Finno-Permic Phytonymical Portraits. Willowherb or fireweed. Epilobium Angustifolium
Abstract
In this paper, the author examines all the folk names of widowherb (or fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium) in the Finno-permic languages - the branch of the Finno-Ugric language group excluding the Ugric languages. Names of widowherb in these languages are quite numerous. In this article we examine about two hundred such phytonyms which are grouped into forty five semantical groups, each one representing a certain nomination model. For widowherb such models are usually not repeated in different languages; they are surprisingly diverse. It is not quite clear why this phenomenon occurs since it is not quite typical for the names of other herbaceous plants in Finno-permic languages. Most of widowherb names are found in Baltic Finnish languages; the main reason for this phenomenon is the longtime intensive research of dialect lexics in these languages, especially in Finnish and Estonian. Widowherb Epilobium angustifolium is widespread in Finno-ugric language areas, and thus it’s well known to all Finno-ugric peoples. It is used as a medicinal plant and a source of durable fiber used for producing rough cloth. In Russia dried and fermented leaves of widowherb are used for the preparation of a tea drink (so called “Kaprio tea”).This plant prefers to grow on ashes, wastelands, sandy places and manure piles.These habits of growth are well reflected in many names of widowherb. Almost all of widowherb names in Finno-permic languages are composite in form and usually consist of two components. The number of non-composite phytonyms is very limited: as a rule, these are ancient words or borrowings. Many widowherb names include so called determinants - the taxons of the 27 nomination object classes. Such determinants always occupy the last place in composite phytonyms. The names of widowherb in the Finno-permic languages are products of this plant’s nomination according to several main features: the place of growth, the appearance of the plant, its economic and medicinal use. The most common feature amongst them is the preferred place of growth. Many composite names of widowherb contain various zoosemisms - names of elk, cow, horse, fox and cock. In some widowherb names its’ inflorescence is compared to horsetail or tails of other animals.
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