Moldova State University

Faculty Of Foreign Languages And Literatures

English Philology Chair

Project Work:

“A Contrastive Study Of Cultural Values And Their

Linguistic Expression In English And Russian”

Submitted by: Alexandina Cornienco,

group 211 MP

Chișinău, 2013

1

Table Of Contents:Introduction.....................................................................................................................................3

A Comparative Analysis Of The English And Russian Cultural Values And Their Mirroring In Proverbs And Sayings.....................................................................................................................4

1. Russian impulsiveness and going to extremes versus English moderation in everything.......4

2. Russian open-heartedness versus English model of being reserved........................................5

3. Russian generosity and hospitality versus English practicality and “saving money” policy ......................................................................................................................................................6

4. Russian “АВОСЬ” and optimism versus English love for certainty and realism, bordering on pessimism................................................................................................................................8

5. Russian “geographical” patriotism versus English “political” patriotism...............................9

6. Russian fatalism, passivity and even laziness versus English perseverance, hard-work and ambitiousness ......................................................................................................................11

7. Russian leisure orientation versus English work orientation :..............................................12

8. Russian judgmental attitude towards people versus English social distance and discreetness....................................................................................................................................................13

9. Russian “creative attitude to law” versus English law obedience :..................................15

10. Russian Collectivism versus English Individualism ......................................................16

Conclusions...................................................................................................................................18

Bibliography..................................................................................................................................19

Appendix.......................................................................................................................................20

2

Introduction

The question of values becomes important when we cannot understand and explain the

behavior of foreigners. Probably you know this from your own experience of communication

with people from other countries: sometimes we think that foreigners behave strangely or rudely

or just differently from what we expect. In most cases this is what is usually called "cultural

misunderstanding". We should understand that foreigners behave in this strange way not

because they are rude or crazy, but simply because they proceed from a different list of values. In

other words, what they consider good and standard behavior in their society does not always

coincide with what we consider good and standard in our society. 

In this respect, the purpose of the present study is to make a contrastive analysis of the

English and Russian cultural values and their linguistic expression through proverbs and sayings.

The specific objectives that will help in achieving the purpose of this study are:

1. Make a parallel between ten English and Russian cultural values;

2. Pick a hundred proverbs and sayings that will mirror the cultural values of the two

mentioned countries;

3. Analyze the all proverbs and sayings of each culture;

4. Determine the cultural differences of the two countries on the basis of the analyzed

proverbs and sayings;

In the framework of this paper the main attempt of the authors will be to make a parallel

between ten cultural values of the English and Russian people. The data that will help in making

this parallel will be the proverbs and sayings of each country.

Further on, these proverbs and sayings are going to be analyzed and related to the values

stated before that. And finally, conclusions are going to be drawn on the basis of the information

acquired throughout the work.

Obviously there are some limitations to this research that will impede the flawlessness of

this research. The main issue is that globalization is a wide spread concept right now. This is

why many of the proverbs and sayings presented in this paper have equivalents in different

languages of the world, and it is complicated to determine where their roots are. Even so, the

proverbs and sayings were picked as carefully as possible and most of them originally belong to

the culture those are attributed to in this work.

The theoretical background of this paper is mainly based on the books of the Russian

linguist Svetlana Ter-Minasova: “Язык И Межкультурная Коммуникация” and “Война И

Мир Языков И Культур: Вопросы Теории И Практики Межъязыковой И Межкультурной

Коммуникации”. These books have provided most of the cultural values and stereotypes that

stood at the basis of this research.

3

A Comparative Analysis Of The English And Russian Cultural Values And Their

Mirroring In Proverbs And Sayings

Cross-cultural communication issues, and their potential for creating obstacles to effective,

successful organizational and professional interactions, have become a critical aspect of the

movement toward a globalized society. Competent communication, a central instrument for an

organization to create a sustainable competitive advantage, is further complicated when cultural

differences must be managed.

The cultural values of a country are treasure that was passed from fathers to sons and which

is to be perished since it determines their identities. In order to analyze the cultural values of a

country, there is need of proof. In the framework of this paper, these proofs are going to be the

proverbs and sayings of both cultures. So that we would see more clearly what does make these

two cultures so different.

1. Russian impulsiveness and going to extremes versus English moderation in

everything

One of the first issues discussed in this paper will be the temper of both cultures. It is well-

known that Russians are tempered, impulsive people that live the moment and on the edge. As

proof to that the following proverbs were presented.

a. Один раз живем- is a saying usually used when people are about to do something crazy

or not exactly legal and try to justify themselves in a way;

b. Гуляй рванина- an expression applied to people who live their life to the fullest, not

thinking about consequences; Usually used to describe poor people who spend unwisely

their money and use joy over sense;

c. Живем не тужим, никому не служим- the etymology of the expression goes back to

the times of Russian merry men who lived out of robberies and spent all their money on

feasting and weapons. Usually is applied to people who may be called “useless” in way,

since their lifestyle brings joy and benefit only to themselves;

d. Без царя в голове- is used to describe people who have no boundaries and no sense;

e. Жизнь как луна: то полная, то на ущербе/Все или ничего/ или пусто или густо-

talks about people living on extremes, constantly on the edge. Designates the stereotype

that Russian live either very well or very poorly.

