The reflection of national in proverbs and folk sayings of the Russian, English and German language

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FEDERAL STATE AUTONOMOUS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

FOR HIGHER PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY HIGHER SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

Faculty of Humanities

BACHELOR'S PROJECT

Field of study: Linguistics

Degree programme: Foreign languages and intercultural communication

The reflection of national in proverbs and folk sayings of the Russian, English and German language

Polina Selina

Reviewer Professor Bergelson M.B.

Supervisor Professor Chirinova I.I.

Moscow, 2019

Content

Introduction

1. Theoretical part

1.1 Notion of national character, its sources and approaches of its exploration

1.2 Values

2. Practical part

2.1 The reflection of national character in proverbs and folk sayings of the Russian Language

2.2 The reflection of national character in proverbs and folk saying of the English language

2.3 Reflection of national character in proverbs and folk sayings of the German language

Conclusions to practical part

References

Introduction

In this day and age in terms of globalization («a process which generates flows and connections, not simply across nation-states and national territorial boundaries, but between global regions, continents and civilizations») the importance of international communication has considerably risen (McGrew, 1992). Globalization is often perceived as purely economic phenomenon, however, it is not only «assimilation or integration of markets, or labor», it has a cultural aspect that provokes the emergence of new identities and sharpens local differences (Jameson, 1998). Nowadays people of different cultures interact not only in the global arena but also in the business and academic setting and on a regular basis. However, communication is frequently impeded by misunderstanding caused by scarcity of foreign culture knowledge.

Every nation possesses its distinctive features that distinguish this culture from others. The set of these features is often termed as national character which is the subject of our research. Thus, national character is «the total sum of the habits and attitudes, desires and inclinations, views and opinions, motives and standards, beliefs and ideas, and hopes and aspirations of an individual which he shares with other members of his nation» (Raffiuddin, 1963, p. 12).

Concerning the factors that mould ethnic idea, they are primarily common territory that a group occupies, history and legal system (Kohn, 1952, p. 2).

The concept of national character is closely connected to the language a group speaks given the fact that language reflects the world around us. Moreover, language is handed down from generation to generation that is why some national peculiarities can presumably be saved and reproduced in the language. The source of my research is folklore, to be more precise, proverbs and folk sayings of the Russian, English and German languages. The choice of languages is determined by the fact that according to Public Opinion Foundation English and German are the most popular languages in Russia. Thus, 57% of Russians study or speak English, 19% of Russians speak German or speak it at least at a minimal level whereas the percentage of other languages is quite small: French (3%), Spanish (1%) and total sum of other languages accounts only for 6%. Concerning the advantage of this source, folklore represents collective creativity that is why it approaches the nation from multiple perspectives. As for its disadvantages, first of all, it can be biased. The author is anonymous, thus, his/her motives to make this or that statement especially negative one are unknown. Furthermore, many proverbs and folk sayings were coined many centuries ago. Therefore, is it possible to claim that they depict the evolution of a nation? The purpose of my inquiry is to explore Russian, English and German national character and to compare them on the basis of proverbs and folk sayings with regard to the following research tasks: to define in what way and to what extent folklore reflects national character; to identify what values are most clearly reflected in folklore; to reveal similarities and differences between Russian, German and English national character on the basis on explored values. The importance of my research lies in the fact that it is significant for every country and culture to understand its specific facets as they can be either opportunities or obstacles for its political and economic development. Hence, the study of national character is of practical application.

To scrutinize the phenomenon of national character from diverse sides, it is expedient to deploy multimethod research design. According to this type of research design, it is feasible to employ different methods and techniques within a study. First of all, we will put a notion of «national character» into the theoretical framework to elaborate its nature. Then, the most illustrative proverbs and folk saying that incorporate the philosophy of a nation, its way of thinking and living will be chosen, rigorously described and analyzed. Finally, findings which we get will be compared to ones which we get from the other cultures and relevant conclusions will be made. national character folkloric proverb

Speaking about the limitations of my research, it should be stated that it is impossible to analyze all proverbs and folk sayings of the Russian, English and German languages that is why the most widely spread folklore elements will be chosen and described. 

1. Theoretical part

1.1 Notion of national character, its sources and approaches of its exploration

It is psychologically predetermined that people are inclined to compare themselves to others in terms of not only character qualities but also achievements. That is the reason why people have always been curious about the others. According to social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) that was devised by social psychologist Leon Festinger, social comparison is such a mechanism that helps people adequately estimate themselves. Two types of social comparison are generally distinguished: upward and downward social comparison, respectively. Speaking about the former type of social comparison, it functions the following way: people tend to draw parallels between themselves and someone who are better off in terms of, for example, appearance or occupation to gain motivation. The later comparison type deals with comparison with individuals who are much worse to justify our mishaps.

