A Sociocultural View of Estonian and Slovenian Proverbs on Alcohol and Drinking

Bibliographic Data

ID8933022
AuthorsSaša Babič (0000-0002-3050-757X, Twitter (United States), corresponding author), Piret Voolaid (0000-0002-3917-5882, Twitter (United States))
Year2023
Volume134
Issue3
Pages370-394
Publication date2023-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFolklore (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0015-587X • E-ISSN: 1469-8315
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0015587x.2023.2175972
OpenAlexW4386457166
LanguageEN
References cited9

This article explores Estonian and Slovenian proverbs related to alcohol and drinking with the aim of interpreting these proverbs in their broader sociocultural context and analysing the controversies embedded in proverbs on this topic. Considering that alcohol is not consumed in the same form everywhere, the article examines Slovenian material as representative of the geographical region of Southern Europe and the Slavic language group, and Estonian material as representative of the geographical region of Northern Europe and the Finno-Ugric language group. The units encompassed by the research contain the following words: wine, beer, spirits (vodka), drunk, and drinking. We analyse how proverbs—as culturally metaphorical units often considered the cornerstone of national identity and a compass of ethnic morals—fit into this ethnic pretext. We focus on three different aspects: those regarded as specific to national culture; gender and family (gender inequality, drinking alcohol as a symbol of masculinity); and the ambivalence surrounding drinking

Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Estonian · Ethnic group · Linguistics · Masculinity · Political science · Pretext · Slavic languages · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition

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