Opposite of the Russian culture in this matter is the English one. Here is preferred to choose

rationally and to action rationally. Thus, no going to extremes and living on the edge. This is

mirrored in the following English proverbs and sayings:

i. Better go to bed supperless than rise in debt- English people prefer to live poorly to

living on the money that they do not yet have. The only instance to borrow money from

4

the English use is the state; they would rather borrow money from their country, than

from their brother.

ii. He that goes a borrowing, goes a sorrowing- the English find the financial relationships

in between people very intimidating, they perceive the person who loaned them money

as a person who owns the situation, thus sooner or later, a conflict will rise, this is why

if you want to borrow, your will definitely sorrow later;

iii. Waste not, want not- If you do not waste anything, you will always have enough;

Expresses the classic English way of being rational and having well-defined boundaries;

iv. Excess in anything becomes a vice- It means that if you overdo something, however

good it may be, it becomes bad or ends up costing us in our health, relationships,

finances, among other ways. Excess means dependence, and total independence, in

everything, characterizes English people;

v. Nothing in excess- I think it alludes to the idea that any one thing out of balance with

the rest creates disorder. This can be applied to people’s life - such as using things in

moderation, including practices and behaviors. This is very characteristic to

Englishmen.

2. Russian open-heartedness versus English model of being reserved

Russian can talk to a complete stranger on the train about his or her problems; an English

person would probably prefer to talk about football, rather than to share his or her problems with

anybody. 

a. То что спрятал- потерял, то что отдал- то твое- This proverb elucidates upon the

Russian generosity, as well as the constant need to please other people, meaning that if

you keep something at home or hide something, people will never know of it, hence it

will bring no joy or use; but if you share it or offer it as a gift people will appreciate it

from both perspectives: you having it and you willing to give it away;

b. Душа нараспашку- This expression has a dual meaning. The first one is that the Russian

soul is called and opened one for a reason; the Russian man can share your joy and

happiness as well as you sorrow and grief. The second one would be that, if having an

occasion, Russians will tell you everything starting from the size of their shoes, to the

name of their home pet, and will be offended if you didn’t remember them.

c. На миру и смерть красна- The Russian man tends to share everything with his brothers,

friends and family; be it lamentation of happiness the important thing is that there would

be someone there to share it with;

d. Читать как открытую книгу- the Russian soul is as opened as a book, it cannot and

does not try to hide feelings and emotions, even when it would be necessary. There is no

5

mystery about the feeling of a Russian man, because he expresses and defines them

perfectly well;

e. Открыть душу/Поговорить по душам- the concept of “soul” is crucial to the Russian

culture. The idea behind the expressions is that Russian people are willing to open up to

someone and to tell them all the truth, and the interlocutor will listen to him, and will

respond to the message of the first one. This proves both of them open-hearted.

The English are much more reserved, they wouldn’t like to share that much with their private

emotions and thoughts even with their close ones. This is characteristic to individualistic

cultures.

i. Familiarity breeds contempt- People do not respect someone they know well enough to

know his or her faults. When you're around someone for too long, you get tired of them

and annoyed by them. This idea is a typical one for the English people, they do not

share much even in between friends, and do not appreciate it if someone does;

ii. There is an excess of familiarity at the root of all hostility- every conflict happens for a

reason; From the point of view of the English, too much familiarity (meaning too much

sharing) will sooner or later raise into a conflict, and English people do not enjoy

quarrelling;

iii. Solitude is the richness of self- the meaning of this proverb is very misleading; its

authentic meaning is that the more one keeps to himself, the better he is protected from

outside stimuli and thus its internal peace remain undisturbed; Most English people use

it as a life motto;

iv. Discretion will protect you- if you are discreet, you will never get into trouble or create

a interpersonal conflict; so, discretion will save you from a lot of suffering and will

protect your nervous system;

v. Even a fish wouldn’t get caught if it kept its mouth shut- expresses the English love for

discretion and distance keeping. The less people know about one, the better for

everybody.

