Cultural Perspectives for the Concepts of Success and Unsuccess in Romanian, English and French Proverbs
Cultural Perspectives for the Concepts of Success and Unsuccess in Romanian, English and French Proverbs

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the concepts of success and unsuccess in Romanian, English and French linguistic cultures through the lens of paremiology and cognitive linguistics. Proverbs are presented as repositories of a community’s wisdom, which often reflect culturally embedded models oriented toward achievement or failure. Analysing the proverbs related to success and unsuccess in the three languages mentioned above, the study also uncovers universal and specific cultural, historical and cognitive frameworks that shape perceptions of personal or collective accomplishments obtained through patience and perseverance, work ethic and meritocracy, wisdom and experience. The investigation probes the underlying metaphors and conceptualizations that allow insights into the different ways these concepts are understood and used across these linguistic and cultural contexts.

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