Phytonyms in British folklore (linguistic and cultural approach)

Леонович Е.О., Ляшенко И.В., Дрыгина Ю.А.

doi:10.25136/2409-8698.2025.2.70002

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Litera

Reference:

Leonovich, E.O., Lyashenko, I.V., Drygina, Y.A. (2025). Phytonyms in British folklore (linguistic and cultural approach). Litera, 2, 292–304. https://doi.org/10.25136/2409-8698.2025.2.70002

Phytonyms in British folklore (linguistic and cultural approach)

Leonovich Evgeniya Olegovna

ORCID: 0000-0002-6452-0617

PhD in Philology

Associate Professor; Department of Theory and Practice of Translation; Pyatigorsk State University

357532, Russia, Stavropol Territory, Pyatigorsk, Panagyurishte str., 6, sq. 103

Leonovitch2003@yahoo.com

Lyashenko Igor' Vladimirovich

ORCID: 0000-0001-7911-8228

PhD in Philology

Associate Professor, Department of English Philology and Cross-cultural Communication, Belgorod State National Research University,

308004, Russia, Belgorod region, Belgorod, Yesenina str., 8, sq. 91

rattle-snake@mail.ru

Drygina Yuliya Anatol'evna

ORCID: 0000-0001-5995-3488

PhD in Philology

Associate Professor; Department of English Philology and Intercultural Communication; Belgorod State National Research University
Associate Professor; Department of General Humanitarian Sciences and Mass Communications ; Moscow International University

308014, Russia, Belgorod region, Belgorod, Michurina str., 2

jullianna181@mail.ru

DOI:

10.25136/2409-8698.2025.2.70002

EDN:

FHGDNV

Received:

28-02-2024

Published:

04-03-2025

Abstract: The subject of the study is phytonyms in the British linguistic culture. The authors consider phytonyms in folklore in detail, namely in love spells, beliefs, magic formulas, conspiracies, predictions, and folk medicine. Phytonyms in this work mean all names of plants and their parts. When classifying phytonyms, the authors rely on a naive picture of the world and divide phytonyms into dendronyms (names of trees and bushes), floronyms (names of flowers) and herbonyms (names of herbs).The purpose of the study is to consider the problem of using phytonymic vocabulary and the peculiarities of the existence of forms of its representation in the field of folk culture of the English-speaking community of Britain from the standpoint of everyday linguistics. The objectives of the study include identifying the specifics of the representation of phytonomic vocabulary in British folklore, as well as systematization and description of its functions. The work uses methods of complex analysis based on the methods of various sciences (history, cultural studies), among which the following approaches are considered important: a systematic approach, a semiotic approach, a cultural-anthropological approach. The novelty of the research lies, firstly, in the consideration of phytonyms in British folklore from the standpoint of the linguistics of everyday life, complementing the linguistic picture of the world, the modeling of which is gaining popularity in modern language science. In linguistics of recent decades, there has been an obvious trend towards shifting the emphasis to everyday life and everyday human consciousness. Phytonyms have previously been widely studied, but within the framework of other linguistic paradigms. As a result of the research, it was found that the essence of the socio-philosophical concept of everyday life lies in the fact that it is the closest, familiar reality to a person. For modern linguistics, which has turned its attention to the everyday consciousness and daily life of an individual, everyday discourse, including folklore, is valuable. Also, in the course of the study, the functional features of phytonyms in British folklore were considered, which allowed us to draw the following conclusions. In folk art and medicine, phytonyms perform an expressive function that helps to increase expression and, of course, cognitive, since poetry-spells, sayings carry knowledge and wisdom contained in the memory of generations.

Keywords:

British linguoculture, dendronym, Linguistics of everyday life, linguocultural studies, folklife culture, Onomastics, Phytonyms, Floronyms, folklore, Functions of phytonyms
This article is automatically translated. You can find original text of the article here.

Introduction

Flowers and plants are an indispensable attribute of modern man's life. In almost every area of our lives, you can find something related in some way to plants. This leads to the problem of using linguistic material related to the plant world (phytonyms) in everyday human life.

Knowledge of phytonomics is a part of linguistic and cultural identity, which is fundamentally important to reflect, for example, when translating. However, the place of cultural knowledge in the formation and development of cultural competence of the translator remains controversial ^[1].