3. Russian generosity and hospitality versus English practicality and “saving money” policy

When it comes to hospitality, Russians are one of the most skilled people in this filed. Their

generosity and knows no boundaries and they enjoy having guests even more than being guests

somewhere. The following Russian proverbs and sayings are aimed to prove that fact.

a. С миру по нитке- голому рубашка- The Russian generosity has no limits. They are

willing to share as from their wealth, so from their poorness. The concept of generosity is

6

a very common one for the Russian culture, since their collectivistic mentality obviously

implies helping the others as well as waiting for reciprocity in case of need.

b. Широкая душа/Отдаст с себя последнюю рубашку- Similarily to the priveous

proverb, this one also is concerned with the russian generosity; the only thnig is that here

is more vividly is seen that in order to help someone else, the russian is rteady to sacrifice

his own well-being, characterictic which will never be found in an english culture.

c. Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто друзей- This proverb’s meaning is also dual. The most

evident one is that Russian like to have big families and a lot of friends, because they like

company and crowds. A more profound import of this proverb that is suggested by the

previous meaning is that if you have a lot of friends, all of them will help you in case of

need (even in matters of money). This is why a hundred friends worth more than a big

sum of money.

d. Не красна изба углами, а красна пирогами- a proverb that again stresses the fact just

how important is hospitality to Russians. According to this proverb, for them it is more

important how you treat your guests, than how you live- you may be poor and underfed,

but if you share well the little that you have with your guest, you will be called a

hospitable person and a worthy man.

e. Хлеб-да-соль- A frame Russian expression that is used in dozens of different contexts. It

is used to express the everyday diet, the financial situation of somebody, but most of all it

is used to express the degree of hospitality of something. A good hospitable man will be

called “хлеба-сольный”, meaning that he was a good host and threated well his guests. It

is usually used as a compliment.

Concerning the English hospitality, here the things are of a different order. First of all there are

no great before preparations, feeding the guest is not as important, not mentioning the social

distance that should be kept while being a guest in someone’s house. Proof to that are the

following expressions and proverbs of the English people:

i. Good talk saves the food- This proverb vividly expresses the fact that the English do not

see hospitality as feeding and wining the guests. A good talk is enough to please the

guest, and no kitchen trouble is required.

ii. Abuse of hospitality breaks the bridge- Another thing that will almost never be observed

in the Russian culture is the so called “abuse of hospitality”. In the English culture

though, people shouldn’t do anything in excess, especially if their actions they

intimidate someone else, or limit their freedom in any way. This is why if someone is

trying to make abuse of somebody else’s hospitality, it is most likely that their

relationship will fall apart.

7

iii. In hospitality, the chief thing is the good will- The meaning of the saying is rather

implicit. The thing is that in other cultures than the English one, people must and are

hospitable even if someone is not very welcome into their house, while the English

simply don’t allow unwanted people into their houses or territory.

iv. Do not wear out your welcome- This one repeats the meaning of another saying

mentioned below “Abuse of hospitality breaks the bridge”, but also has an element of its

own. Even if an English person says that you are welcome to his house at any time, it

doesn’t mean that you should come there at any time and overuse the good will of the

hosts. Otherwise, it wears out and like and old cloth, starts to look ugly.

v. Fish and guests smell after three days- The present proverb somewhat repeats the

meaning of the other ones, mentioned above. It also implies that there is a limit up to

which we may take advantage of the hosts’ good will, but in no case should we

overdose them with our company. Again, this is an idea that will hardly ever be found

in the Russian culture, for instance.

4. Russian “АВОСЬ” and optimism versus English love for certainty and realism,

bordering on pessimism

The Russian optimisms is limitless. They very often leave all to the hand of the occasion and

just hope that everything will turn out for the best. Here are some proverbs and expression that

will prove this point.

a. Авось не бог, а полбога есть/ Русак на авось взрос- from times immemorial the

famous Russian “авось” was considered one of the most powerful arguments. It

expresses somewhat optimism and the hope that someone besides the man himself will

resolve his problems. Thus, it became a big part of the culture, to hope for the best and let

it all to the disposal of “авось”. This attitude, over time, made the Russians treat “авось”

as a sort of super power.

b. Живи, ни о чем не тужи: все проживешь — авось еще наживешь- this proverb

expresses two Russian wisdoms at the same at the same time. The first meaning is, of

course, the typical to the Russian culture disregard about the future and the second one is,

again, the hope and reliance on “авось” that will come to the rescue sometime. Unlike

the English they do not live to gather something, but they live and hope that something

will fall out-of-nowhere and make their lives better.

c. Ждем, пождем, авось, и мы свое найдем- This expression is quite similar to the

previous one. It also renders the idea that people should live the life in their normal way,

and just hope for the best, because good things will happen to them.

8

d. Не всякий гром бьет, авось и помилует- In this case the almighty Russian “авось”

acquires another duty, to save people from bad things. Not only to bring welfare, but also

to save from the evil. Here is the case where people address “авось” as that semi-god that

will take care of them and save them from trouble.

e. Авось — парень добрый: или выручит, или выучит- This proverb’s task is teach

people to look at everything positively, from an optimistic perspective; So, instead of the

traditional “good” and “bad”, with the help of “авось” Russian see two “goods”. It is

good when the misfortune didn’t get you, and it is good if it got you, because you’ll know

better next time.

