ABSTRACT
Much has been written of a general nature on the proverb in Arabic literature. 1 However, with the exception of three articles by Rescher, 2 little attention has been given to the usefulness of the Arabic proverb in reflecting popular attitudes towards individual people or social groups. The study of Arabic proverbs for this purpose may yield interesting results, and the large number of Arabic proverb collections available offers a wealth of material to investigate. Besides the question of stereotypes and attitudes towards slaves in Arabic proverbs, the subject of this paper, studies could be made with respect to the depiction in Arabic proverbs of Kurds, Jews, Christians, Turks, beggars, and others. All of these peoples and social groups are amply attested in Arabic proverbial literature.
