Language/Afrikaans/Culture/The-Difference-Between-Proverbs-and-Idioms

This is not complicated, but on many sites, one is often confused with the other. A trait they share is the use of metaphoric language (i.e. imagery). Also, both proverbs and idioms evolve as languages evolve, so there’s rarely a single, permanent version of any specific idiom or proverb. 

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Where is it spoken, Why Use Proverbs in Afrikaans Conversations, Cultural Etiquette & History.

They differ in the following ways:

Afrikaanse Sêdinge / Sêgoed / Idiome (“Afrikaans Sayings / Idioms”)

• A saying always forms part of a sentence with a noun, proper noun, or pronoun that refers to a specific person, entity, and/or situation. So, idioms are not universally applicable. 

• Often, different regions in South Africa have different idioms for the same thing. For instance, we have many different sayings for referring to a drunk person. In a rural town called Moorreesburg, Western Cape Province, the locals say: Hy/sy is ganspen. (Literally: “He/she is goose pen.”)  However, in Touwsrivier (also a small town in the Western Cape), we say: Hy/sy is kiepkop. In vernacular Afrikaans, a chicken is also sometimes referred to with an onomatopoeia: kiep or kiepie. This saying is closer to what we use in Gauteng Province: Hy/sy is hoenderkop. (Literally: “He/she is chicken head.”) It’s unclear where this idiom originated, but my guess is that it alludes to the movement of a chicken’s head when it walks—it doesn’t look very stable!

• Example: Ons moes van aalmoese lewe. (“We had to live off charity.”) Van aalmoese lewe (“living off charitable offerings”) is a Dutch-based idiom meaning that someone is living in such extreme poverty that they have to depend on charity for survival. See below how this idiomatic expression differs from a certain proverb that also uses the word aalmoese.

Afrikaanse Spreekwoorde (“Afrikaans Proverbs”)

• Even if it forms part of a sentence, a proverb can always stand alone as a complete sentence or statement.
• It usually expresses a universally applicable piece of wisdom or sentiment.
• Pronouns in proverbs can be adjusted to be gender-correct, but vernacularly, they’re seldom modified this way.
• Proverbs in Afrikaans tend to show less regional diversity than idioms do. They’re understood almost everywhere in the country.
• Example: Aalmoese gee verarm nie. (“Giving charitably won’t make you poor.”) This proverb reminds us that giving freely to those in dire need will not cost us too much, nor will it harm us—a universal truth.

Source

https://www.afrikaanspod101.com/blog/category/learn-afrikaans/afrikaans-grammar/#2

Other Lessons

• Where is it spoken
• Why Use Proverbs in Afrikaans Conversations
• Cultural Etiquette
• History