Phytonyms in this work include all names of plants and their parts. When classifying phytonyms, we, following N. E. Ananyeva, rely on a naive picture of the world and divide phytonyms into dendronyms (names of trees and bushes), floronyms (names of flowers) and herbonyms (names of herbs) ^[2].

We believe that everything that happens around us, in our lives, must be evaluated in terms of the reality of the everyday world. Rituals and habits characteristic of the world of everyday life are a necessary part of the life of any human collective. Hence the relevance of studying everyday culture and its individual manifestations. The study of everyday practices is one of the most consistently developing segments of humanitarian research. The value of this approach is reflected in the identification of specific features of everyday life, which accordingly increases our knowledge of this area.

According to F. Braudel, everyday life is a phenomenon of "a long duration of time, and therefore it can be argued that the typological features of the Modern era remain relevant for the modern culture of everyday life" ^[3].

Following A. V. Smirnov, we believe that "the conceptualization of everyday life will make it possible to reduce disparate descriptions of everyday life phenomena considered by humanitarian knowledge to a single theoretical context, making it possible to compare the results obtained in different sciences" ^[4].

As E. V. Tulina and N. A. Kozko rightly point out, "in linguistics of recent decades, there has been a clear tendency to shift the emphasis on a person, his daily life and everyday consciousness" ^[5], which determines the special relevance of the linguistic component of everyday life in the course of studying linguistic features. The linguistics of everyday life complements the linguistic picture of the world, the modeling of which is gaining popularity in modern language science ^[6].

The problem of reflecting the names of various representatives of the plant world in various segments of the daily culture of society is addressed within the framework of humanitarian disciplines. In particular, the classical works of I. T. Kasavin ^[7] and others are devoted to the consideration of this problem in sociology. It is also possible to mention works of a historical nature, in particular, the works of J. Le Goff ^[8], N. I. Kostomarov ^[9] and others.

For a long time, Russian linguistics has not paid enough attention to the research of the mechanisms of functioning of phytonymic vocabulary in everyday human life, although in recent decades they have become increasingly relevant. The attention of linguists was attracted by phraseological units with a phytonym component ^[10].

Within the framework of the anthropocentric approach, the cognitive foundations of naming phytonyms ^[11], verbalization of the concept of "Man" through phytonyms ^[12], and complex-structured phloronyms ^[13] were analyzed. From the standpoint of linguoculturology, the concepts of flora and fauna ^[14], the linguistic and cultural code "Nature" ^[15], and the linguistic and cultural code "Flora" ^[16] were considered on the basis of the English language. Works that consider phytonyms within the framework of conceptual metaphors are interesting ^[17].

There are a number of works examining phytonyms in Russian folklore, however, a full-fledged study of this group of onyms in British folklore has not been conducted at the moment, which determines the novelty of this study.

The analysis shows that existing research is fragmentary and has often been used as a secondary element of larger scientific research. The lack of a holistic theoretical and practical understanding of the problem of the functioning of phytonymic vocabulary in British folklore and the unexplored mechanisms of this functioning served as the basis for the presented research and determines its relevance.

The purpose of this work is to consider the problem of the use of phytonymic vocabulary and the peculiarities of the existence of forms of its representation in British folk culture from the perspective of everyday linguistics.

The objectives of the study include the identification of the specifics of the representation of phytonomic vocabulary, as well as the systematization and description of its functions.

Material and methods

The research material is based on examples from various modern lexicographic sources ^[18-27] and language data gleaned from the latest media materials and media portals, such as Wikipedia.

The work uses methods of complex analysis based on the methods of various sciences (history, cultural studies), among which the following approaches are considered important: a systematic approach, a semiotic approach, a cultural-anthropological approach.

The results of the study and their discussion

Within the framework of everyday linguistics, it is of particular interest to consider the functioning of phytonyms and phloronyms in love spells, beliefs, amulets, magic formulas, conspiracies, and various kinds of predictions.

In popular culture, there has always been a belief in the magical power of plants to predict the fate of lovers, or to determine the degree of fidelity of a lover. In Russian, this is the well-known fortune-telling on chamomile "Loves, does not love, spits, kisses, presses to his heart, sends him to hell." Similar to the English “He (or she) loves me,” and “He loves me not".

Fortune-telling on a double-leafed clover (a clover of two) was widespread everywhere:

A clover, a clover of two,

Put it in your right shoe;

The first young man you meet,

In field, street, or lane,

You'll get him, or one of his name

^[28].

