ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

THE CONCEPT OF “FLOWERS” IN EXPLANATORY DICTIONARIES

KEYWORDS: dictionary, meaning, shade of meaning, definition, flower.

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

The subject of this article is the meaning (or meanings) of the noun gėlė ‘flower’ and the definitions of its meaning(s) given in explanatory dictionaries of Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, and English. In general, the subject of plants is of interest to linguists, literary scholars, ethnologists, and others. However, the specific subject of gėlė ‘flower’ has so far received little attention from linguists. Various articles have been published on individual flower names; for example, Aurelija Gritenienė studied the image of the hepatica (2014), while Rūta Kazlauskaitė examined images of the flowering poppy (2010) and flowering sunflower (2014). Džiuljeta Maskuliūnienė and Regina Kvašytė have investigated the semantics of flower names in Janina Degutytė’s and Arturo Guoba’s poetry for children (2010).

At first glance, the word gėlė ‘flower’ may seem very concrete, clear, easy to recognize, and understandable. However, examining definitions of this word’s meaning(s) in explanatory dictionaries of Lithuanian and the aforementioned languages, as well as in other sources,¹ raises numerous questions. The aim of this article is to determine how many meanings gėlės ‘flower’ may have and to compare the features of the definitions of the meaning(s) of gėlės ‘flower’ in explanatory dictionaries of Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, and English, and to make proposals concerning the entry for this word in the Dictionary of Standard Lithuanian (hereafter BŽ).

To achieve this aim, the following tasks were set: to identify the features most commonly selected when defining the meaning(s) of gėlės ‘flower’; to determine which approach to defining word meanings—traditional or cognitive—is most commonly followed; and to compare definitions given in Lithuanian dictionaries with those in Latvian, Russian, and English dictionaries.

As Aloyzas Gudavičius states, comparative semantic studies are very important for identifying the characteristics of the categorization of reality in language: “characteristics are perhaps most clearly reflected in the structure of a word’s meaning, and this becomes most apparent when compared with other meanings, especially corresponding meanings in other languages” (Gudavičius 2009: 93). Therefore, this article set out to investigate not only the meaning of gėlės presented in Lithuanian explanatory dictionaries

¹ This refers to The Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia (hereinafter, VLE_e), The Free Encyclopedia (hereinafter, Vikipedija), and the Corpus of Contemporary Lithuanian. The material from the latter source is examined in detail in another article by the authors in this volume of the journal.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose | 2

in dictionaries, but also to compare how a flower is defined by our closest neighbors, the Latvians and Russians, as well as by the more distant English².

Pasak Kristinos Rutkovskos ir kt. (2017: 30), „[k]albinio vieneto reikšmė, kaip žmonių pasaulio interpretacijos rezultatas, yra nulemta kultūros, ir tai <...> turi būti parodyta definicijoje“. Kitaip tariant, skirtingos tautos žodyne tie patys žodžiai gali būti apibrėžti skirtingai, t. y. išryškinti tie jų požymiai, kurie yra svarbūs ir atpažįstami būtent tos tautos žmonių. Šiame straipsnyje, remiantis žodynų reikšmių apibrėžtimis ir iliustraciniais pavyzdžiais, rekonstruojamas leksikografinis gėlės vaizdas³ skirtingose kalbose. Apie šio vaizdo skirtumus ir panašumus bus kalbama toliau.

Meanings in dictionaries can most often be defined using either a traditional or a cognitive strategy for defining meaning. Below, we will present the differences between traditional and cognitive definitions. Traditional⁴ definitions often use elements of scientific knowledge in an effort to convey as objectively as possible an image of an element of reality. They rely on a hierarchical internal category structure consisting of a generic (hyperonymic) concept and specific (distinctive) features that describe a lower-level (hyponymic) concept (Gudavičius 2009: 70–72; Rutkovska et al. 2017: 30). A cognitive definition⁵ is based on everyday, personal knowledge of and experience with the world; it seeks to show which associations arise in the speaker’s mind when a word is mentioned during an act of speech. It reflects all the features of lexical meaning—central and peripheral—without drawing a strict boundary between so-called denotative and connotative features, especially when the latter are associated with certain conventional contexts (Gudavičius 2009: 70–72; Rutkovska et al. 2017: 30). It may be noted that the authors of the General Dictionary often combine traditional (more scientific) and cognitive definitions of word meaning (for more, see Gaidienė, Liutkevičienė 2017).

1. DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD FLOWER AND ITS SYNONYMS IN EXPLANATORY DICTIONARIES OF THE LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE

First, let us see how flower is defined in the Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language (hereafter LKŽ_e). It should be mentioned that LKŽ_e also records the synonyms for flower žolynas, ×kvietka, ×kvietkas,

² When writing the dictionary text, the authors of the General Dictionary also drew on the experience of well-known dictionaries of foreign languages (especially those discussed in this article)—Latvian, Russian, and English dictionaries.

³ Dėl termino leksikografinis pasaulio vaizdas plačiau žr. Rutkovska ir kt. 2017: 31.

⁴ It is also called a classical, dictionary definition.

⁵ Jerzio Bartminskio (1988), A. Gudavičiaus (2009), K. Rutkovskos ir kt. (2015) ir kt. darbuose vartojamas terminas kognityvinė definicija.

⁶ In LKŽ_e, the special symbol “×” marks loanwords that are not recommended for standard language.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose |3

vainikas⁷, but they will not be examined in great detail in this article; they are mentioned only to show how many uncertainties arise when analyzing the meanings of names denoting flowers.

TABLE 1. Definitions of the meanings of gėlė, kvietka, kvietko, žolynas, and vainikas in LKŽ_e

Headword

Definition of the word’s meaning in LKŽ_e

gėlė

1. a beautifully flowering or ornamental plant, žolynas⁸

kvietka (Belarusian цветка)

1. flower, žolynas⁹

kvietkas

see kvietka 1.

herbaceous plant

2. flower | houseplant¹⁰

wreath

6. flower¹¹

As can be seen, the definition of the word flower in LKŽ_e is ‘a plant or herbaceous plant that blooms beautifully or is decorative’. In other words, the word flower refers to two kinds of plants:

a) plants that bloom beautifully;

b) plants that are simply ornamental, beautiful (but do not necessarily have a beautiful flower).

Thus, in the definition of the word _e gėlė in LKŽ, the most typical features perceived by sight are recorded—blooming and simply the beauty of a flower.

Table 1 shows that in the dictionary under consideration the words kvietka (kvietkas), žolynas and vainikas are defined synonymously, so it can be understood that these words are treated as synonyms in the dictionary¹². However, several illustrative examples given in the LKŽ lexical entry for the word _e gėlė stand out: Herbs grow in meadows, while flowers grow in the garden. Kvietkai are made of paper, while flowers grow in the garden. Flowers are for indoors, kvietkos are for the garden (LKŽ_e). These sentences suggest that in people’s minds gėlė, kvietka (kvietkas) and žolynas were not quite the same thing—their growing locations differ; on the other hand, these examples contradict one another, cf.:

• gėlė – grows in a garden, but not in meadows; grows indoors, but not in a garden;

• kvietka (kvietkas) – made of paper, but a plant growing in a garden is not called that; kvietkas grows in a garden, but not indoors.

⁷ Of course, all these words are synonymous in only one sense.

⁸ LKŽ_e also gives a second meaning of gėlė, ‘wood anemone’, but it is not relevant in this case.

⁹ The word kvietka in LKŽ_e has three more meanings: ‘flower’, ‘bouquet of flowers or herbs’, and ‘ornament’.

