Stylistic use of synonyms

STYLISTIC USAGE OF PROVERBS
Both proverbs and sayings are laconic and witty expressions characterised by a greater volume of thought than what they usually manifest by a mere sum or total of their elements. The stylistic value of sayings may also be viewed in the fact that they are elliptical in their structure. Both of them are in many cases rhythmically organised and sometimes rhymically.
No sweet without sweat.
Epigrams.Epigrams are witty statements, often satirical, normally created by men of letters. In a laconic and expressive form epigrams convey some generalised idea. Some of them are later converted into proverbs as a result of constant reiteration. Poetry is considered to be epigrammatic in its nature. Often the last two lines of English sonnets may be further used as an epigram (Shakespeare’s sonnets, for example).
Allegory.Allegory is often used in proverbs, sayings and epigrams but allegory is more a form of literature and art theory than linguistics. The only branch of linguistics regularly observing allegory is stylistics. Allegories express abstract ideas through concrete pictures. Allegory can be easily represented in complete texts. As for shorter context these are usually proverbs.
Make hey while the sun shines – implies advice which has nothing in common with hey-making or sun shine and means to make use of favourable situations.
All is not gold that glitters.
Every cloud has its silver lining.
No rose without a thorn.
In this respect highly allegorical proverbs should not be confused with maxims which are not metaphorical utterances.
Better late than never.
Allusion.To allude means to mention, hence allusion is a reference to something presumably known to the listener or reader, frequently coming from history, literature, religion. When allusion is manifested by a quotation such a quotation should not be exact.
“No”, - he said wistfully, - “I suppose not. It’s time to dress”. To dress – to dine, and if to dine, to sleep – to sleep, to dream. And then what dreams might come? (Golsworthy)
The stylistic effect of allusions can only be achieved if the utterance alluded is well-known to the reader. Referring to the well-known fact, allusion enables the writer to be more explicit without expanding on the subject too much. Galperin stated that allusions are based on the accumulated experience and knowledge of the writer who presupposes a similar experience and knowledge in the reader.
Proverbs and sayings are facts of language. They are collected in dictionaries. There are special dictionaries of proverbs and sayings. It is impossible to arrange proverbs and sayings in a form that would present a pattern even though they have some typical features by which it is 1 possible to determine whether or not we are dealing with one. These [typical features are: rhythm, sometimes rhyme and/or alliteration. But the most characteristic feature of a proverb or a saying lies not |fn its formal linguistic expression, but in the content-form of the utter-pnce. As is known, a proverb or a saying is a peculiar mode of utterance Vhich is mainly characterized by its brevity. The utterance itself, taken at Bits face value, presents a pattern which can be successfully used for other liitterances. The peculiarity of the use of a proverb lies in the fact that Ithe actual wording becomes a pattern which needs no new wording to [suggest extensions of meaning which are contextual. In other words, la proverb presupposes a simultaneous application of two meanings: [the face-value or primary meaning, and an extended meaning drawn Hrom the context, but bridled by the face-value meaning. In other words, [the proverb itself becomes a vessel into which new content is poured. IThe actual wording of a proverb, its primary meaning, narrows the [field of possible extensions of meaning, i. e. the filling up of the form. •That is why we may regard the proverb as a pattern of thought. Soit is I'm every other case at any other level of linguistic research. Abstract [formulas offer a wider range of possible applications to practical pur-Iposes than concrete words, though they have the same purpose.
Almost every good writer will make use of language idioms, by-[phrases and proverbs. As Gorki has it, they are the natural ways in ^hich speech develops.
Proverbs and sayings have certain purely linguistic features which [must always be taken into account in order to distinguish them from [ordinary sentences. Proverbs are brief statements showing in condensed [form the accumulated life experience of the community and serving as |conventional practical symbols for abstract ideas. They are usually I didactic and image bearing. Many of them through frequency of repeti­tion have become polished and wrought into verse-like shape, as in the [following:
"to cut one's coat according to one's cloth."
"Early to bed and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Brevity in proverbs manifests itself also in the omission of connec-|fives, as in:
"First come, first served." "Out of sight, out of mind."
But the main feature distinguishing proverbs and sayings from or­dinary utterances remains their semantic aspect. Their literal meaning is suppressed by what may be termed their transferred meaning. In other words, one meaning (literal) is the form for another meaning (transferred) which contains the idea. Proverbs and sayings, if used appropriately, will never lose their freshness and vigour. The most no­ticeable thing about the functioning of sayings, proverbs and catch-phrases is that they may be handled not in their fixed form (the tradi­tional model) but with modifications. These modifications, however, will never break away from the invariants to such a degree that the cor­relation between the invariant model of a word-combination and its variant ceases to be perceived by the reader. The predictability of a variant of a word-combination is lower in comparison with its invariant. Therefore the use of such a unit in a modified form will always arrest our attention, causing a much closer examination of the wording of the utterance in order to get at the idea. Thus, the proverb 'all is not gold that glitters' appears in Byron's "Don Juan" in the following form and environment where at first the meaning may seem obscure:
"How all the needy honourable misters,
Each out-at-elbow peer or desperate dandy,
The watchful mothers, and the careful sisters (Who, by the by, when clever, are more handy.