Clover, clover, two leaves,

Put it in your right shoe.,

And then the first young man you meet or his namesake

He will become your betrothed.

(translated by the authors)

In the north of England, rituals related to ash leaves were popular, namely an ash twig with an even number of leaves (even ash). A girl who wants to know who her lover or betrothed will be, tears off one leaf each with the words:

The even ash-leaf in my left hand,

The first man I meet shall be my husband;

The even ash-leaf in my glove,

The first I meet shall be my love;

The even ash-leaf in my breast,

The first man I meet's whom I love best;

The even ash-leaf in my hand,

The first I meet shall be my man

^[28].

An ash leaf in his left hand –

The first man I meet will be my husband.;

I put the leaf in my glove –

The first person I meet will be my love.;

An ash leaf on the chest –

The first person I meet, I love more than others.;

An ash leaf in your hand –

The first person I meet will be my man!

(translated by the authors)

The popular saying "If you find an even ash or a four-leaved clover, rest assured you'll see your true love ere the day is over" is also associated with ash leaves and four–leaved clover. "If you find an ash twig with an even number of leaves or a four-leaved clover, you'll meet your true love before sunset." ^[28].

In Scotland, there is a belief that if there is an apple in front of the mirror during Halloween, you can see the face of your future spouse. This rite was described by Robert Burns.:

Wee Jenny to her granny says,

Will ye gae wi’ me, granny?

I’ll eat the apple at the glass

I gat frae uncle Johnny

^[29].

About little Jenny, seriously

They bring the news to the grandmother:

The child asked to see the mirror,

To eat an apple.

(S. Alexandrovsky Lane)

To dream of your future lover, on Halloween you had to put a large peeled red onion bulb under your pillow and recite a spell before going to bed.:

Good St. Thomas do me right,

And bring my love to me tonight,

That I may look him in the face,

And in my arms may him embrace

^[30].

Dear Saint Thomas, grant me my wish.

And bring my love to me today.,

So I could see his face.,

And fall asleep in his arms.

(translated by the authors)

Guessing on the apple peel, they say:

Apple peel, apple peel, twist then rest,

Show me the one that I’ll love best.

“Apple peel over my shoulder fly,

Show me the one I’ll love ‘til I die

^[30].

Peel, peel, spin, spin, lay down on the table,

Show me the one I love the most.

Peel, peel, fly over your shoulder,

Show me someone who can take me to his place.

(translated by the authors)

Many plants have a phenomenal ability to predict weather changes in the area where they grow. The people have recorded many plant species that are natural and reliable weather indicators. Among the phenological predictors, grasses predominate (47.6%), followed by trees (28.6%), and then shrubs (23.8%) ^[28].

The knowledge of folk meteorology has not lost its relevance today, and its rational basis and importance are well-founded. Modern technology cannot always accurately predict short-term as well as long-term weather changes in nature. But "weather forecasters" never make mistakes, they only warn about upcoming weather changes in different ways. So, the early flowering of blackberries in June indicates an early harvest. And in the north of England, there is a well–known saying that says that the arrival of spring is associated with the flowering of daisies: "Spring has not arrived till you can set your foot on twelve daisies - "Spring will come only when a dozen daisies bloom on the lawn." The exuberant flowering of hawthorn portends a harsh winter, and the abundantly blooming broom promises a good grain harvest: "The broom having plenty of blossoms is a sign of a fruitful year of corn" – "Broom blossoms abundantly – a large corn harvest is coming." In Surrey, the proverb "It's always cold when the blackthorn comes into flower" is well known. And the rhyme about the oak and ash reminds us that if the oak turns green before the ash, the summer will be rainy, and if the opposite is the case, it will be dry and hot.:

If the oak is out before the ash,

‘Twill be a summer of wet and splash;

But if the ash is before the oak,

‘Twill be a summer of fire and smoke

^[28].

Oak turns green before ash,

The summer will be wet and stormy.

Well, what if it's the other way around,

Then the heat and the fire will come.

(translated by the authors)

The etymology of the prediction “A cherry year, a merry year; a plum year, a dumb year.” If you interpret it, you might think that a year in which a good cherry harvest is harvested will be cheerful, and a year in which plums grow well will be silent or cursed. However, the adjective merry, written in this way, has nothing to do with the word "cheerful." It is associated with the French merise, a common name for wild cherries in the south-west of England. The word dumb – "dumb, silent, damned" also has nothing to do with the adjective written in this way, but is a corruption of the word "prune" (prun es). The meaning of the rhyme now becomes obvious: a year in which a good cherry harvest promises a good cherry harvest, and a year rich in plums promises a lot of prunes.