¹⁰ The word žolynas in LKŽ_e has more meanings: ‘any herbaceous plant (growing or cut)’, ‘weed’, ‘medicinal herb’, ‘meadow, small meadow’, ‘flower bed, garden plot’, ‘herbarium’, ‘bouquet’.

¹¹ The word wreath LKŽ_e has several meanings, the first of which is ‘a wreath woven from flowers or other plants (usually circular)’.

¹² The dictionary of synonyms lists the following synonyms for flower – plant, wreath (see http://lkiis.lki.lt/sinonimu for more).

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose 4

Let us also compare the sentences illustrating the use of the word kvietkas in its lexicographic entry: Only those are kvietkai that have kvietkai (with ‘flowers’—as explained by the entry’s authors), but then they are all žolynai (LKŽ_e), and in the entry for the word žolynas: Nowadays they say kvietkai, but long ago they said žolynai (LKŽ_e). Thus, the illustrative examples cited show an attempt to demonstrate the differences between kvietka and žolynas. However, the rest of the dictionary material does not support this.

Judging from the illustrative examples discussed, the word gėlė may mean an indoor or garden flower. However, LKŽ_e also contains illustrative sentences from which the meaning of gėlės is not clear, for example: The flowers were blooming. Some flowers have beautiful blossoms, while others have no blossoms at all. The second flower bloomed, as the moon rose.

An examination of other illustrative examples of the word kvietka (kvietkas) in LKŽ_e reveals three shades of meaning associated with the place where kvietka (kvietko) grows:

• Simply gėlė (without specifying the place where it grows). More often, one may suspect that a field or garden flower is meant (e.g., she picked an armful of kvietkai—who knows whether from pots), but it may also be a cultivated flower (e.g., water the kvietkai, that is, both garden and indoor flowers, but not field flowers). Further illustrative examples: The kvietkai have already bloomed. I like the scent of kvietkai. She picked a whole armful of kvietkai for me. The little kvietkai can no longer be seen in bloom. A little bee... gathers pollen from one little kvietkelis to another. All the kvietkos bloomed in spring. Little kvietkelės are blooming on the ground. Water the kvietkai.

• Garden flower, e.g.: He climbed into the garden and plucks a flower. Rūta is the prettiest flower. The peony is a beautiful flower. I will grow pretty little flowers in the garden. We lead the procession into the garden, and we lead the separate one carrying three little flowers.

• Houseplant, e.g.: I am to my mother like a little flower in the window. I am to my own mother like a little flower in the window, but to you, young man, like a little broom in the corner. Little flowers bloomed on the windowsill; little blossoms gleamed on the hands.

From the sentences cited from LKŽ_e, it becomes clear that herbs refers to plants that do not necessarily grow in meadows (as seemed to be the case from the previously mentioned sentence Herbs grow in meadows, while flowers grow in the garden). Let us consider what shades of meaning of herb growth can be distinguished on the basis of other illustrative examples of this word provided in LKŽ_e:

• Simply grass (with the place where it grows not specified), e.g.: The little herb patch is lovely, but I don’t know what it’s called. The girls scattered little herbs. The very blooming of the herbs. My dear sister, my guest, where did you pick the little herbs, where did you weave the little wreath? Beneath their feet the little herbs withered, while our brothers fell like leaves.

• Garden flower (a specific garden flower near the house, near the cottage, planted, sown, or named), e.g.: Dahlia is more beautiful than all my herbs. They plant herbs

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose 5

all kinds – nasturtiums, marigolds. I sowed a poppy, a yellow flower. She made the women a pretty little fence and planted flowers along it. Flowers need to be planted by the cottages. A lot of beautiful flowers have been planted. I would put the rake down in the garden, among the flowers: I thought, I’ll rest, and my rake can rest too.

• Houseplant (a shade of meaning distinguished in the dictionary), e.g.: She has a windowsill full of flowers every year. I had one of those flowers, and before the rain its leaves get wet and drip. A flower placed like that won’t adorn the window. Flowers wilt after a long time. I pour in [w]ater; the flowers need to be watered.

