English equivalent of *refrán*, which is less formal than a proverb

Question

Spanish makes a subtle distinction between proverbio [proverb] and refrán [?]. This distinction was described well here. I'll attempt to translate informally from that answer.

Although the two words can be considered synonymous, the connotations are different:

• refrán: a colloquial, folksy saying or piece of advice. It needn't be about something weighty. It often features a rhyme, making it catchy and easy to remember.

• proverbio: a bit more serioius than refrán. Generally speaking, it doesn't provide advice about banal matters, but has more of a moral, ethics tone.

For example:

Marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso sacan a mayo florido y hermoso. [Loosely: April showers bring May flowers; literally: Windy March and rainy April bring out a flowering and beautiful May.]

The subject matter of this refrán is the weather.

A proverb, on the other hand, is more formal, has a more serious subject matter and attempts to teach something.

Here's an example of a proverb:

No es oro todo lo que reluce. | All that glitters is not gold.

My German spouse informs me that refrán seems to be similar to Bauernregel (guidance for farmers), but with a particular focus on the weather. For example

Der April macht was er will. | April does whatever it wants to.

My question is what is the closest equivalent to refrán in English?

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Edit after question was closed as a duplicate of a question that was closed because a sample sentence wasn't provided:

Sample sentence:

Spanish has a charming refrán that's relevant to your situation: [....]

An additional thought: I'd like ideally to find something as graceful as, for example, "turn of speech." But that won't work because a turn of speech is a fragment, not necessarily a whole sentence.

Answer 1

I think you just want to use saying (which is used in your definition of refrán):

A saying is a sentence that people often say and that gives advice or information about human life and experience.
We also realize the truth of that old saying: Charity begins at home.
_Collins

In a list of words related to proverbs, saying is defined as:

A short well-known expression — a pithy remark of wisdom and truth or a general advice.
Example: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
_{Smart Words}

Answer 2

If you don't like saying (which is jxh@'s excellent suggestion), how about an adage:

a saying often in metaphorical form that typically embodies a common observation. Example: She reminded him of the adage: "A penny saved is a penny earned."

_{Merriam-Webster}

Or possibly an aphorism:

1 : a concise statement of a principle

2 : a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage. Example: the high-minded aphorism, "Let us value the quality of life, not the quantity"

3 : an ingeniously terse style of expression : aphoristic language

_{Merriam-Webster}

I think adage is probably closer to the weather examples.

Answer 3

Perhaps mildly obscure in today's language but I'm astonished that nobody has mentioned the word refrain yet. It has two meanings, but it's the noun we're interested in, which appears primarily in musical terminology:

²refrain

/rɪˈfreɪn/

1. a regularly recurring melody, such as the chorus of a song

2. a much repeated saying or idea

Merriam-Webster

This corroborates with the given suggestion of saying above. With cursory research it is difficult to find a citable source for the Spanish, but it appears that refrain's etymological root is the same as the given refrán:

²refrain

Middle English refreyn, from Middle French refrain, alteration of Old French refrait melody, response, from past participle of refraindre to break up, moderate, from Vulgar Latin *refrangere, alteration of Latin refringere

Merriam-Webster

 

refrán

Borrowed from French refrain, from Latin re- (“back, again”) + frangō (“break”).

Wiktionary

frangō being a conjugation of frangere, whose derived terms include refringo, which is itself etymologically composed of 're-' and 'frangō' and is a conjugation of the Latin refringere which was mentioned by Merriam-Webster regarding the origin of the English 'refrain', above.

This is why I think 'refrain' may actually be the closest equivalent word, even if it isn't particularly widely used outside of musical terminology.

Answer 4

In addition to 'saying' you could use 'saw':

saw: a sententious saying; maxim; proverb

Usually combined with 'old':

He could muster an old saw for every occasion.

dictionary.com

Answer 5

Platitude is a possible one that occured to me.

Platitude

/ˈplatɪtjuːd/

Noun

A remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.

google.com

Answer 6

Consider the word Adage:

a saying often in metaphorical form that typically embodies a common observation

• She reminded him of the adage: "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Answer 7

The question is based on a false premise: that a subtle difference in connotation in one language means that other languages make the same subtle difference in connotation. To flip the direction of translation, there is a subtle difference in English between safety and security, but the closest Spanish equivalent of safety (seguridad) is also the closest Spanish equivalent of security.

The English word proverb does not have the prestige connotations of proverbio. For example, Britannica says

Proverbs sometimes embody superstitions (“Marry in May, repent alway”), weather lore (“Rain before seven, fine before eleven”), or medical advice (“Early to bed, early to rise,/ Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”).

If you want to make a distinction within the same sentence (e.g. to translate Acaban de publicar un libro de proverbios y refranes españoles), the most straightforward translation would be ...proverbs and sayings...; but otherwise the appropriate English word is proverb.

Answer 8

Have you considered a colloquialism?

Colloquialism

\ kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-ˌli-zəm \

¹ a : a colloquial expression "Chicken out" is a colloquialism for "to lose one's nerve."

b : a local or regional dialect expression "Bodacious" originated as a Southern colloquialism.

Merriam-Webster

Answer 9

I'd suggest "refrain," since it can also mean "a comment or complaint that is often repeated." It's slightly formal, but it's probably the closest literal translation of "refrán," based on what you've said- and it shares a root, too, so that's a bonus.