Proverbs and Sayings of the Swahili Language in Written Discourse

Examines the peculiarities of the use of proverbs and sayings of the Swahili language in written discourse, especially in literature and modern media texts. Such a study is being conducted for the first time in Russian bantu studies. The aim to establish the fact of the use or absence of paremiological units in written texts in the Swahili language. The task is to clarify the features of the use of proverbs, as well as their relevance in selected literary works and media texts. The general thesis is put forward that the active use of paremiological units in the Swahili language is typical not only for oral discourse, but also for written. Proverbs and sayings allow the author not only to realize the decorative function of these phraseological units, but also to perform some more difficult, not always obvious tasks, for example, to endow the hero’s speech with great authority, which seems especially relevant in the context of the extremely respectful attitude of Swahili people to their ancestors and their statements. The presence of paroemias in literary works of various periods refutes the opinion that proverbs, being part of an archaic folklore stratum, often lose their relevance. Media texts skillfully use the allegorical function of proverbs and thereby make the text of articles and headlines sound even more vividly and accurately, which once again confirms the relevance of the use of paremiological units in modern texts, including in written discourse.