In LKŽ_e there are not many illustrative examples of vainikas, so it is not possible to distinguish shades such as gėlės, kvietkos (kvietko) and žolyno; cf.: The flowers bloom in beautiful bunches. Don’t break off a vainikas. Pick yourself some vainikai. They have vainikai everywhere – on the windowsills and in the front room on the table [in a vase]. The cited examples show that the primary meaning here is ‘flower’: a vainikas blooms, can be picked, and put in a vase as a decoration. It should be noted that this meaning of vainikas no longer exists in the standard language.

Thus, it can be concluded that the meanings of all four words—gėlės, kvietkos (kvietko), žolyno, vainiko—are almost indistinguishable on the basis of the material in LKŽ_e. Here is what is said in the Atlas of the Lithuanian Language (hereafter LKA; 1977: 188–189): “The old distribution of the name gėlė for a flowering or ornamental plant does not emerge from the material recorded in the LKA—the map essentially reflects the current area of use of this name, which has expanded considerably in recent decades, particularly under the influence of the literary language. <...> Sometimes the meaning of žolyno / žolės is further specified: ‘houseplant’ <...>, ‘house or garden flower’ <...>, ‘garden flower’<...>, ‘wildflower’ <...>, ‘a flowering or nonflowering meadow or garden plant’ <...>, ‘many different flowers’ <...>. In some places, the meaning of the name vainikas is explained as ‘flower or blossom’ <...>, ‘flower in bloom’ <...>. Notes by the LKA’s data collectors indicate that in some places kvietka / kvietkų refers only to a flowering <...>, garden <...>, house <...>, or picked <...> flower; a flower’s blossom <...>; or a flower and a bouquet <...>.” Also significant is a footnote in the LKA (1977: 188): “In some places, gėlė refers only to a small <...>, flowering <...>, beautiful <...> flower, or a flower made of paper <...>.”

Next, let us look at how the words under discussion are defined in the Dictionary of Contemporary Lithuanian (hereafter DŽ₇₁).

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose | 6

TABLE 2. Definitions of the meanings of gėlė and žolynas¹³ in DŽ₇ᵢ

Headword

Definition of the word’s meaning in DŽ₇ᵢ

gėlė

a plant that flowers beautifully or has beautiful leaves: Houseplants. Garden, wild, meadow, forest flowers. A ~ bouquet. Put the ~s in water

žolynas

1. grass, flower¹⁴: Garden flowers. The gates are decorated with flowers. The fields are full of flowers. My flowers have begun to bloom (poet.).

The definition of the meaning of the word gėlė in DŽ₇ᵢ is almost the same as in LKŽₑ, but specifies what that ‘ornamental plant’ is (see Table 2). Thus, in DŽ₇ᵢ too, gėlė is understood as

a) a plant that flowers beautifully, or

b) a plant that has beautiful leaves; that is, the definition records the most typical visually perceived characteristics of a flower—blooming and beautiful leaves.

In DŽ₇ᵢ, the meaning of the word žolynas is defined not only as ‘flower’ but also as ‘grass’. This is rather confusing, especially when both are given in a single definition, since in human consciousness grass and flowers are two different things. However, perhaps it is possible to understand why this choice was made: the meaning of žolynas as ‘flower’ is fading, and in people’s minds the word žolynas is coming to mean not so much a flower as any herbaceous plant. If we compare the definitions of the meanings of žolynas in LKŽₑ and DŽ₇ᵢ with the definition of this word in BŽ, we would see that BŽ no longer includes the meaning ‘flower’ for žolynas at all; žolynas is defined as ‘any herbaceous plant’¹⁵: Garden flowers. Alfalfa is an indispensable herbaceous plant on a dairy farm. An ecological aromatic-herb farm.