The concept of national character gained popularity and was widely used in the period of the Second World War since it was crucial to understand the way of thinking of one nation's enemies and allies to base further strategic decisions on this knowledge. For instance, scientists in Nazi Germany gathered and processed information about the USSR to understand the psychology of people who lived there. It was considerably important to make relevant predictions about the behavior of Soviet people in such severe circumstances as war before the invasion. Since that time national character as a theoretical discipline has been introduced in many universities to study different peoples of the world and their specificities.

National character is a controversial and complex phenomenon that can be explored from the point of view of different disciplines: psychology, sociology, philology and cultural studies. Interdisciplinary approach can also be also deployed in this case.

Speaking about the definition of the concept and its essence, it is a complicated task for scientists to arrive at some consensus regarding its definition and even the term itself because of its multidimensional character. For instance, prominent scholar Erofeev supposes that it is more relevant to use the term «ethnic idea» instead of the notion «national character» (Erofeev, 1982, p. 7). Moreover, Arutyunyan suggests the term «psychological make-up of a nation» with the following definition: «a unique sum total of different manifestations of a people's spiritual life» (Arutyunyan, 1966, p. 23). As we can see, the term introduced by Arutyunyan includes manifestations of spiritual life of a given people that comprise different rituals, celebrations and everyday communication which can undoubtedly reveal national facets of a group.

Beyond all the disputed the term «national character» is the most universal and widely used within the circles of scholars.

However, some scientists argue that such phenomenon may actually exist. Thus, according to the viewpoint of Kostomarov, national character cannot be described as a system of original mindsets that a particular group possesses, it is a set of universal concepts (Kostomarov, 1998). Therefore, each culture does not create its own ideas; it chooses some from already existing ones and function with regard to them.

What is more, the concept of national character as every concept (love, trust, loath) can exist only in our mind, in our inner world. This phenomenon is rather subjective, it is not tangible and it cannot be measured. That is why many scholars doubt its existence.

It should be mentioned that national character is frequently described as a set of stereotypes of a particular nation. This is the definition given by Onikov: «a schematic, standardized image or impression of a social phenomenon or thing, usually emotionally colored and fixed (Onikov, 1987, p. 447). Onikov claims that stereotype demonstrates our habitual attitude towards some phenomenon that is created under the influence of social conditions and our previous experience (Onikov, 1987, p. 447). Nowadays the word «stereotype» is perceived mostly in a negative way. In many cases stereotype is equal to a clichй that has lost its authentic meaning or message. Nonetheless, stereotype possesses one vital function: it raises our awareness about foreign culture before we contact with it. There is though a threat that this awareness may develop to bias.

Two groups of stereotypes are generally distinguished: auto-stereotypes and hetero-stereotypes. The former group describes what the representatives of a cultural group think of themselves. The latter - how other cultures perceive this group, respectively. For example, Russians describe themselves as quite passive and relaxed people while they are seen as serious and determined by Westerns. That is one more reason why many cultural or ethnic stereotypes are deemed as inaccurate and unreliable.

As for approaches to investigate the concept of national character, Margaret Mead suggested three main approaches (Mead and Metraux, 1953). The first approach centers on comparison of children behavioral patterns with behavioral specificities of adults which they acquire in the process of growing. It should be mentioned that the period of childhood is deemed to be crucial time as in this period a child is greatly exposed to cultural influence. E.M. Vereshchagin and V.G. Kostomarov in their book «Language and culture» say: «A man is not born a Russian, German or Japanese, etc., but becomes one as a result of living in the relevant national community of people. In its upbringing, a child is exposed to the impact of the national culture to which, the people surrounding it, belong» (Vereshchagin, Kostomarov, 1990, p. 20). Many scholars look at child-rearing models especially they are interested in the form of discipline in the family setting during such basic processes as feeding or toilet training. It is crucial for investigators to know how parents react and respond to different demands of their children and what they prohibit to do. Speaking about positive and negative sanctions that parents can impose on children, they are also culturally determined. Thus, according to Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede, representatives of collectivistic cultures associate themselves with a group and can hardly imagine themselves outside the community as its separate part. Consequently, they tend to behave in a pretty modest manner in order not to stand out of the crowd. In contrast to collectivistic cultures bearers of individualistic culture encourage diversity. Parents who belong to individualistic culture try to develop in their children the ability to think laterally and alternatively. Hence, parents raise their children in accord with values that they personally hold. Moreover, speaking about folklore, it influences cultural perception too. Children learn cultural specificities from fairy tales which is the product of collective thinking of the whole nation. In the fairy tales we encounter heroes who possess specific traits that will be absorbed by children since their early childhood.

