Assyrian (Mid East): “The hedgehog says, ‘No one is softer than my baby’” (Dinkha &
Bitshamoon 2004: 220).
Turkmen16 (Iraq): “The hedgehog says, ‘No one is smoother than my baby’” (Mustafa &
Moosa 2008: 144).
Dari (Afghanistan): “A porcupine speaking to its baby says, ‘O, my child of velvet’”
16
It is not clear how similar this is to the language spoken in Turkmenistan.
18
(Wilson 1996: 19).

Uyghur (China): “The crow says, ‘My baby is white’; the hedgehog says, ‘My baby is
soft’”17 (Fiddler 2017).
There is a slightly different wellerism proverb about porcupine mothers in
Wolaytta of Ethiopia: “‘A mother knows how to cuddle a baby,’ said the mother
porcupine” (Tällacchäw & Ammänu 1987: 159).
Ant talks about lifting

Dagbani (Ghana): “The ant says, ‘Helping to lift is strength’” (Kogri 2014: 53).
Dagara (Ghana): “The ant says that helping to lift something together is strength”
(Kyiilelang 2017: 174).
4.4 WP’s and similar non-WP’s

One of the patterns discovered about WP’s is that sometimes the same underlying
proverb is used both as a wellerism proverb and also in a non-wellerism form in the same
language. Lauhakangas (2012) cited such a pair from Finnish:
Wellerism: “‘Go around me, don't swear,’ said the stone to the ploughman.”
Non-wellerism: “Pass round the stone, don't curse it” (Lauhakangas 2012).
Similarly, in Persian, one basic proverb is found as a wellerism proverb and also
in a non-wellerism form:
Wellerism: “The Turk was kept out of the village but he kept on saying, ‘Take my bow
and arrow to the house of the village headman!’” (Shurgaia 2014: 134).
Non-wellerism: “Some so-and-so was not allowed to enter the village but he still asked
where the village headman’s house was” (Shurgaia 2014: 134).
Comparing across languages, a number of WP’s from some languages are found
as non-wellerisms in other languages.
Dog bearing blind pups18

Wellerism:
Guji Oromo (Ethiopia): “‘What is our sin?’ said a dog after giving birth to nine blind
puppies” (Jirata 2009: 80 and Jaleta 2004: 85).
Non-wellerism:
Alaaba (Ethiopia): “The she-dog [bitch], because she is in extreme hurry gives birth to
blind (ones)” (Schneider-Blum 2009: 95).
Tongue and head
17
This is actually more than a wellerism proverb, but a dialogue proverb. However, it illustrates the
hedgehog’s speech about the baby.
18
This proverb is discussed in another article in this issue of GIALens (Unseth 2017).
19
Wellerism:
Afar (Ethiopia): “If the tongue were not in me,” the head says, “I would not have been
cut off” (Parker 1971: 283).
Non-wellerisms:
Chitonga (Zambia): “The mouth put the head in trouble” (Sumbwa 1993: 15).
Turkmen (Turkmenistan): “Trouble to the head comes from the tongue” (Tyson & Clark
1993: 64).
Did-dik antelope and footprints

Wellerism:
Orma (Kenya): “The dik dik said, whoever has seen my footprints will not desire my
meat’” (Katabarwa & Chelo 2012: 6).
Non-wellerism:
Borana (Kenya): “Somebody who has seen my footprints will not long for my meat.”
(This saying is attributed to the dik-dik.) (Shongolo & Schlee 2007: 95).
Lid for every pot

Wellerism:
Ireland: “As the cook said, ‘There’s a lid for every pot’” (Williams 2002: 199).
Non-wellerism:
America: “There’s a lid for every pot” (Mieder, Kingsbury & Harder 1992: 371).
Unable to dance and creates excuse