The English are more down-to-earth, they prefer to plan and calculate their future actions and

their possible results. Even so, they tend to be rather pessimistic, and sometimes even sound

depressing and hopeless:

i. If anything can go wrong, it will- Implies that every possible disaster will occur,

whether you have prepared for it or not.  The pessimistic thinking is rather typical for

the English, and characterizes them a lot.

ii. Into every life a little rain must fall- Here the English imply that not only the suffering

is inevitable, but it must certainly occur at some point, this is why they use “must” and

not “might”.

iii. Tomorrow never comes- A rather pessimistic approach, implying that the changes of

tomorrow never come when expected, and the thing that we expect to happen take

forever to become true, or don’t become true at all. A characteristic that would never be

found in the Russian culture, for example.

iv. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst- This expression somehow manages to

embody optimism and pessimism at the same time. And somehow, in the long run it

turns out to be the worldwide known English cold thinking and practical approach to

everything.

v. All good things must come to an end- The English people are known for being

reasonable and having sense. They are known for their practical approach to life and for

their “sober” minds. So it doesn’t turn out to be a fact that objectivity characterizes

them. This is why even in times of utter happiness they do not forget about the fact that

it will end, and worse times will come.

5. Russian “geographical” patriotism versus English “political” patriotism

Russian love of their country is geographical they love their nature, their birch-trees and

other romantic things. While the English love is political- they love their freedom and they

believe that it's their sacred duty to protect freedom of people, not without protecting the country.

9

a. Рыбам- море, птицам-воздух, а человеку- отчизна- Russians are well-known for the

spiritual love for their country, they love everything about it, its nature, people,

atmosphere, etc. This is why they have a saying that says that people feel right only at

home, in their own country.

b. Своя земля и в горсти мила- For a long time the issue of land-having was very acute in

Russia. This is the reason why people love so much their homes, because it was very

complicated to get it, to make it their own. And when they have finally gotten it, they

cherish it like a little child, and try to keep it on the safe side.

c. На чужой стороне, и весна не красна- Because Russians love their country and their

lands so much, they do not enjoy being for a long time abroad, because they become

homesick very quickly and are incapable of enjoying themselves for a long period of

time, even in the best possible circumstances.

d. В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше- A saying similar to the previous one, both implying

that at home they feel right, no matter how pleasant and good is their journey.

e. Глупа та птица, которой свое гнездо не мило- In continuation to the other sayings

and proverbs mentioned above, Russians judge, to a certain extent, those people who

leave their homes and move to another country, because to their mind, Russia is the one

place where a Russian can feel right and at home.

Now, in order to see the English patriotism, the following proverbs, quotations and

sayings must be considered:

i. Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country- A

more pragmatic way of loving the country is characteristic to Englishmen. Their love for

country is more of a duty that must be honored.

ii. As long as you are ready to die for humanity, the life of your country is immortal- Again

is observed a sort of obligation to the country with your life. They perceive love for their

country as a repayment to the state for keeping you.

iii. Those who part from their homeland part with there all life- A more sentimental one,

which still implies that there would be no decent existing outside of the boundaries of the

country that has raised you and given you a life.

iv. In my homeland I possess one hundred horses, yet if I go, I go on foot- This saying is

aimed to say that at home one is an important man, while abroad no one needs you, so

you better stay at home and live in your country where you are respected and needed.

v. Every dog is a lion at home- A saying similar to the one above, implying the same idea,

that we are needed and important at home, but abroad people do not care who we are and

are not interested in us.

10

6. Russian fatalism, passivity and even laziness versus English perseverance, hard-work

and ambitiousness

The life rhythm of the English is much more overloaded than the Russian one. The English

are more active physically and mentally. Russians prefer to sit at home doing little and earning

little money for little work rather than to stand the physical strains of hard work.

Russians prefer intellectual entertainment to going in for sports.

a. Ждать у моря погоды- It is a Russian very popular expression that conveys the

following meaning: a man is passively waiting for a miracle to happen and to find the

things just the way he wants to. At the same time, this person wouldn’t do a thing to

change the situation of things.

b. Сидеть на печи и есть калачи- Another type of Russian passivity is laziness. This is a

very important issue in this country. Lazy people have always inhabited Russia. And this

very saying describes those people who like to do nothing but enjoy themselves and feast.

c. Проглотить-то хочется, да прожевать лень- Continuing the thought about Russian

laziness, this very proverb characterizes the people who are so lazy that won’t even do

the smallest thing for their own good.

d. Ты меня, работушка, не бойся- я тебя не трону- An rather ironic Russian expression

that again describes the Russian style of being passive and lazy. So, here the work

shouldn’t bother, because no one will touch it.

e. Под лежачий камень вода не течет- A very famous proverb which says that nothing

will happen to the one that does nothing. Is implies that there is a need to do at least

something in order to get a result. This proverb teaches Russians to be more active and to

show initiative.

For the sake of a parallel, the following proverbs and sayings will show the English zest

for work:

i. He who hesitates is lost- The person who waits too long loses the opportunity; or, more

seriously, delay or indecision may have disastrous results. This saying characterizes the

action orientation of the English people. They tend to action, and not to wait for

something to happen on its own.

ii. If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again- This proverb is also aimed to incline

people to action, to go forward and not to stop on their first try. This shows

perseverance and ambitiousness, so characteristic to English people.

iii. Fortune favors the bold- You will have good luck if you carry out your plans boldly.

