Abstract
This text discusses Polish dialectal names of plants, which refl ect the human attitude towards the world of fl ora. Therefore, the basic issue is the motivation behind plant names. These names are motivated by species characteristics. The motivations where the human attitude towards the nature are particularly visible have been taken into consideration. These are primarily medicinal properties and the attributed (positive or negative) magical properties, harmfulness of certain species, application and purpose in the homestead, and annoying negative characteristics. The relation between plant names and folk beliefs and legends are analysed, religious references are also made. The signifi cant role of taboos and metaphors in the plant denomination process is emphasised in the discussions. The names are examined from the historical and comparative perspective, which is illustrated with examples. Keywords: folk names of plants – semantic motivation – origin of plant names – metaphor – taboo
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