Народная этимология наименований целебных трав в Тешинской Силизии: очерк современного состояния

Abstract

Folk etymology is an interesting source of the information for understanding the world view by users of the language. It can be assumed that the conception of nomination, e.g. the names of medical plants would follow the changes in the society. The questionnaire survey conducted across three generations of contemporary users of the regional dialect in 13 villages all over the Těšín Silesia explored active and passive knowledge of dialectic names of the medical plants and their etymology. The survey has shown that contemporary speakers of the language are no longer aware of mythological justification in those names. They find motivation for naming mainly in the effect or use of the herb, or in its external resemblance to objects or animals, etc. Today's inhabitants of the whole Těšín Silesia region are already largely free from the traditional mythological perception of the world. If they know it, they perceive it with great reserve as part of an outdated tradition, but no longer as a valid part of reality they experience. We find that the active and passive knowledge of folk names of medicinal plants, as well as the mythological background associated with formerly commonly used names, was irretrievably lost in Těšín Silesia under the influence of education, lifestyle changes, industrialization, and urbanization of the environment during the 20th century.