The proverb is used to encourage people to have the courage to carry out their plans.

11

iv. God help those who help themselves- A proverb similar to the one stated above. People

who don’t rely on the others and count only on themselves are the once who succeed

most often. The English being a individualistic type of culture are taught from the very

childhood that success comes to those who work hard enough.

v. Where there’s a will, there’s a way- A proverb that expresses the idea that If one truly

wants to do something, e or she will find a way to do it, in spite of obstacles. And this

again shows perseverance and goal orientation, that for sure characterizes the English

people.

7. Russian leisure orientation versus English work orientation

All people like rest, but Russian are especially good at that. They know how to live the life

to the fullest and take their time. Unlike other cultures, they have a lot of sayings that encourage

people to rest more than to work, and this is mirrored in their national wisdom (proverbs and

sayings):

a. Работа не волк, в лес не убежит- A proverb that shows vividly the attitude of Russians

to work. They are not in a hurry to do their work, because they know that it will still be

waiting for them when they will rest.

b. Работа дураков любит- A Russian saying that implies the odd idea that those who

work are stupid, because they did not find a way to avoid work. This leisure inclination

of Russians often borders on laziness and is describes in dozens of Russian proverbs.

c. Ест за вола, а работает за комара- An insulting expression that is used to

characterize people who work little but eat much. They eat even more than they work,

and thus do not bring any profit.

d. От работы кони дохнут (,а люди крепнут) – Initially this proverb had one

connotation: that people become stronger, both spiritually and physically, when they

work hard, but over time it has shortened and there remained only the first part ща the

saying, which definitely has another meaning. A closer one to the Russian culture. People

started to say that if such animals as horses die from hard-work, what will happen to

people? This is how the meaning of the proverb has changed over time.

e. Делу время, потехе час- Even when Russians work, they never forget about their

favorite activity: getting a rest. There is no such thing as forgetting to rest, even there’s a

lot of work to do.

Concerning the English culture, here the situation is radically opposite. People are very

ambitious and work more than rest:

12

i. Business before pleasure- This is a typical for the English culture expression that

encourages people to work hard and to achieve their aims, for only then they will

have a rest that was well earned.

ii. Hard work never did anyone any harm- This saying encourages people to work,

because work has done nothing but good to people. This saying may not be applied to

the Russian culture, because they tend to live the life for pleasure, while the English

try to bring use and fruitful results.

iii. No bees, no honey; no work, no money – a saying that alerts people that if they

wouldn’t work they wouldn’t have anything to eat and will have to starve. And no

man wants that, especially an English one.

iv. Elbow grease gives the best polish- An inspiring proverb that tells people that in order

to become a better man, a smarter man, a richer man, etc. one must work his elbows

off and never stop.

v. A bad workman quarrels with the tools- A saying that explains the English zest for

work from another angle. Through the negative example. It says that only a lazy man

who doesn’t know what is he doing will blame someone else for his poorly done job.

8. Russian judgmental attitude towards people versus English social distance and

discreetness

Russians have an inclination toward judgmental attitudes, with a tendency for ethical

evaluation. Among Russians, one can expect to be morally judged and it is considered

appropriate to treat others the same way. Russian’s are eager to voice their opinions, and people

expect, and sometime require from others, moral evaluations of mutual loyalty, respect, and

sincerity. This cultural value is reflected in the Russian language by the abundance (as compared

to English) of nouns—both positive and negative—expressing absolute moral judgment. This is

quite different from using adjectives, which describe only a feature of a person, because nouns

classify a person as a certain type. The following proverbs and sayings are aimed to prove the

point mentioned above:

a. На всяк роток не накинешь платок- it is impossible to stop people from talking. This

is generally a characteristic of a collectivistic country, where your business is everyone’s

business, especially in small villages where there is not much to talk about. This is why

people always talk and gossip about the others and it is nearly impossible to stop that

chatter-box and torrent of blather.

b. В чужом глазу соринку видим, в своем бревно не замечаем- An extremely frequently

used proverb, that is aimed to stop people from gossiping and mouthing bad things about

13

the others. It implies that you shouldn’t talk of others if you do not want to be judged

yourself by the others.

c. В избе драка- народ у ворот- It means that in a collectivistic community, as the Russian

one is, it is impossible to keep something to yourself, because there always be people to

witness your family happiness or drama. It may also be explained by the way Russians

have always lived, in villages, with houses that are very close to one another, where

every little sound, was heard by the inhabitants of the neighboring houses and it was

impossible to keep something secret, at least for a long time.

d. Свинья борову, а боров всему городу- Besides of the evident meaning of this

saying/proverb, that gossiping is bad, there must be pointed out the relations between the

ones talking. The swine tells his secret to his sort of relative, the boar, and the boar goes

and tells everything to the entire town. Important though, is not only the fact that they are

blood related, but also the matter of choosing the animals. In the Russian culture the pig

has a bad connotation of being dirty, unmannered and altogether disgusting, thus

implying that only a pig could go and tell to the whole town the secret of his mate.

e. Слухами земля полниться- After a good load of years of gossiping and story-telling,

people from Russia tried to somehow indemnify themselves from all that big torrent of

tales that won’t forget anybody. This is why there was a need to protect their dignity in a

way, telling that people would say anything, just for the sake of talking. Though, if there

appeared such an “securing” expression, than there was a reason for that, and the reason

was the Russian judgmental attitude towards the others.