In summary, it can be stated that the definition of the meaning of the word flower in LKŽₑ and DŽ₇ᵢ is very general and imprecise, i.e., only the most typical visually perceptible characteristics of a flower are mentioned—a flower may have either a beautiful blossom or beautiful leaves—so the definition follows a cognitive approach. However, considering the examples examined in both dictionaries, the question arises whether more meanings of flower should be distinguished. As mentioned, LKŽₑ distinguishes a sense nuance ‘houseplant’. Some illustrative sentences in LKŽₑ show that different words were even used for garden, field, and domestic flowers—gėlė, kvietka (kvietkas), žolynas—but these were isolated, non-systematic instances of usage. Moreover, in the illustrative examples He put all the flowers in water (LKŽₑ) and A bouquet of flowers. Put the flowers in water (DŽ₇ᵢ), what is meant is

¹³ The word kvietka (kvietkas) is not accepted in standard language and therefore does not appear in DŽ₇ᵢ. The meaning ‘flower’ of the word vainikas is also no longer recorded in this dictionary.

¹⁴ In DŽ₇ᵢ, the word žolynas has two further meanings: ‘a place where some kind of grass grows’ and ‘a collection of herbs’.

¹⁵ In BŽ, the word žolynas has two further meanings and one sense nuance: ‘a place overgrown with grass | ground cover consisting of naturally growing or sown fodder grasses’ and ‘a collection of herbs, a bouquet’.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose

7

picked flowers, so here the reference is no longer to the whole plant (flower), but to a part of it—without roots. It should be recalled that in LKŽ, _e kvietka (kvietkas) also has the meaning ‘blossom’. Thus, these examples show that the word flower probably has more than one meaning, and its primary meaning should also be defined by mentioning more of the typical characteristics of a flower.

It is useful to look at how flower is defined and how many of its meanings are distinguished in dictionaries of other languages.

2. DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD FLOWER IN LATVIAN EXPLANATORY DICTIONARIES

This section examines how flower is defined in two Latvian explanatory dictionaries—MLVV and LLVV.

TABLE 3. Definitions of the meanings of the word flower in Latvian dictionaries

Dictionary

Definition of the word flower (Latvian flower) definition

Characteristics of the referents recorded in the definitions

MLVV

1. Dekoratīvs, ziedošs lakstaugs, arī puskrūms <...> | Dekoratīvs lakstaugs telpu izdaiļošanai <...> 2. Zieds (parasti ar kātu) <...>

1. (flower as a plant) ‘ornamental’, ‘flowering’, ‘herbaceous plant or subshrub’ | (houseplant) ‘ornamental’, ‘herbaceous plant’, ‘decorating the home’ 2. (flower as a part of a plant) ‘has a blossom’, ‘usually has a stem’

LLVV

1. An ornamental, flowering (showy or wild) herbaceous plant, also a subshrub <...> | An ornamental (flowering or non-flowering) indoor plant <...> 2. A flower (usually with a stem) <...>

1. (flower as a plant) ‘ornamental’, ‘flowering’, ‘garden or wild plant’, ‘herbaceous plant or subshrub’ | (houseplant) ‘ornamental’, ‘flowering or non-flowering’, ‘houseplant’ 2. (flower as part of a plant) ‘has a flower’, ‘usually has a stem’

First of all, it should be noted that Latvian explanatory dictionaries distinguish by meaning between flower as a ‘plant’ and flower as a ‘part of that plant’, i.e. ‘a flower (usually with a stem)’ (see Table 3). The latter meaning could also be defined as ‘a plant without roots’, ‘a picked plant’