The second approach lies in investigating interpersonal relationships, to be more precise, the study focuses on exploring structure and pattern of interpersonal relationships. The core of this study is cultural constraints that are manifested in adulthood.

The third approach can be characterized as a comparative analysis between two nations to describe such cultural configurations which make this nation distinct.

Ter-Minasova considers three sources of national stereotypes: international jokes, national classical literature and folklore (Ter-Minasova, 2015).

The first source is international jokes. Its essence lies in the following: representatives of different cultures are usually put into the same context. Their reactions and impulses are observed and explained from the point of view of national differences. For example, panicking is logically connected to a high emotionality level. This source cannot be described as highly reliable. International jokes hardly suit both auto- and hetero-stereotypes. Meanwhile, there is one observation that should not be overlooked: many Russians abroad are inclined to wear Russian traditional clothes to demonstrate that they belong to the particular culture. This action nourishes ethnical stereotypes and provides the basis for further creation of international jokes.

The second source is national classical literature. Classical literature presents a kind of archive that contains a wide range of diverse characters that undoubtedly bear some national traits. In contrast to international jokes classical literature gives a more sophisticated perspective on a personage, discloses his/her personality at different angles. Nevertheless, despite this thorough analysis of a character that is conducted on many layers (psychological, sociological, lingua-cultural) classical literature is quite subjective because of the fact that it is created by an individual with his\her own unique worldview. This source is considered to be relatively reliable as it is not superficial or exaggerated; meanwhile, it is crucial to take author's background into consideration to avoid wrong assumptions about a whole nation's character that is reflected in one personage.

The third source is folklore. This source is thought to be the most credible as unlike classical national literature it is produced collectively. Therefore, diverse people with different world perceptions had a chance to contribute to the creation of folklore that is often called «the heart and the soul of people». Nonetheless, as it was mentioned above, when we spoke about the shortcomings of this source, we stated that many proverbs and folk sayings were coined long ago that is why it is highly questionable whether they demonstrate the evolution of a nation and the factors that spur its modifications.

1.2 Values

Values are one of core constituent components of culture alongside with beliefs and norms which influence our thoughts and actions (behavior). Values identity what people consider the most important, what they strive for and what they are ready to protect from outsiders. From the point of view of Samovar and Porter, culture is «the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving» (Samovar and Porter, 2014, p. 26).

Schwartz who worked out value theory distinguished six main traits applicable to all values. (Schwartz, 1992)

Values are inextricably bound up with our feelings. Activated values can be observed when people find themselves in stressful situations. For example, a person who puts a great value on his/her personal space feels disoriented when someone intends to occupy his/her territory

Values are connected to our objectives and motivate people to reach either professional or personal passions that they pursue

Values in contrast to norms and attitudes can be found in various contexts. Norm and attitudes are usually applicable to a specific case whereas values can be extrapolated to all spheres of our life. For instance, if a person holds honesty as a leading principle, this very person tends to be honest in family, academic, business and political setting. Norms are often utilized to regulate people's behavior in some particular situations. For example, some organizations require from their employees to wear official clothes in the work environment. Attitudes though they are based on values refer to a narrower phenomenon. Attitudes are frequently formed on the spur of the moment under the influence of emotions. Values are more deeply embedded in our personality. Thus, when we are no more overwhelmed, we can make decisions according to our values

Values determine what is good, justified and legitimate. They prescribe what to do and what to avoid. Values are not so evident in the process of everyday communication. However, they become overt in conflict situations

Values help to mould a hierarchy of priorities that people use by resolving important issues in their life. The choice between achievement and caring for others value will determine their career, for example

Values initiate consistent behavior. Thus, people who are devoutly religious are likely to be engaged in religious rites and rituals that their religion presupposes

Schwartz came up with ten universal values on the basic of the criterion of motivation (Schwartz, 1992). Schwarz explained that these values can be considered as universal as they correspond to the underlying rules of human existence such as biological needs and social integration within a group. In this theory it is stated that it can be a problem to individually surmount some hardships of our life that is why cooperation is needed. Group can help people manage their potential to the conclusion and gain their goals that go along with values.