English people on the other hand try to keep everything to themselves and not inform

their peers much about their lifes:

i. Never tell tales out of school- Do not tell secrets; do not gossip. Because English people

are extremely reserved and keep a lot of things to themselves, gossiping does not

characterize them much. And even if they are interested, they are not advised to do that.

ii. Do not wash your dirty linen in public- through this proverb people are prevented from

discussing private or embarrassing matters in public, especially when quarreling.

Otherwise said, people must not get their problems touch the ears of other people.

iii. My home is my castle- another way of showing English individualism is drawing the

boundaries at the fence of their house. In their homes they are the kings, and they do not

share the information they don’t want to share and don’t invite people they don’t want

to.

14

iv. People who live in stone houses shouldn’t throw stones- even if English people do not

gossip that much, still there exists such a proverb that teaches them that if they don’t

want to be talked about, they shouldn’t gossip themselves.

v. What you don't see with your eyes, don't witness with your mouth- A proverb teaching

people not to chatter about every single thing they have seen or heard; It teaches

discreetness and respect to other peoples’ right for a private life (a concept highly

respected by the English).

9. Russian “creative attitude to law” versus English law obedience

The Russian are known for being one of the most criminal countries in the world. Maybe, to a

certain respect, this is so because of the cultural wisdom that encourages people to avoid the law:

a. Закон что дышло, куда покрутишь туда и вышло- This Russian proverbs has steered

on its own time many spirits, since its meaning is really outrageous. The thing is that

Russians have always had a sort of romantic attitude towards the criminal world. In some

circles it was even respected to be a criminal. And this expression has its roots in those

times when the legal power was not of that big a influence on the population and the laws

were not that well defined. This is why people use to say that you can treat a law as you

please, because it can work well as for you, so against you.

b. Дуракам закон не писан…

Если писан, то не читан… 

Если читан, то не понят… 

Если понят, то не так!- Another saying, in the form of a quatrain, that implies that the

Russian man does not care that much about the law, he doesn’t even try to understand it,

because he (just as well as his mates) are off law. They do not need to learn the rules or to

obey them because they are untouchable, or at least they think so.

c. Судят по закону, а живут по совести- This proverb has a more profound meaning.

And yet again, it will be found only in the Russian culture, since no Englishman will dare

to live according to some other codex, but law. The Russians, on the other hand, place

morality above laws. The most probable scenario is that people were very poorly judged

by the Russian lawyers and judges, this is why there appeared a strident need to invent a

new code that will keep people from doing bad things.

d. Жить по уставам бьет по суставам- A saying of the criminal world of Russia,

implies that it physically hurts to live according to the laws and rules implied by other

people, this is why they usually come up with one of their own and live according to it.

e. Нужда закона не знает, а через шагает- Because the Russians a certain cast of

Russians tend to ignore the laws of the country they live in, they find all kinds of excuses

15

for themselves, for doing so. This is one of those excuses, meaning that sometimes your

needs are more important than safety.

On the other side of the world, the English are extremely law-obedient citizens who don not

trespass the laws of their countries, except of course for criminals. But this situation may not

be compared with the Russian one, because there almost all people make minor infractions-

like going on red lights, parking where it is forbidden, drinking alcohol in parks, etc. No such

thing will happen with the English people, because there were taught to respect the law:

i. If you can't be good, be careful- If you are going to do immoral things, make sure they

are not dangerous.; If you are going to do something immoral, make sure to keep it

secret, because if you will get caught, the law will punish you for that;

ii. It is best to be on the safe side- to be safe; to be cautious; to do something just in case it

is necessary; to be very well prepared that if you do something wrong the consequences

may be catastrophic in many ways;

iii. Once a thief, always a thief- Besides it direct meaning that a man won’t change its way

of being, it has acquired an additional meaning- the illegal things that you do will

always be after you, and you will never be able to wash it off your hands.

iv. Ignorance of law is no excuse- The English are extremely law obedient citizens, and

generally they tend to respect all the laws of their country. And of course, there is no

excuse for a culprit who has stolen money, that it was illegal.

v. Do more than the Law requires, rather than leave anything undone that it does- The

English respect rigorously their laws, thus they would rather do more than it is required

from them, than try and somehow ignore the law of their country.

