Welcome to Postproverbial Community

What then is a postproverbial, or to address the form in the plural sense, what are postproverbials? Postproverbials are radicalized proverbial utterances which subvert the logic and the pattern of conventional proverbs...

Humboldt University of Berlin logo
University of Ibadan logo
Avh logo

SOME RANDOM PROVERBS & THEIR POSTPROVERBIALS

Proverb:  Ibi pẹlẹbẹ ni a ti ń mú ọ̀ọ̀lẹ̀ jẹ.
Translation: It is from the base that one eats a beans pudding.

Postproverbial: Ibi pẹlẹbẹ ni a ti ń mú ọ̀ọ̀lẹ̀ jẹ; wọ́n fi ewé pọ́n ọn ni.
Translation: It is from the base that one eats a beans pudding; if it is wrapped in leaves.
Postproverbial: Ibi góńgó ni a ti ń mú ọ̀ọ̀lẹ̀ jẹ.
Translation: It is from the apex that one eats a beans pudding.
Nigeria (Yoruba) Read more

Proverb:  Kure kwegava ndokusina mutsubvu.
Translation: A wild dog will go anywhere the mutsubvu fruit tree is found.

Postproverbial: Kure kwabusinessman ndokusina n' anga.
Translation: A business man will go wherever there is a traditional doctor.
Postproverbial: Kure kwe$ ndokusina bond.
Translation: The USD is found where there are bond notes.
Zimbabwe (Shona) Read more

Proverb:  Boŋo tu na tere sɔŋɔ ne, ko lure bubala mo.
Translation: When the owner of a goat is absent, it gives birth to only males.

Postproverbial: Boŋo tu na tere sɔŋɔ ne, ko wo gyei mo.
Translation: When the owner of a goat is absent, it will get lost.
Postproverbial: Boŋo tu na tere sɔŋɔ ne, ko ba zuura diga.
Translation: When the owner of a goat is absent, it does not return to the goat pen.
Ghana (Kasem) Read more

Proverb:  Anaghị eji ahụhụ anya isi.
Translation: You don’t boast with suffering or hardship.

Postproverbial: I ga-asi ahụhụ n’ike agwụla gi?
Translation: Can you tell suffering that you are tired or that you don’t have strength for it?
Postproverbial: Ahụhụ na-enye ọbara.
Translation: Suffering gives blood.
Nigeria (Igbo) Read more

Proverb:  Kò sí ẹni tí kìí rẹ̀.
Translation: There is no one who is never exhausted.

Postproverbial: Kò sí ẹni tí kìí rẹ̀, àyàfi Ọlọ́run.
Translation: There is no one who is never exhausted, except God.
Postproverbial: Kò sí ẹni tí kìí rẹ̀, ó rẹ mọ́sálásí, ó di ilé epo. Ó rẹ wọ́dà, ó kó owó ìjọba jẹ.
Translation: There is no one who is never exhausted, the mosque tires, it becomes a gas station; the warder tires, he embezzles the state fund.
Nigeria (Yoruba) Read more

Proverb:  Ba di ba vana mo, se ba ba tɛa ba vana.
Translation: We exclude others when we eat food, but we do not exclude them when we talk about issues.

Postproverbial: Ba di ba vana mo, a gyei a nia.
Translation: We exclude others when we eat food, I am sitting down and watching.
Postproverbial: Ba di ba vana mo, a gyei a nia.
Translation: We exclude others when we eat food, I am looking on.
Ghana (Kasem) Read more