Indigenous Botanical Nomenclature Used by the Yi People in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China

Abstract

With increasing outside cultural influences and economic development among the Yi people of Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan, China, we sought to document traditional Yi language plant names and classification methods. Over 15 consecutive years (2003–2017), we used ethnobotanical surveys and interviews to investigate local knowledge of common plants in Liangshan. We collected Yi names of 322 plant taxa from 109 families and analyzed the Liangshan Yi’s indigenous botanical nomenclature. Many Yi language plant names include a suffix bbo, meaning “plant,” or syr meaning “tree.” Plants foundational to Yi culture, such as buckwheat, hemp, and bamboo, have monosyllabic names on which other plant names, compound words, and place names are built. The Liangshan Yi have a binomial nomenclature system used especially for crops, with “folk generics” based on plant life form or economic use, and “folk species/varieties” based on plant characteristics or habitat. Liangshan Yi generally name introduced plants by borrowing names from Mandarin Chinese in two ways: (1) borrowed sound (transliteration) or (2) borrowed sound combined with Yi morphemes (loan blends). With increased introduction of non-native plants into Liangshan, and greater market interactions between Han and Yi communities in Liangshan, traditional Yi plant naming methods are at risk of gradually being replaced by Han Chinese methods. Standardized education in Mandarin Chinese, increased Han migration to Liangshan, and changing lifestyles also contribute to decrease in knowledge and usage of Liangshan Yi plant names.