Here are these ten values and motivation to which they adhere:

Self-Direction. This value enables people to make independent decisions and to act in compliance with their own preferences and requirements

Stimulation. We need stimulation to bring a change to our life. Stimulation helps people to create optimal and preferable living conditions

Hedonism. The essence of this value lies in satisfying and giving pleasure to out body and soul. With the help of this value people find enjoyment in their life

Achievement. This value is inextricably connected to competition by means of which people demonstrate how competent they are in some activity. This value is deemed to be crucial in our life to survive. People frequently compete over scarce resources and it is required to possess some quality to attain these resources

Power. This value implies the situation when people who are in a more prestigious and respected social position exercise control over people who are lower on the social ladder. It should be said that both power and achievement value are connected to social esteem. However, achievement implies active demonstration that a person is the best in some discipline in contrast to power - a passive possession of resources that makes a person influential

Security. This value illustrates the desire of people to know that their current and future life is guaranteed, saved and secured. This concept can be relevant to different spheres: social order, family and career security. Two types of social security are distinguished: individual and group security. Individual security can be observed when a person cares about satisfying only his/her comfortable future. For instance, this person tidies his/her flat before going to work to return home and not feel disgust to the bed that is not made. Group security is to see when people try to satisfy the wellbeing of the whole group that he/she belongs to. They tend to organize different group arrangements, for instance, an event to clean the playground for their children. These people can be characterized as an active member of the community. It is noteworthy that individual and group security types are interrelated. As in the above mentioned example people try to make the life of their neighbors' children and their children too as they are an integral part of this group

Conformity. Conformity means that a person fits into the frames imposed by the society. This person acts in accordance with social expectations and norms and tries to suppress some inclinations and impulses in order not to violate rules and principles accepted in this society. Conformity is also understood as an ability of a person to deploy self-restrain technique in order not to undermine social order. In the societies, for example, where children are taught obedience and modesty, it is hard to imagine children who express their opinion in an open fashion as it is not expected and accepted in the society

Tradition. Each group has a set of ideas, beliefs and norms which contains unique history, experience and fate of this very group. According to Parsons, traditions fulfill the following functions: they encourage group solidarity and sense of belonging; represent uniqueness of this group; foster its survival even in the most difficult periods of its existence (Parsons, 1951). Tradition and conformity value are linked together in terms of motivational criterion: both of them suggest obedience and subordination. Speaking about conformity, it implies subordination mostly in concrete situations. For instance, some people find it inappropriate to voice an opinion contradictory to the boss or professor or parent. Traditions entail obedience to more abstract phenomena such as religion. Meanwhile, alongside with abstract cases traditions can incorporate concrete obedience, for example, fasting.

Benevolence. Benevolence value refers to the concern for the members of your in-group in order to provide smooth interaction. From Kluckhohn's perspective, such value as benevolence stems from the basic need of healthy group communication (Kluckhohn, 1951). According to Maslow, benevolence originates from the need of our organism to find affiliation (Maslow, 1965). More often benevolence spreads to primary communities such as family where people can find and give support that is the key element of benevolence. Benevolence has close ties with conformity, though they are different in the gained effect. In the case with conformity value, a person aims at creating neutral relationships and avoiding negative implications in terms of conflicts. As for benevolence, a person sincerely pursuits a purpose of designing mutually beneficial relationships concerning positive emotions.

Universalism. Universalism in contrast to above mentioned benevolence incorporates concern for larger groups, so-called out-groups and for nature. It should be stated that this value is not so relevant for people until they recognize that natural resources may become exhausted. Moreover, people tend to, first of all, satisfy their basic needs and then think globally.

As for correlation of these values, it can be quite different. Some values that people hold coexist while others contradict. If we examine such values as achievement and stimulation, we come to the conclusion that these values are quite compatible as the underlying motivation may be the same. These two values are not conflicting that is why they can both find their place in a person or in a group of people. For instance, if a person or a group long for changes and innovation, achievement and stimulation only foster the process of gaining the result. Yet, if we consider the combination of achievement, benevolence and conformity, some problems may arise. Achievement entails competition and it means profit only for one person who is the best, respectively. What is more, it is required to possess some distinctive feature that can bring a victory; therefore, it is deviation, even though a positive one. According to Macionis and Gerber, deviant behavior is understood in sociology as a violation of social norms both formal (types of crime) and informal ones (respect to older generation) (Macionis and Gerber, 2010). This atypical behavior may provoke disapproval from other members of the in-group and poison peaceful interaction within a group.