Wellerisms:
Azeri: “The bride couldn’t dance; she said, ‘The room [floor] isn’t flat’” (Daneshgar
1995: 223).
Sinhalese (Sri Lanka): “‘It is not that I cannot dance, but the floor is not level,’ said the
dancer” (Senaveratna 2005: 32).
Tamil (India & Sri Lanka): “The temple girl who could not dance said, ‘The hall was not
large enough’” (Percival 1874: 62).
Telugu (India): “A woman unable to dance said, ‘The drum is defective’” (Bhuvaneswar
2012: 41).
Dari (Afghanistan): “The dancer was unable to dance and says, ‘The dance floor is
crowded’” (Anonymous friend. Personal communication. 2014.).
Non-wellerisms:
Malay: “The man who cannot dance blames the softness of the ground” (Lim 2003 132).
Turkish: “The bride who doesn’t know how to dance complains of the lack of space”
(Gökhan 1992: 154).
20
Bengali (Bangladesh): “If you don’t know how to dance, you blame the floor for not
being level” (Sinha-Ray 2009).
Yiddish: “If the bride can’t dance, she finds fault with the musicians” (Kogos 1970: 40).
Different wellerism for making an excuse:

Dargin (Dhagestan, Russia Federation): “She couldn’t do milking, because, she said,
‘The cow’s horn is crooked’” (Gasanova, Magomedova & Gasanova 2016:
11874).
Pot calling kettle block

Wellerisms:
Basque: “The pot tells the kettle, ‘You black bottom’” (Paczolay 1997: 318).
Icelandic: “‘Poor you, how black you are,’ said the iron pot to the clay pot” (Paczolay
1997: 319).
Spanish: “Said the pot to the kettle, ‘Get away, blackface’” (A. Taylor 1962: 158).
Swedish: “‘How black you are, said the pot to the kettle” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
Turkish: “One pot tells the other, ‘Your face is black’” (Paczolay 1997: 321).
Non-wellerism:
Russian: “One pot should not laugh at another as both are black” (Paczolay 1997: 318).
Rejected guest wants to store item

Wellerism:
Armenian: “Ashugh was not permitted to come into the house but he was still asking,
‘Where can I put my saz lute?’” (Shurgaia 2014: 134).
Non-wellerism:
Georgian: “Khevsuri was kept out of his house and he asked to hang his shield and sword
on the upper shelf” (Shurgaia 2014: 134).
Donkey wanting horns

Wellerism:
Borana (Kenya & Ethiopia): “‘As I was crying for horns, they cut my ears,” said the
donkey” (Shongolo & Schlee 2007: 20).
Non-wellerism:
Pashai (Afghanistan): “A donkey that coveted a horn left home and lost his ears” (Yun &
Pashai Language Committee 2010: 93).
Fox and sour fruit

Wellerism:
21
Kurdish (Northern): “The fox couldn’t reach the grapes, (so) he said, ‘They’re sour’”
(Bailey, in preparation).
Non-wellerism:
Burushaski (Pakistan): “When it cannot reach them, the pomegranates seem sour to the
fox” (Tiffou 1993: 43).
Camel on hills
Wellerism:
Burushaski (Pakistan): “The camel says, ‘Shame on the slope down, shame on the slope
up’” (Tiffou 1993: 79).
Non-wellerism:
Pashto (Pakistan and Afghanistan): “Someone asked a camel, ‘Is ascending better than
descending?’ He replied, ‘May both be cursed’” (Bartlotti & Khattak 2006).
Instead of being a wellerism, this proverb is a dialogue proverb, sort of a double
wellerism.
Soft baby hedgehog

Wellerisms:
Assyrian (Mid East): “The hedgehog says, ‘No one is softer than my baby’” (Dinkha &
Bitshamoon 2004: 220).
Turkmen (Iraq): “The hedgehog says, ‘No one is smoother than my baby’” (Mustafa &
Moosa 2008: 144).
Dari (Afghanistan): “A porcupine speaking to its baby says, ‘O, my child of velvet’”
(Wilson 1996: 19).
Uyghur (China): “The crow says, ‘My baby is white’; the hedgehog says, ‘My baby is
soft’”19 (Fiddler 2017).
Non-wellerism:
Korean: “The hedgehog thinks his young are soft and sleek” (Ha 1970: 77).
4.5 Different characters speaking same quotation in different languages

The comparative research for this paper also discovered WP’s in different
languages with very similar forms, but with different speakers in different languages, or
sometimes even in the same language.
Fall down and get up game

