Denominations of Herbs in Těšín Silesia motivated by their therapeutic effects

Abstract

This study focuses on the names of medicinal plants which are used in the linguistic area of Těšín Silesia and which have been derived from their eff ects known in folk human and veterinary medicine. The etymol-ogy of the names of these plants was transparent to the average speaker of the language and acted as a clear guide on how to use them. It is therefore a suitable source of ethnolinguistic knowledge. We identify four typical types of motivation: the organ or part of body for which the plant is used; the disease against which the plant is used; the eff ect; the person or animal for whose treatment the plant is used. Each type is documented using specifi c examples and aided by analyses of the origin of the name of the plant and its therapeutic use as it is known in Těšín Silesia. In interesting cases, comparison with contemporary Czech and other Slavic languages is also carried out.