Floristic metaphors in Latin and English pharmaceutical terminology

Abstract

The article highlights metaphorization of floristic vocabulary in Latin and English pharmaceutical terminology. Nominations of plants are considered to be motivated semantically: the inner form of metaphors proves explicit or implicit one. There are used the cognitive method (works by Y. Stepanov (Stepanov, 2001), V. Telia (Telia, 1988), A. Wierzhbicka (Wierzhbicka, 1969) and method of metaphor (works by N. Arutyunova (Arutyunova, 1990), G. Lakoff and M. Johnson (Lakoff and others, 1980), V. Telia (Telia, 1988) for the research. The article focuses on primary floristic nominations and secondary ones based on associative peculiarities. The comparative method enables to examine the specificity of floristic metaphors in Latin and English. The research has found motivation of metaphoric nomination in English and Latin medical terminology. In addition, there have been found similar and peculiar features in nominations of plants, flowers, bushes, trees in English and Latin of medicine. The process of methaphorization is inherent for majority of Latin and English pharmaceutical phytonyms. It leads to the conclusion that metaphorization proves considerable process for comprehension of specificity of different national linguistic view of the world.