Some of the above described values can be combined as they have similar motivation. There is a table that presents value combinations

In their book «Intercultural communication» Samovar and Porter note that there are two types of values: cultural and personal (Samovar and Porter, 2014, p. 12). Cultural values are a set of principles and regulations that a culture establishes to fulfill the following functions:

motivate group behavior

avoid uncertainty

diminish the likelihood of social clashes

foster the process of decision making

structure social integration and interaction

As it was stated previously, values determine our communication strategies especially with representatives with foreign cultures. Cultural specificities especially manifest in the communication not with the in-group members but with the out-group representatives as value system of diverse cultures can be extremely different. For instance, when we compare communication styles of collectivistic and individualistic cultures, we can observe a great discrepancy between them. The opposition of individualism and collectivism forms a cultural dimension. According to Hofstede who elaborated cultural dimension theory, representatives of individualistic cultures tend to voice their opinion in a direct fashion because of the fact that they place a paramount value on freedom of expression. Collectivistic culture bearers, in their turn, deploy more indirect approach with non-verbal cues such as eye movement, head nodding, tone of voice, posture and gestures. They frequently avoid open confrontations as they find important to maintain group harmony and consensus. Samovar and Porter note that values set the borders between desirable and undesirable. Hence, for individualistic culture members it is preferable to effectively resolve the issue even if they are quite insistent while for collectivists - peaceful coexistence.

As for personal values, Jim Taylor, parenting psychologist, supposes that personal values cannot be characterized as independent as they are frequently transmitted by parents and society at large. Taylor suggests that in order to understand one's personal values it is necessary to deconstruct them. First of all, it is needed to analyze the environment in which a person grows up, thus, to examine the group of primary socialization which is a family. From sociological perspective, socialization is defined as the procedure of instilling social norms and expectations. At this stage it is vital to understand values that parents possess and how they translate them. It is important to understand for what a child is rewarded and for what - punished. The exploration of the system of sanctions plays a pivotal role during this step. The following situation depicts parents' values and how they would like to instill them in their child: parents do not punish their child for negative marks at school; nevertheless, they extremely disapprove unkempt appearance. This can probably mean that parents care about what other people think about their child, thus, they concern about social esteem and this value may be prior for them in the hierarchy of values. Nonetheless, every particular case should be examined thoroughly and individually in order to avoid sweeping generalization.

The next step incorporates introspection. Schultz defined introspection as on observation of one's own inner processes. Introspection implies close attention to one's impulses and inclinations that influence behavior patterns. It means that a person should analyze his/her actions and decisions and try to reveal which values are reflected in his/her deeds and understand the nature and origin of these values. It is of great significance during this process to take into account as many sides of person's life as possible: occupation, hobbies and private life. Regarding occupation, a person can ponder over the issue what serves as a motivation for his/her career choice. If a person is a successful businessman, perhaps he is driven and motivated by achievement value rather than benevolence as in the case of school teacher. In addition, it is required to identify how family and community that a person is a part of treat his/her way of life. All these factors enable to differentiate what values are immediately inherited from the society and what values are typical only for this particular process. A particular way of life, however, may signalize a form of protest to values that are accepted in the society. According to the opinion of St. John Barned-Smith (Barned-Smith, 2007), protest refers to disagreement with current events, policies and situations. Protests can be of different forms and scales. They vary from individual statements to mass uprisings. Hence, deviation from socially accepted norms undertaken by an individual can be also perceived as a protest.

The final step encompasses financial aspect. Taylor states that the question what we spend our money on plays a very important role in the process of deconstruction of our values. Taylor is convinced that things that we purchase most eloquently express our values, especially if this money is earned by means of hard work.

2. Practical part

2.1 The reflection of national character in proverbs and folk sayings of the Russian Language

1) Self-direction

We have already mentioned that Russian soul is deemed to be something mysterious that cannot be easily understood. It is considerably easier to understand one's own thought and actions. That is why it is possible to feel pity for someone else; however, one's own life events are much more important even if we speak about one's friends or relatives: «Жаль друга, да не как себя» - You do not feel the same extend of pity to yourself and to your friend, «Жаль дурака, да не как себя», «Люблю тебя, да не как себя» - You do not feel the same extend of pity to yourself and to a foolish person, «Своя рубашка ближе к телу» - One's own shirt is closer to his/her body.

Such topic as self-orientation is quite relevant for Russian culture representatives; therefore, it is supposed to be unreasonable, reckless and even foolish to impose harm to your life: «Тот дурак, кто сам себе враг» - The person who is an enemy to herself/himself is foolish.

It is also believed to be logical and normal when people try to create the most favorable living conditions: «Всякий хлопочет - себе добра хочет» - Everybody is concerned with their own wellbeing, «Всякая рука к себе загребает» - A hand of a person takes something for this person. There is one more point that is connected to self-protection. According to the following Russian proverb, it is not recommended to disseminate personal information or information about affluent people that can harm their reputation: «Лишнее говорить - себе вредить» - To talk much is to impose risk to one's own life.

