Proverbs, riddles, and jokes constitute an ample and varied part of Hungarian verbal
folklore. All three genres were originally coined by an individual and then gradually
spread among the speech community to become “anonymous” texts, both oral and written.
These short and concise texts contain bits of folk wisdom and may be meant to be humorous
and entertaining (jokes, riddles, and anti-proverbs) or not (proverbs). This chapter
is organized into three sections. While the first section addresses Hungarian proverbs
and anti-proverbs, the second one treats riddles, and the third discusses jokes. Each
section provides a short overview of the collection and study of the respective genre.
The nature and origin of each genre, its specific features and subgenres, its pragmatic
functions and usage, as well as its contemporary forms are also briefly explored.