Nupe (Nigeria): “The dog says, ‘If you fall down and I fall down, the play will be
enjoyable’” (Pachocinski 1996: 182).
19
This is actually more than a wellerism proverb, but a dialogue proverb. However, it illustrates the
hedgehog’s speech about the baby.
22
Chumburung (Ghana): “The dog says, ‘Fall down and I fall down is a good game’”
(Hansford 2003: 79).
Nawuri (Ghana): “The cat says, ‘Fall down and I fall down is a good game’” (Hansford
2003: 79).
“Non semper oleum”

Dutch: “‘Non semper oleum,” said the Devil and he pooped into the lamp” (Prędota 2010:
297). (The quotation is in Latin, meaning ‘Not always oil’.)
German: “‘Non semper oleum,’ said Michael and pooped into the lamp” (Prędota 2010:
297).
Urinating into ocean

Sumerian: “The fox, having urinated into the sea, said, ‘The depths of the sea are my
urine!’” (Alster 1975: 212).
English: From Ireland, five wellerisms about claiming a great effect after urinating into
the river/sea/ocean, with one about a monkey, one about a jinny-wren, and three
about a woman (Williams 2002: 124, 125). From England, one with a robin
(Williams 2010:11). From Scotland, with a wren (Williams 2010: 15).
Death in a pumpkin
In an Amharic proverb collection, the same wellerism quotation is spoken by two
different animals: “Let death enter the pumpkin” is said by a porcupine in one form of the
proverb and by a gray donkey in another version (Aberra 2016: 109).
Haste and slowness both good
Chumburung (Ghana): “Chameleon says, ‘Quickly quickly is good and slowly slowly is
good’” (Hansford 2003: 79).
Ashanti Twi (Ghana): “The tortoise says, ‘Haste is a good thing and deliberation is also a
good thing’” (Rattray 1916: 70).
4.6 Wellerism proverbs in languages of Horn of Africa

In studying languages of the Horn of Africa, all 21 languages for which we had
access to proverb collections have at least one wellerism proverb. This is intriguing, since
shared verbal folklore patterns have been shown to coincide with linguistic features of the
Ethiopian Language Area (Meyer 2005).
Afar: “‘If the tongue were not in me,’ the head says, ‘I would not have been cut off’”
(Parker 1971: 283).
Alaaba: “‘Cook me with the hump!’ said the intestines” (Schneider-Blum 2009: 57).
Amharic: “‘Its name is guinea fowl,’ they say, when eating a vulture” (Ingida 1999: 197).
Arsi Oromo: “‘We could not get the heart of the Amhara men and the Oromo women,’
said the Italians” (Tullu 2008: 100).
23
Beja: “‘We hear what we like and we hear what we don't like,’ said the hyena”
(Anonymous friend. Personal communication. 2014.).
Borana Oromo (Kenya & Ethiopia): “‘As I was crying for horns, they cut my ears,” said
the donkey” (Shongolo & Schlee 2007: 20).
Burji: “The old man said, ‘Do the possible and bring me the impossible’” (Chelo 2016:
21).
Chaha Gurage: “When the water carries him away, the weaver says, ‘I would weave once
more’” (Leslau 1949: 220).
Gə’əz (Classical Ethiopic): “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” 20 (Taräqäny
2008: 76, 77).
Guji Oromo: “‘I can see everything now,’ said an old woman after burning her house”
(Jirata 2009: 137 and Jaleta 2004: 80).
Harari: “The churl says to his mother, ‘You did not give me birth’” (Qoram 1984: 24).
Kafa: “‘Fearful has many sticks,’ said the dog” (Wodajo 2012: 112).
Kambaata: “‘The sky is wide,’ said the sorghum plant” (Treis 2008: 15).
Oromo: “‘I am now as I was,’ said the clay griddle while burning along with the house”
(Cotter 1992: 475).
Nuer: “Gazelle said, ‘The village could not be left because of the lack of water to drink’”
(Kawich 2012: 49).
Rendille: “‘Nobody told me not to,’ said the dog when he ate the faeces” (Schlee &
Sahado 2002: 108).
Sidaama: “One with cleft lip said, ‘You told me to blow on the fire while you know [my
problem]’” (Anbessa Teferra. Personal Communication. 2017.).
Somali: “A snake said, ‘A man is ungrateful’” (Kapchits 2000: 156).
Tigré: “‘Do not make a mistake, let each one stand in its place,’ said Mount Gädäm”
(Littmann 1910: 97).
Tigrinya: “‘By which leg, by which way of crossing,’ said the sickly one” (Täklä et al.
1985: 119).
Wolaytta: “One who goes to steal at night says, ‘I am frightened at day time’”
(Alemayehu 2012: 68).
It is not surprising to find shared WP’s within the Horn of Africa. It is noteworthy
to find one shared by Tigrinya at the northern end of the Horn in Eritrea, Amharic in the
middle, and Burji at the southern end of the Horn region, straddling the Ethiopia-Kenya
border: “‘O sheep, if I don’t eat you, you will eat me,’ said the hyena” (Täklä et al. 1985:
119 for Tigrinya; Aberra 2016: 110, Chelo 2016: 9 for Burji).
20
This wellerism proverb is from the Bible, Psalm 14:1. It is the only clear example of a wellerism proverb
in this collection of Gə’əz proverbs. It raises the question of whether Gə’əz formed and used its own
wellerism proverbs, or if this Biblical example is a singleton example.
24
4.7 Speakers in WP’s