What is more, it is sometimes advisable to praise your own actions and decisions and refrain yourself from publically criticizing your behavior: «Никто про себя худа не скажет» - No one says a bad thing about one's own, «Сам себя не похвалишь - никто не похвалит» - If you do not praise yourself, no one will.

Though it is recommended not to openly criticize one's own deeds, it is better to reflect on your mistakes and try to understand your own false steps rather than other's: Умный себя винит, глупый - своего товарища» - A clever person blames himself/herself whereas a foolish one - his/her friend.

Conclusions:

It is easier to understand and sympathize one's own motives of behavior than of other people as one's own needs and requirements are prioritized

Self-orientation and self-protection are promoted: it is considered to be quite natural and logical to pursue one's own interests

Despite of the fact that public discussion of one's mishaps is not that approved - it is better to create a positive image of self; people should try to find their own mistakes rather than shift blame on someone else

2) Stimulation

It is believed that in order to satisfy even basic need, it is required to make efforts: «Нужно наклониться, чтобы из ручья воды напиться» - You have to bend a creek to drink out of it. It means that it is even basic needs stimulate some movements of our body and mind and test our willpower.

However, according to Russian national wisdom, the most powerful stimulator is need which can make people do impossible things: «В нужде и кролик соловьем свищет» - Need makes a rabbit sing as a nightingale, «Нужда научит решетом воду носить» - Need teaches to carry water with a sieve, «Нужда железо ломает» - Need breaks iron. Destitution can force people to work in unfavorable conditions in order to earn a living: «Голод выгонит голод на холод» - Hunger makes you get out in the cold.

Need sometimes facilitates and accelerates collaboration between people with different interests as it is easier to undertake something using joint effort than struggling alone: «Нужда сдружит кошку с собакой» - Need makes a cat and a dog become friends, «Нужда сдружила, приволье раздружило» - Need makes people become friends while wealth - enemies. From the latter proverb it is understandable that in more favorable situation that difference of interests takes over cooperation, thus, wealth sharpens the difference while need tends to smooth interaction.

Not only cooperation is a positive consequence of need but some skills can also be acquired even in the most challenging periods: «Нужда ум родит» - Need generates brain activity, «Нужда острит разум» - Need sharpens mind, «От нужды умнеют, от богатства жиреют» - People get smarter because of need and as a result of wealth. Therefore, it is clear that need triggers brain activity. Moreover, it is supposed that it is it is not that hard to perform some kind of work but it is evidently challenging to devise something new: «Не трудно всякое дело сделать, да трудно выдумать» - It is not that hard to perform a task but it is hard to devise something. Thus, the desire to make progress and enhance living conditions stimulates people to think of some alternative solutions: «Изобретение - это вперед движение» - Invention is a way forward, «Наука в лес не ведет, а из лесу выводит» - Science does not lead in the forest, it leads out of it, «Наукой свет стоит, а ученьем люди живут» - World is built around science, people live by means of learning.

Meanwhile, need sometimes leads to such an adverse implication as crime that is committed when people do not have other way out of difficult situation: «Нужда закон изменяет» - Need changes law, «Нужда закона не знает: через него шагает» - Need does not accept law: need violates law, «Нужда крепче закона» - Need is more intensive than law, «Нужда свой закон пишет» - Need writes its own law, «Нужда обеты преступает» - Need violates principles.

Conclusions:

Even basic biological needs require stimulation of our body and brain activity and try our willpower

Need is described as a powerful stimulator since it promotes productive cooperation of people with different viewpoints, make our brain function effectively, thus, create innovative solutions to enhance living conditions and move humanity towards progress

Yet, need can entail such negative consequences as crime which is committed because of the fact that people cannot find other solution to their burning problems

3) Hedonism

If we speak about such value as hedonism, we often face with the opposition of idleness. It should be mentioned that it is hardly possible to find proverbs or folk saying about pleasures that are not harmful for health, mind and future life among folklore figures of three languages that we work with. Folk wisdom is build around extreme points: If you work hard, your future is ensured; if not - be prepared to clean up the consequences of an idle way if life.