In Kent County, it was believed that an abundance of nuts (nits) in autumn portends a harsh winter and increased mortality: "Many nits, many pits"– "Many nuts– many graves." The abundance of rowan fruits also indicates a poor harvest: “Many rains, many rowans. Many rowans, many yawns" – "A lot of rain, a lot of mountain ash. A lot of mountain ash is a crop failure.

Many beliefs are associated with the bow:

Onion’s skin very thin,

Mild-winter's coming in;

Onion's skin thick and tough,

Coming winter cold and rough

^[28].

The onion skin is very thin,

It's going to be a very mild winter.;

The onion skin is thick and tough,

The winter will be harsh and cold.

(translated by the authors)

The plants suggested to the farmer the sequence of agricultural work. So, the blackthorn [sloe/ blackthorn] suggested the time of planting barley [barley]:

When the sloe tree is as white as a sheet,

Sow your barley whether it be dry or wet

^[28].

A blooming thorn knocks on the window,

This barley is even in the rain, even in the sun.

(translated by the authors)

In the following example, the beginning of sowing of barley suggests the color of the earrings (goslings) of a flowering oak.:

When the oak puts on his gosling grey,

‘Tis time to sow barley night or day

^[28].

The blooming oak was covered with gray,

Start sowing barley.

(translated by the authors)

The size of the budding leaves of the elm tree is also related to the timing of sowing of barley:

When the elmen leaf is as big as a mouse’s ear,

Then to sow barley never fear.

When the elmen leaf is as big as an ox’s eye,

Then say I, “Hie, boys, hie!

^[28]

When an elm leaf is the size of a mouse's eye,

This barley, don't stay in the hut.

When the elm leaf is already the size of a bull's eye,

Isn't it too late to sow now?

(translated by the authors)

Since ancient times, people have shown interest in plants for the treatment of various diseases. The use of fruits, flowers, and herbs for medicinal purposes is naturally reflected in the language.

According to the above–mentioned old rhyme, common in Devonshire, eating apples is a good prevention of diseases.:

Eat an apple going to bed,

Make the doctor beg his bread

^[30].

Eat an apple before going to bed,

There will be no need to see a doctor.

(translated by the authors)

According to legend, touching an oak tree or holding an oak branch in your hand could get rid of gout by repeating:

Oak-shoot, I to thee complain,

All the torturing gout plagues me;

I cannot go for it,

Thou canst stand it.

The first bird that flies above thee,

To him give it in his flight,

Let him take it with him in the air.

^[30]

Oak branch, I'm complaining to you,

I have gout.;

I can't take this pain anymore,

And you're tough, you can handle it.

May my illness pass over

The first bird flying over you.

Let him take my illness and take it with him.

(translated by the authors)

Ordinary fennel (fennel) is able to give strength to the body, restore strength. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about this in his poem Goblet of Life.:

Above the lowly plant it towers,

The fennel, with its yellow flowers;

And in an earlier age than ours

Was gifted with the wondrous powers

Lost vision to restore.

^[30]

It reigns high above the meadows

That fennel with the yellow flowers,

What about the years before us,

Caught up with the wise gods:

He gives light to the blind.

(translated by I. Annensky)

Hawthorn has long been particularly popular in restoring beauty:

The fair maid who, the first of May,

Goes to the fields at break of day,

And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree,

Will ever after handsome be.

^[28]

The beautiful virgin, who is on the first of May

He goes to the field at dawn,

And he washes himself with dew from the hawthorn,

She will be forever beautiful.

(translated by the authors)

The sorrel leaf (dock-leaf) was widely known among peasants as a remedy for nettle burn:

Nettle out, dock in

Dock remove the nettle-sting.

^[28].

Sorrel, come in, nettle, out!

Sorrel, take the fire off my skin!

(translated by the authors)

Wormwood and rue (wormwood and rue) were widely used as disinfectants:

What savour is better, if physicke be true,

For places infected, than wormwood and rue?

^[28].

According to the sages,

To clean the room

There is no better attribute,

Than wormwood and rue.