In an early study of wellerisms, Archer Taylor speculated, “Wellerisms in which
an animal is the speaker... are probably a special variety of wellerism” (A. Taylor 1950:
1169). In the data presented here, an approximate count shows about 40 speakers who are
human, about 80 that are animals/bugs. It is not precisely clear what Taylor meant by
saying that WP’s with animals speaking are “a special variety of wellerism,” but it is
clear that WP’s with animal speakers are not a rare variety of WP in a comparative scope.
Additionally, this comparative study of the distribution of WP’s, shows that
inanimate speakers are also found in WP’s, comprising about 20 of the examples in this
paper. The following examples show a variety of inanimate speakers.
Alaaba: “‘Cook me with the hump!’ said the intestines” (Schneider-Blum 2009: 57).
Alaaba: “‘Scratch me hard!’ said the scabies” (Schneider-Blum 2009: 83).
Alaaba: “‘To see, I was lightning for you, to hear, I was thundering for you,’ said the
rain” (Schneider-Blum 2009: 65).
Ariocha: “‘So it will end like that,’ said the cow dung to the dog” (Monye 1996: 82).
Jabo: “North wind says, ‘If you rise, they will know you are there’” (Finnegan 1970:
420).
Kambaata: “‘The sky is wide,’ said the sorghum plant” (Treis 2008: 15).
Malay: “The egg says that the cucumber does not know how to sit properly” (Kim 2003:
137).
Oromo: “‘I am now as I was,’ said the clay griddle while burning along with the house”
(Cotter 1992: 475).
4.8 WP’s used to portray small creatures aligning with the powerful
WP’s seem to be a good way to show a small creature identifying with those
larger and more powerful, claiming a great accomplishment, by the use of “we.”
Circassian: “The mosquito on the horn of the harnessed bull said, ‘We are ploughing’”
(Jaimoukha 2009: 100).
Greek: “The fly sat on the axle-tree of the chariot wheel and said, ‘What a dust I raise!’”
(Stavropoulos 2003: 116).
Irish English: “‘What a dust we kick up!’ as the fly said to the cartwheel” (Williams
2002: 85).21
Spanish: “The fly atop the ox declares, ‘We are plowing the field’” (Seller 1994: 19).
Latvian/Lettish: “‘Now we have rowed well,’ said the flea, when the fisher drew the boat
on land” (A. Taylor 1962: 213).
21
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his Essay 54 links this to Aesop, saying, “The Fly sat upon the Axle-tree
of the Chariot wheel, and said, ‘What a dust as I raise?’” (A. Taylor 1962: 213).
25
Scots English: “‘We hounds killed the hare,’ quoth the bleary-ey’d messen (messen
defined here as a “dim-eyed small pet dog”) (Williams 2010: 20, citing source
from 1785; see also Mieder & Kingsbury 1994: 64).
English: “‘We apples are swimming,’ said the horse-chestnut and swam downstream with
the apples” (A. Taylor 1962: 209).
4.9 WP’s used to portray people making excuses

