HEALTH IN THE MIRROR OF FOLK WISDOM: ANALYSIS OF RUSSIAN AND ENGLISH PROVERBS AND SAYINGS

The article considers Russian and English proverbs and sayings connected with the topic of “health.” On the one hand, the relevance of the topic can be accounted for by the conceptual importance of the problem of health in any society; on the other hand, scholars take more and more interest in paroemias as they present a very reliable source of material for comparative studies. The study aims at finding out universal values in the meaning of paroemias concerning health, as well as some specific features of perceiving the concept “health” by the speakers of two languages. The study is based on 300 English and Russian proverbs and sayings. Assuming that they present a mini-code of folk wisdom and a kind of mirror for the national spirit, the analysis of the main ideas expressed and implied in them is conducted. The conclusion is made that the key ideas expressed in the sayings under study are connected with recognizing health as the main value in the life of people, which largely depends on themselves. Proverbs and sayings contain some recommendations for a healthy lifestyle; they are distrustful of doctors, once again confirming the universal character of people‟s opinion and its being in tune with the times.