Pozytywne wartościowanie w nazwach roślin leczniczych
Positive value judgments in the names of medicinal plants

Summary/Abstract: Various naming motifs are used in the linguistic nomination of medicinal plants. A relatively large proportion of botanical names are value-laden. The attribution of specific values – positive or negative – to plants in their nominations is linked to the way people perceive them. The value connotations in botanical nomenclature can have a more or less rational justification. The evaluation conveyed in the names may be based on the physical properties of the plants, their usefulness, primarily in medicinal terms, but also their harmfulness to humans, their aesthetic qualities, etc. Attributing value judgments may also have an irrational basis, a cultural background, a religious background, attributed links to mythology. Legends and aythiological accounts serve to explain the origin of such names, particularly relating to the now disappearing dialect naming of plants. The topic is presented on the examples of binominal official names of medicinal plant species in Polish and their selected folk names, characterised by value judgements and evoking different associations in language users. The author also addresses the issue of positive values in Latin botanical nomenclature, which in many cases serves as a prototype for names created in national languages.

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