Establishment of a Chinese Paremiological Minimum Based on International English Media

Abstract

Paremiological Minimum (PM) is defined as a set of proverbs that all members of a particular speech community know or an average adult is expected to know (Ďurčo, 2015b). Acquiring such frequently used proverbs will lead to meaningful and effective communication by native speakers or foreign speakers (Mieder, 1993). The study of creating PM has been conducted in many countries globally for at least 50 years, but no researcher has engaged in PM for Chinese language. Classic Chinese proverbs are discourse symbols that embody Chinese values and represent traditional Chinese culture, and are frequently quoted by dignitaries from various countries and overseas media. This study proposes to build a Chinese Paremiological Minimum (CPM) by investigating Chinese proverbs in FACTIVA (2012-2021), from the media of English-language speaking communities with a view to identity the frequently quoted Chinese proverbs. Meantime, four selection criteria are placed emphases on the process of creating CPM: Currency, Internationality, Frequency and Authenticity, namely CIFA frame, different from the previous research approaches which merely focused on the frequency or familiarity for the PM creation. The establishment of CPM is bond to promote a further insight into the Chinese mind, language and culture, resulting in long-term benefits to speakers of other languages and English language learning and teaching in China, for the mastery of PM is an effective way to enhance language proficiency and understanding in intercultural communication.