Thus, let us start with positive consequences that are promised by hard labor: «Лень человека портит, а труд кормит» - Laziness spoils a person while labor feeds, «Долог день до вечера коли делать нечего» - A day drags on long to evening if there is nothing to do, «Ранние пташки росу пьют, а поздние - слезы льют» - Early birdies drink dew while late ones shed a tear, «Кто хочет счастливо жить, тот должен труд любить», «Без труда и отдых не сладок» - Having a rest is not that pleasant without labor. Hence, from the latter folklore figure we can arrive at the conclusion that a hard work guarantees future that is full of confidence, joy and development. Moreover, labor can distract people from negative thoughts («От безделья дурь наживается» - Negative thoughts come to one's mind as a result of idleness) because of the fact that when we do something useful time passes quickly and after a hard working day people feel satisfied and frequently have no time and strength to ponder over some negative issue. It is also worth mentioning that in accord to national Russian wisdom it is much more pleasant to have a rest after work. Moreover, it is considered that people have hands and mind in order to perform work but no to talk much about this work: «Сам молчун, а руки громкие» - A person is silent but his/her hands are loud (speaks for himself/herself, «Не на то руки даны, чтобы даром болтались».

As for negative consequences of laziness, it can lead to disappointment as people's dreams do not come true because of the fact that there is only an active desire and passive behavior: «Мечтой план не выполнишь» - It is impossible to implement a plan only with a dream. What should be also revealed is that idleness is the surest road to corruption: «Безделье - мать всех пороков» - Idleness is mother of all vices. One more point that merits our attention is that it is not recommended to establish close relationships with lazy people and run some kind of business with them since it can end up with serious troubles: «С лодырем поведешься - горя наберешься» - If you spend time with a slacker, you will get grief.

In addition to what has already mentioned laziness can paired with beauty to stress that business should come first: «Кудри завивай, да про дела не забывай» - Make curly locks but do not forget about business, «Девка красива, да прясть ленива» - A girl is beautiful but lazy to spin. Therefore, from the above presented folklore elements it is understandable that despite the fact that a person can be superficially attractive, laziness is a substantial disadvantage that can poison the impression of this person.

Because of the fact idleness is supposed to be a significant weakness it is hyperbolized in some Russian proverbs. This suggestion is eloquently expressed in the following Russian famous proverb: «Лень вперед родилась» - Laziness was born first. It means that laziness accompanies a person from his/her birth, the very first day of this person. The following folk saying demonstrates the hyperbolized size of laziness: «Я еще в пеленках, а лень моя была с теленка» - I was in swaddling clothes but my laziness was the size of a calf. Thus, we can understand that laziness is bigger that a person himself/herself. This exaggeration is deployed to criticize a person and to encourage him/her to alter his/her attitude towards life. Overall, idleness is presented as a spirit of relatively large size; it comes to this world before a person which it adheres to; and that can absorb this person energy, will and life aspirations unless he/she surmounts the inclination to be lazy.

Conclusions:

Such value as hedonism is hard to find in its pure manifestation among Russian folklore elements that is why it is build around the opposition of a hard work and laziness. The former guarantees happiness, security and positive attitude towards life while the latter leads to depressive thoughts, corruption and lose of potential

It is believed that people have their hands and mind to perform a task and not to purposelessly talk about this task

Laziness is sometimes opposed to beauty and it is suggested that business comes before appearance

Laziness is deemed to be such an acute drawback of a person that it is frequently hyperbolized in order to disapprove people's passive behavior and to help them change the angle of life perception

4) Achievement

We would like to start the conversation about gaining a purpose with the proverb that exists in the Russian, English and German languages: «Аппетит приходит во время еды». It means that people sometimes begin to like what they do when they start to do it.

To foster the process of pursuing the desirable aim it is needed to make efforts and try to save patience and be prepared that a lot of time is required to get what you dream of: «Без труда не выловишь рыбку из пруда» - It is impossible to catch a fish without struggling, «Будешь долго мучиться - что-нибудь получится» - If you get through much suffering, something finally will be worked out, «Терпение и труд всё перетрут» - Patience and labor foster victory, «Терпи, казак - атаманом станешь» - Cossack should be patient in order to become an ataman, «Тише едешь - дальше будешь» - The more slowly you go the farther you will get. It is also believed that people can reach the impossible under the condition of extremely hard labor: «Вода камень точит» - Water can change the form of a stone, «Курочка по зернышку клюет, да сыта бывает» - Hen pecks a grain but is full, «Москва не сразу строилась» - Moscow was not built at once. From the above listed it is clear that it is better to accomplish the task at the certain intervals, gradually, step by step. There is also one important moment that should be mentioned the deeper we immerse into the subject that you deal with the more diverse sides of the phenomenon appear: «Чем дальше в лес, тем больше дров» - The farther you get in the wood the more firewood you get, «Собаку съел, да хвостом подавился» - A person has eaten a dog but choked on its tail.

To prepare and arrange everything in advance is also highly valued and promoted as it can greatly help to avoid large amount of work that should be done at one time: «Что посеешь, то пожнёшь» - You will sow what you have reaped, «Не откладывай на завтра то, что можешь сделать сегодня» - Do not postpone for tomorrow a task that you can fulfill today, «Кто рано встаёт, тому Бог подаёт» - God is propitious to someone who gets up early.

