Volume 19, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 15-34
Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, Tartu, Estonia
Abstract
Understanding the
emic concept of wild edible plants in specific cultural settings is
important to map local perceptions on nature. As there is no specific
word to describe the concept of a wild edible plant in Estonian, we
asked to list plants belonging to a category described by two partly
overlapping phrases: looduslik taim (natural plant) and metsikult kasvav
taim (plant that grows wild). Answers of 85 lay respondents were
analysed quantitatively based on the nomenclature of the plants listed
and qualitatively based on the question requiring narrative responce.
While in the Estonian realm of the second half of the 20th century there
was no need for conceptualization of wild (edible) plants and the
notion did not exist, people describe them through the ability to grow
itself, opposing to cultivation, places of growing, and higher level of
abstraction. Prototypes of wild edible plants were Oxalis acetosella,
Rumex acetosa, Fragaria vesca and Vaccinium myrtillus. © 2015 Estonian
Academy Publishers. All rights reserved.
Author keywords
Conceptualization; Ecosemiotics; Estonia; Historical ethnobotany; Wild edible plants
ISSN: 14060922Source Type: Journal
Original language: English
DOI: 10.3176/tr.2015.1.02Document Type: Article
Publisher: Estonian Academy Publishers
Funding Details
Number; Acronym; Sponsor: ETF9419; ESF; Esperantic Studies FoundationNumber; Acronym; Sponsor: IUT 22-5; ESF; Esperantic Studies Foundatio