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose 8

(flower)’ or the like. This distinction seems logical, since dictionaries most often distinguish by meanings or shades of meaning (where the name is the same), for example, fruits and the plants that produce them (pear—‘tree’, pear—‘fruit’; banana—‘tropical plant’, banana—‘fruit’)¹⁶. In the cases under consideration, the relationship is the same—plant and its part. It should also be noted that the first meaning of flower (‘plant’) in both MLVV and LLVV has two shades of meaning related to where the flower grows: 1) ‘flowers growing outdoors’ and 2) ‘flowers growing indoors’. The illustrative examples for the shade ‘flowers growing outdoors’ (and the definition in LLVV) show that this refers both to flowers sown or planted by people, growing in gardens, and wild flowers growing naturally in meadows or elsewhere, cf.: Stādīt dārzā puķes (Plant flowers in the garden); Pļavā auga dažādas puķes (Various flowers grew in the meadow); Lauku puķes (Field flowers). Distinguishing these shades also seems entirely justified, since indoor flowers are generally only herbaceous plants (not shrubs or subshrubs).

Regarding the definitions of flower in Latvian dictionaries, it should be said that they are more detailed than the definitions of this word given in Lithuanian dictionaries—if only because they distinguish not one meaning but three (meanings or shades of meaning). The core meaning describes the most typical features of a flower: ‘flowering’, ‘ornamental’ (visually perceived features); ‘garden or wild plant’ (a feature concerning where it grows); ‘herbaceous plant or subshrub’¹⁷ (scientific classification).

In the definition of the first shade of meaning (i.e. ‘houseplant’) in both dictionaries, the flower’s external feature ‘ornamental plant’ (i.e. decorative, beautiful) is indicated; LLVV further notes that it may be ‘flowering or non-flowering’ (thus, a flower need not be identifiable by its flower). Another feature of this shade of meaning, recorded in both dictionaries, reveals the plant’s purpose—‘a plant for decorating the home’ (or simply ‘houseplant’).

The only feature of a flower indicated for the second meaning, given in both dictionaries, is ‘a flower (usually with a stem)’.

Thus, Latvian explanatory dictionaries distinguish three¹⁸ meanings (or shades of meaning) of the word flower, which are defined using a more cognitive strategy for defining meanings.

¹⁶ The authors of BŽ take the position that, for example, a plant and its part should be distinguished as separate meanings, rather than as shades of meaning. This position of the BŽ authors is also supported by the fact that in some cases a plant and its part are even denoted by different words, for example, obelís – obuolys; juodmedis ‘tree’ – persimonas ‘its fruit’.

¹⁷ In Lithuanian, these are shrubs, not subshrubs. Cf. VLE: “flowers are annual, biennial, or perennial herbaceous plants grown outdoors, indoors, or in greenhouses for ornamental purposes, less often shrubs (emphasis added by the article’s authors), with decorative flowers, leaves, and stems. <...>” (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/geles-43169); cf. Wikipedia: “Most flowers are herbaceous plants; the rest are shrubs (emphasis added by the article’s authors)” (see https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gėlė).

¹⁸ In fact, Latvian dictionaries distinguish two meanings of flower, but one of the meanings given in the dictionaries also has a shade of meaning. For convenience, throughout this article the authors count a shade of meaning as a separate meaning in such cases and write “meaning (or shade of meaning).” It should be noted that when dictionaries distinguish a shade of meaning, it may be considered no longer a “unified” meaning of the word.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose

9

3. DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD FLOWER IN RUSSIAN EXPLANATORY DICTIONARIES

Let us look at how the word flower is defined in Russian explanatory dictionaries—CEM, МАКС, and ТСД.

TABLE 4. Definitions of the meanings of the word flower in Russian dictionaries

Dictionary

Definition of the word flower (Russian цветок)

Characteristics of referents presented in the definitions

CEM¹⁹

1. (plural цветки', -о'в). The reproductive organ of flowering plants, with a corolla of petals surrounding the pistil and stamens <...> 2. (plural цветы', -о'в). A herbaceous plant which, when in bloom, has a bright, often fragrant head or inflorescence unfolding from a bud <...> 3. (plural цветы', -о'в). A bright, often fragrant head or inflorescence on the stem of a herbaceous plant (flower in sense 2) <...>