5) Power

Speaking about power and money which frequently go hand in hand, it should be stated that there is a huge gap between people who possess power and money and ones who do not have these resources. It is quite complicated for these people to establish common ground as it is believed that the rich are indifferent and insensitive to the needs and requirements of the poor: «Сытый голодному не товарищ» - The full is not a friend to the hungry, «Богатый бедному не брат» - The rich is not a brother to the poor, «Богатый бедного не разумеет» - The rich does not understand the poor. Moreover, according to Russian national wisdom, relationships between the affluent and the poor often have exploitative character: «Кто власть имеет, бедных не жалеет» - Someone who is in authority doest not feel sorry for the poor, «Любая власть богатым прибавить, у нищих отнять» - Any authority takes from the poor and gives to the rich. This exploitative character can be both direct and indirect, respectively: in the form of free workforce, taxes and corruption which is criticized («Воеводою быть, без мёду не пить» - To be a voivode means not to drink without honey).

Furthermore, there is almost no hope that law will be fair and on the side of people who don not possess money and power and protect their rights. Hence, affluent people are more likely to escape justice and gain profit not by their own efforts but by efforts of people who are inferior to them: «Чья власть, того и закон» - Law is on the side of a person who possesses power, «Сила закон ломит» - Power violates law, «Где деньги говорят, там правда молчит» - Where money speaks there truth keeps silence, «Кто законы пишет, тот их и ломает» - Someone who generates law violates them, «Мешок денег перевесит даже два мешка истины» - A bag of money outweighs two bags of truth. Thus, from the above listed folklore figures we can infer the a negative attitude towards affluent people is formed under the preconception that the rich use bribes to turn a situation to the angle which is more advantageous for them without thinking about consequences that the poor have to subsequently cope with.

Nonetheless, such resources as power and money do not guarantee success in other spheres of life and cannot provide health, happiness and outstanding cognitive skills: «Богатство человека от смерти не избавит» - Wealth does not protect from death, «Богатством ума не купишь» - Wealth does not guarantee intelligence. Thus, moderate level of wealth is most often opted for in order to avoid problems and temptations related to it: «Горе - деньги, а вдвое - без денег» - Money is grief but being without money is double grief, «Если стал господином, не злоупотребляй этим» - If you become a lord, do not abuse your possibilities. The latter proverb is presented in the form of guidance in order to protect people who possess a promising potential from succumbing to arbitrary behavior and lose all makings of a good leader under pressure of free access to money and boundless power which they acquire. Though affluence do not always provide such above listed phenomena as intelligence alongside with mental and physical health, many people grovel, cringe and squirm in front of people who are in authority in order to ingratiate themselves with these personalities even if they are quite ordinate: «Богатого, хоть дурака, всяк почитает» - A wealthy person though a foolish one is respected.

It is also fascinating that in Russian folklore we can find some elements that justify leaders. Hence, it is believed that it is quite a hard work to fulfill the functions of leader that is why some mistakes which are not serious and cannot completely erode leader's reputation can be forgiven: «Легче за стадом ходить, чем стадо водить» - It is easier to follow the flock that to lead it. Therefore, it is clear that Russian culture representatives are prone to value leadership qualities more than conformity that is the reason why deeds of ordinary mortals are more criticized than actions of senior officials since the level of responsibility that is placed on them is considerably high and not everyone is able to handle it. If a person does not posses a set of qualities typical for leaders, it is recommended to take a sober look at one's own chances and to draw necessary conclusions: «Всяк сверчок знай свой шесток» - Each cricket should know its place.

Finally, money and power present some kind of test of character. Passing this test, people frequently reveal their positive or negative traits of character that may have been previously unknown even to them: «Хочешь узнать человека - дай ему власть» - If you want to learn a person, give him/her power.

Conclusions:

According to Russian national wisdom, the poor and the rich belong to different worlds and can hardly understand each other as they are in unequal power relations because of the fact that affluent people often exploit ones who do not possess such resources as money and power for personal gain

The poor can hardly count on humane court of justice because the rich can win almost any judicial proceeding with the help of bribes and useful acquaintances

Despite of the fact that it is impossible to gain the entire set of life goods such as intelligence, health and happiness, with wealth people usually acquire prestige and social position even if it is not partially or fully deserved

Some leader's decisions can be justified because of the fact that it is perceived that leader's work requires so much time and effort that only people who possess specific character qualities can cope with the burden of responsibility that lie on leader's shoulders