10. Russian Collectivism versus English Individualism

Russia is a collectivistic country and always has been. The unity of the people amazes the

cultures. They may be on tensed matters in between them, but when it comes to showing unity,

they would be the first ones and the most powerful ones.

a. Один за всех и все за одного- this saying expresses the profound and unbreakable

national unity of the Russian people. They find themselves at their most comfortable

when they are in a company, when they have someone to be there for them and to support

them. Probably this is the reason why they have always lived in communities.

b. Чем больше хвороста, тем выше пламя- A proverb similar to the saying mentioned

above, meaning that the more people are implied in something, the better the work will

go and the better the result will be.

c. В раю жить тошно одному- Going back to the idea that Russians need audience and

company for everything- “На миру и смерть красна”, it is obvious that they need to

16

share everything with their mates, and if there is no one to split your happiness with, it

shouldn’t be called happiness in first place.

d. Один в поле не воин- Russia, as a collective country has always believed in the power of

the crowd. The crowd is capable of many things, while the individual is considered to be

weak and incapable of doing something major and mighty.

e. Одной рукой узла не завяжешь- This saying supports the idea that one man who is on

his own wouldn’t do much job, and there is hardly some use of him. You need a company

of at least two, in order to make something work.

Being an individualistic culture, the English tend to respond only for themselves and take

responsibility only for their very own deeds:

i. Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost- Everyone has to fight for his or

her own survival. Every person is responsible only for his or her actions. This

profoundly expresses the English individualism.

ii. Two is company, but three's a crowd/ Two is company, but three is none- A way of

asking a third person to leave because you want to be alone with someone.  Even if this

expression is usually used if one of the three person is romantically interested in another

one, sometimes people use it to express the desire to be alone, just because less people

is better.

iii. If you want a thing done well, do it yourself- another way of expressing the English

tendency to individualism; For instance a collectivistic country as Russia, will like

someone to come and help or even will ask for help, while the English people tend to be

individualistic even when it comes to work, since in this way one would be responsible

only for his or her work, and won’t have to justify himself or herself for the mistakes of

others.

iv. Every tub must stand on its own bottom- implies that people not only should, but must

be independent. And no one must take any risks in order to make you any good, or help

you with something.

v. Too many cooks spoil the broth- the less people are doing something, the better is the

result of the done work. Again a tendency to individualism and independency may be

observed.

17

Conclusions

In the framework of this paper, ten different values of the Russian culture and ten

different values of the English culture were analyzed individually. Further on, a parallel was

drawn between them, and a comparative analysis was made between the ten values of both

cultures. In continuation, a hundred handpicked proverbs and sayings were analyzed in order to

prove the ideas implied by the values mentioned previously.

Cross-cultural communication is a form communication that aims to share information

across different cultures and social groups. It is used to describe the wide range of

communication processes and problems that naturally appear within an organization made up of

individuals from different religious, social, ethnic, and educational backgrounds. In this sense it

seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures

act, communicate and perceive the world around them. Many people in intercultural business

communication argue that culture determines how individuals encode messages, what mediums

they choose for transmitting them, and the way messages are interpreted. Cross-cultural

communication is a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds

communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavour

to communicate across cultures.

The proverbs and sayings are the treasure of every culture, since all its wisdoms and life

attitudes are described in it. This is why the proverbs and sayings of both cultures were used as

proofs to that matter.

Thus, the purpose of the present study was respected and achieved.

After analyzing the one hundred of English and Russian proverbs and sayings and their

belonging to one of the cultural values stated in the work, the following conclusions were drawn:

The English and Russian cultures have opposite views on life mirrored in eight out of

ten values described in the framework of this paper;

The Russian culture is strongly influenced by its collectivistic nature this may be

observed in most of their values;

The English culture is strongly influenced by its individualistic nature, this is why

most of their valuer mirror this idea of living and working individually;

The two cultures briefly described in the framework of this paper, differ from four

different points of view: attitude towars their country, attitude towars work, attitude

towards obligations and finally, attitude towards their compatriots.

18

Bibliography

1. D. Tannen, & H.E. Hamilton (Eds.), Handbook Of Discourse Analysis. Malden, MA:

Blackwell.

2. Gumperz, J. J. 2001. Interactional Sociolinguistics: A Personal Perspective. In D. Schiffrin,

3. Hall, E. T. 1959. The Silent Language. New York, Doubleday.

4. Holden 1998. Nigel Holden, Cary Cooper And Jennifer Carr. Management Cultures In

Collision: Dealing With New Russia. Wiley.

5. Hymes, D. 1974. Foundations In Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach. Philadelphia:

University Of Pennsylvania Press.

6. Kasper, G. 1996. Politeness. Handbook Of Pragmatics. Amsterdam, Verschueren.

7. Persikova, T. 2002. Mezhkul'turnaja Kommunikatsija I Korporativnaja Kul'tura. Moskva:

Logos.

8. Ter-Minasova S. 2000. Язык И Межкультурная Коммуникация. Издательство

Слово.261.