WP’s seem to be a good way to portray people making excuses, such as seen in
the proverbs about poor dancers making excuses. The study identified two examples of
people eating meat that is considered religiously unclean, but rationalizing it with a WP:
Amharic: “‘Its name is guinea fowl,’ they say, when eating a vulture” (Ingida 1999: 197).
Kurdish: “‘Its ears resemble those of a rabbit,’ said the man who was compelled to eat
donkey meat” (Bauman 1992: 31).
5. Conclusions
This paper has shown the need to define “wellerism proverb” more precisely.
Some guidelines have been presented here, but these are incomplete.
More significantly, this paper has documented geographic patterns about the
distribution of WP’s in languages around the world, by far the broadest mapping effort to
date. The evidence shows wellerisms found in languages from Europe through the
Middle East into India, but not in China and many of its neighbors. Also, WP’s are
common across Africa, though they appear to be less common in southern Africa.
This paper approached the matter of documenting whether languages had WP’s as
binary: either a language had examples of the structure or it did not. Now it is clear that
this was too simplistic an approach. For example, in Korean, in a collection of 1,106
proverbs, three examples of WP’s were found, only .27% of the collection. In Burushaski
of Pakistan, in a collection of about 640 proverbs, only 3 were WP’s, about .4% of the
collection. But in some other languages, WP’s are a much higher percentage. For
example, in Alaaba of Ethiopia, in a collection of over 400 proverbs, about 10% of the
proverbs were WP’s (Schneider-Blum 2009); and in Burji of Ethiopia and Kenya, in a
collection of 100 proverbs, 20% were WP’s (Chelo 2016).
Previously, there has been little comparative work about the distribution of
proverb structures across the map. This gap in the distribution of WP’s highlights how
such comparative studies as this are needed. Such studies may discover additional new
patterns and gaps.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of those who have contributed
examples, explained points, and answered questions about spellings, etc. The list of
helpful people includes Leonard Bartlotti, Gayané Hagopian, Shin Ja Hwang, Outi
Lauhakangas, Georgi Kapchits, Pat Krayer, Justyna Pomierska, Rick Taylor, Anbessa
Teferra, Shin Ja Whang, Elena Yurkova, Mohsen Zekaria, and undoubtedly others we
have forgotten. Our thanks to all of them!
26
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Wellerism Proverbs: Mapping Their Distribution

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GIALens 2017 Volume 11, No.

Wellerism proverbs: Mapping their distribution

2. Toward defining wellerism proverbs

The matter of whether wellerisms should be considered to be proverbs does not

After comparing a large number of proverbs containing quotations, from a variety

3. Distribution of wellerism proverbs

4. Findings of this paper

Figure 1. Map showing the distribution of wellerisms proverbs

4.1 Languages without WP’s (based on our initial, incomplete research)

Zhuang (China): n = 2,160 (Zhou 2017)

4.3 Widespread WP’s

Pot calling kettle black

not reach them” (Friedman 2003: 122).

In Albanian, a bear speaks about unripe pears instead of grapes or berries:

(Wilson 1996: 19).

Ant talks about lifting

4.4 WP’s and similar non-WP’s

Dog bearing blind pups18

Tongue and head

Did-dik antelope and footprints

Lid for every pot

Unable to dance and creates excuse

Different wellerism for making an excuse:

Pot calling kettle block

Rejected guest wants to store item

Donkey wanting horns

Fox and sour fruit

Soft baby hedgehog

4.5 Different characters speaking same quotation in different languages

Fall down and get up game

“Non semper oleum”

Urinating into ocean

Haste and slowness both good

4.6 Wellerism proverbs in languages of Horn of Africa

4.7 Speakers in WP’s

4.9 WP’s used to portray people making excuses

přisłowa. (Supplement Series of Proverbium: International Yearbook of Proverb

wellerismen. Proverbium 27. 287-299.

Linguistic Typology, La Trobe University.

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