This article 1 examines proverbs and proverbial expressions

in contemporary newspaper contexts and in everyday use in

three languages: Estonian, Finnish, and Slovenian. Print

editions of the Estonian newspapers Postimees and Tartu

Postimees, the Finnish newspapers Helsingin Sanomat,

Salon Seudun Sanomat, and Perniönseudun Lehti, and

the Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik were scanned for use of

proverbial material during May 2013. From the reader’s

point of view, proverbs are understood to be both etic and

emic concepts. The article discusses how to recognize contemporary

proverbial units in this study in newspaper texts. The

quantitative part of the study outlines proverbial expressions

among newspaper genres and sections, and the location of

proverbial expressions within textual units. The qualitative

part of the analysis concerns distinctive national differences

(use of proverbial expressions in horoscopes in Estonia, combined

with TV programs in Finland and opinion pieces or

letters to the editor in Slovenia) and focuses on them in a

cultural context. The qualitative study highlights the most

essential concentrations of proverbs. The differences are

outlined in the sections focusing on country-specific features.