9. Ter-Minasova S. 2008. Война И Мир Языков И Культур: Вопросы Теории И Практики

Межъязыковой И Межкультурной Коммуникации. Издательство Слово.341.

10. Thomas, J. 1984. Cross-Cultural Discourse As 'Unequal Encounter': Towards A Pragmatic

Analysis.” Applied Linguistics 5(3): 227-235.

19

Appendix

Russian Proverbs And Sayings

1. Один за всех и все за одного

2. Чем больше хвороста, тем выше

пламя

3. В раю жить тошно одному

4. Один в поле не воин

5. Одной рукой узла не завяжешь

6. Закон что дышло, куда покрутишь

туда и вышло

7. Дуракам закон не писан…

Если писан, то не читан… 

Если читан, то не понят… 

Если понят, то не так!

8. Судят по закону, а живут по совести

9. Жить по уставам бьет по суставам

10. Нужда закона не знает, а через шагает

11. На всяк роток не накинешь платок

12. В чужом глазу соринку видим, в

своем бревно не замечаем

13. В избе драка- народ у ворот

14. Свинья борову, а боров всему городу

15. Слухами земля полниться

16. Работа не волк, в лес не убежит

17. Работа дураков любит

18. Ест за вола, а работает за комара

19. От работы кони дохнут (,а люди

крепнут)

20. Делу время, потехе час

21. Ждать у моря погоды

22. Сидеть на печи и есть калачи

23. Проглотить-то хочется, да прожевать

лень

24. Ты меня, работушка, не бойся- я тебя

не трону

25. Под лежачий камень вода не течет

26. Рыбам- море, птицам-воздух, а

человеку- отчизна

27. Своя земля и в горсти мила

28. На чужой стороне, и весна не красна

29. В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше

30. Глупа та птица, которой свое гнездо

не мило

31. Авось не бог, а полбога есть

32. Русак на авось взрос

33. Живи, ни о чем не тужи: все

проживешь — авось еще наживешь

34. Ждем, пождем, авось, и мы свое

найдем

35. Не всякий гром бьет, авось и

помилует

36. Авось — парень добрый: или

выручит, или выучит

37. С миру по нитке- голому рубашка

38. Широкая душа/Отдаст с себя

последнюю рубашку

39. Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто

друзей

40. Не красна изба углами, а красна

пирогами

41. Хлеб-да-соль

42. То что спрятал- потерял, то что отдал-

то твое

43. Душа нараспашку

44. На миру и смерть красна

45. Читать как открытую книгу

46. Открыть душу/Поговорить по душам

47. Один раз живем

20

48. Гуляй рванина

49. Живем не тужим, никому не служим

50. Без царя в голове- is used to describe

people who have no boundaries and no

sense

51. Жизнь как луна: то полная, то на

ущербе

52. Все или ничего

53. Или пусто или густо

English Proverbs And Sayings

54. Better go to bed supperless than rise in

debt

55. He that goes a borrowing, goes a

sorrowing

56. Waste not, want not

57. Excess in anything becomes a vice

58. Nothing in excess

59. Familiarity breeds contempt

60. There is an excess of familiarity at the

root of all hostility

61. Solitude is the richness of self

62. Discretion will protect you

63. Even a fish wouldn’t get caught if it kept

its mouth shut

64. Good talk saves the food

65. Abuse of hospitality breaks the bridge

66. In hospitality, the chief thing is the good

will

67. Do not wear out your welcome

68. Fish and guests smell after three days

69. If anything can go wrong, it will

70. Into every life a little rain must fall

71. Tomorrow never comes

72. Hope for the best, but prepare for the

worst

73. All good things must come to an end

74. Ask not what your country can do for

you, ask what you can do for your

country

75. As long as you are ready to die for

humanity, the life of your country is

immortal

76. Those who part from their homeland part

with there all life

77. In my homeland I possess one hundred

horses, yet if I go, I go on foot

78. Every dog is a lion at home

79. He who hesitates is lost

80. If at first you don't succeed try, try and

try again

81. Fortune favors the bold

82. God help those who help themselves

83. Where there’s a will, there’s a way

84. Business before pleasure

85. Hard work never did anyone any harm

86. No bees, no honey; no work, no money

87. Elbow grease gives the best polish

88. A bad workman quarrels with the tools

89. Never tell tales out of school

90. Do not wash your dirty linen in public

91. My home is my castle

92. People who live in stone houses

shouldn’t throw stones

93. What you don't see with your eyes, don't

witness with your mouth

94. If you can't be good, be careful

95. It is best to be on the safe side

96. Once a thief, always a thief

21

97. Ignorance of law is no excuse

98. Do more than the Law requires, rather

than leave anything undone that it does

99. Every man for himself, and the devil

take the hindmost

100. Two is company, but three's a crowd

101. Two is company, but three is none

102. If you want a thing done well, do it

yourself

103. Every tub must stand on its own

bottom

104. Too many cooks spoil the broth

22