(translated by the authors)

Supernatural qualities have been attributed to some plants. So, from hazel or hazel, the dowsers carved their "magic wands", rods, and "magic vines" to search for water, ore, and coal. Magical medicinal properties were attributed to hazel. An ancient way to get rid of the effects of a viper bite required laying out a cross made of hazel branches on the ground and repeating the following spell three times:

Underneath this hazelin mote,

There's a braggotty worm with a speckled throat,

Nine double is he;

Now from nine double to eight double

And from eight double to seven double-ell.

^[28].

Under the walnut cross

The bastard with the tail is hiding

Nine double cubits long.

Shrink down from nine to eight,

From eight to seven, get the poison out of me!

(translated by the authors)

In folk art and medicine, phytonyms perform an expressive function that helps to increase expression and, of course, cognitive, since poems, spells, sayings carry knowledge and wisdom contained in the memory of generations.

Conclusion

In this paper, the functional features of phytonyms in British folklore have been considered. In the modern world, plants and flowers, in particular, are an integral part of everyday life. Turning to the linguistics of everyday life that is relevant today has allowed us to take a fresh look at the role that the names of representatives of the plant world play in the daily lives of the population of English-speaking countries.

The essence of everyday life as a socio-philosophical concept is that it is the closest, most familiar reality to man. For modern linguistics, which has turned its attention to the everyday consciousness and daily life of an individual, everyday discourse is valuable. The potential values of everyday discourse are the values formed within the cultural community.

The main result of our research is to identify the functions of phytonyms in British folklore. The main function is nominative, which is complemented and clarified by characterizing, symbolic, evaluative, cognitive and expressive.

The analysis of the forms of representation of phytonymic vocabulary in British folklore carried out in this paper can serve as a basis for further research on the phenomenon of everyday linguistics. The results of the research can be used in the development of special courses on the history of everyday culture in these countries and the analysis of the culture of everyday life in general and British folk culture in particular.

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The peer-reviewed article "Phytonyms in British folklore (linguoculturological approach)", proposed in a publication in the scientific journal "Litera", undoubtedly examines the actual problem of adequate interpretation of phytonyms when translating into a foreign language, and also solves a number of problems of the theory of linguoculturology. The author turns to the study of plant names, which are an integral attribute of folk folklore, reflect the cultural originality and uniqueness of the national character. The purpose of this work is to consider the problem of using phytonymic vocabulary and the peculiarities of the existence of forms of its representation in British folk culture from the standpoint of everyday linguistics. The article is innovative, one of the first in Russian philology devoted to the study of such issues. The research material is based on examples from various modern lexicographic sources (10 titles) language data gleaned from the latest media materials, media portals, for example, Wikipedia. The theoretical positions are illustrated by linguistic English-language material and translation into Russian, as well as statistical observations. The article presents a research methodology, the choice of which is quite adequate to the goals and objectives of the work. The work uses methods of complex analysis based on the methods of various sciences (history, cultural studies), among which the following approaches are considered important: a systematic approach, a semiotic approach, a cultural-anthropological approach. The research was carried out in line with modern scientific approaches, the work consists of an introduction containing a statement of the problem, the main part, a practical one with a description of the research methodology and a final one, which presents the conclusions obtained by the author. However, the author does not cite in the introductory part, which is traditional for such significant research, the works of predecessors on this topic to identify scientific gaps. The article presents a research methodology, the choice of which is quite adequate to the goals and objectives of the work. This work was done professionally, in compliance with the basic canons of scientific research. The bibliography of the article contains 30 sources, including both domestic and foreign works. The comments made are not significant and do not detract from the overall positive impression of the reviewed work. In general, it should be noted that the article is written in a simple, understandable language for the reader. Typos, grammatical and stylistic errors have not been identified. The work is innovative, representing the author's vision of solving the issue under consideration and may have a logical continuation in further research. The article will undoubtedly be useful to a wide range of people, philologists, undergraduates and graduate students of specialized universities. In general, it should be noted that the article is written in a simple, understandable language for the reader, well structured, typos, spelling and syntactic errors, inaccuracies were not found. The overall impression after reading the peer-reviewed article "Phytonyms in British Folklore (linguistic and cultural approach)" is positive, the work can be recommended for publication in a scientific journal from the list of the Higher Attestation Commission.

Journals

Books

Phytonyms in British folklore (linguistic and cultural approach)