Source and Role of Khadim Syriac Proverbs (example of Mardin)

Abstract

This paper investigated Syriac proverbs as they often point out the Bible and aphorisms as their source. While the words in the Bible are transferred to the social field through aphorisms, they also cause the formation of the proverbial form over time. This is also prevalent to aphorisms. In this context, the source and role of Syriac proverbs has been investigated in this study. To this aim, fifteen Khadim Syriacs from Mardin have been interviewed and proverbs have been compiled based on their responses. In addition, sample words from the Bible and the aphorisms have been included in the data collection. The aim was to both compile the Syriac proverbs with the field study and to determine a general framework for their evaluation, and reveal the main role of the proverbs for the Syriacs. The results showed that the Syriac proverbs have three main sources. The first source is the Bible; secondly, the aphorisms that Syriacs consider important; and thirdly, the socio-cultural dynamics that are effective in interactions with different groups or within the same group. Within this framework, two basic aspects and roles were identified in Syriac proverbs. The first is the proverbs, which mediate the transfer of life of wisdom that the Bible advises; and the other one is the proverbs, which are determined by socio-cultural dynamics and mediate the transfer of socio-cultural reading ways independently. It has been observed that these two roles decreased due to socio-cultural dynamics This study hopes to contribute to the understanding and interpretation of the culture of Syriac by creating new data.