1. (flower as a reproductive organ) ‘has a corolla of petals around the pistil and stamens’ 2. (flower as a plant) ‘herbaceous plant’, ‘during flowering has a bright, often fragrant flower or inflorescence that unfolds from a flower bud’ 3. (flower as part of a plant) ‘has a bright, often fragrant flower or inflorescence’, ‘has a stem’, ‘belongs to herbaceous plants’

МАКС

1. (plural цветы and specialized цветки). Part of a plant, usually shaped like a corolla of petals surrounding a pistil with stamens. <...> | Bot. Such a part of a plant as an organ

1. (flower as a part of a plant) ‘part of a plant’, ‘has a corolla of petals around the pistil and stamens’ | (flower as a reproductive organ) ‘part of a plant’,

¹⁹ A Russian explanatory dictionary, Толковый словарь русского языка (ТСОШ), was also consulted, but it presents the material in much the same way as CEM, so it was not included in the table.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose

10

of reproduction.

2. (plural flowers). A plant that has this reproductive organ.

‘reproductive organ’

2. (flower as a plant) ‘a plant that has this reproductive organ’

ТСД

<...> часть растения, рождающая плод и семя <...>

(flower as a reproductive organ) ‘the part of a plant from which fruits and seeds develop’

Russian-language dictionaries also distinguish more than one meaning of the word gėlė (with the exception of ТСД).

The primary meaning of gėlė, unlike in the Lithuanian and Latvian dictionaries examined above, is ‘a flower as a plant’s reproductive organ’ (in МАКС this is a nuance of the first meaning). Scientific features of this meaning are noted: ‘has a corolla of petals around the pistil and stamens’, ‘the part of a plant from which fruits and seeds develop’. It should be noted that the plural form of this botanical meaning (цветки) differs from the plural form of the other two meanings (or shades of meaning) (цветы).

МАКС distinguishes as the first meaning of gėlė simply ‘a flower as a part of a plant’, without specifying its function. This meaning is also defined scientifically: ‘a part of a plant’, ‘has a corolla of petals around the pistil and stamens’.

The third meaning in СЕМ also refers to a part of a plant, but in this case it is not ‘a flower’, but ‘a flower with a stem’. One feature of the definition can be considered scientific—‘belongs to herbaceous plants’—whereas the others are oriented toward the consciousness of the average speaker: they can be smelled and perceived by sight, for example, ‘has a bright, often fragrant flower or inflorescence’, ‘has a stem’.

Another meaning recorded in Russian-language dictionaries is the same as in Lithuanian and Latvian dictionaries—‘a flower as a plant’. In defining it, МАКС systematically focuses on scientific features: ‘a plant that has this reproductive organ’. The definition in the СЕМ dictionary is more comprehensive and, as with the other meanings, identifies both scientific features (‘herbaceous plant’²⁰, ‘flower bud’) and features readily recognized by the average speaker (color, scent, time—the flowering period): ‘during the flowering period, has a bright, often fragrant flower or inflorescence that unfolds from a flower bud’.

It should be added that although ТСД defines only one meaning of gėlė (‘a flower as a reproductive organ’), the meaning ‘a flower as a plant’ is also illustrated by examples, cf.: Цветы полевые, дикие, и садовые, тепличные (Field flowers, wild flowers, and

²⁰ According to the definition given in СЕМ, a ‘flower as a plant’ can only be a herbaceous plant; however, a rose is not a herbaceous plant, yet in Russian it is considered a flower, cf. http://www.flowerbank.ru/?p=6522.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose | 11

garden, greenhouse flowers). In addition, ТСД separately mentions indoor flowers: „Комнатными цветами зовут и всякое горшечное растение, которое держать для цвету“ (Indoor flowers is also what any potted plant kept for its blossoms is called). Thus, this explanation also indicates the purpose of flowers—they are kept for their blossoms. CEM also mentions indoor flowers, but only as an illustrative example of the meaning ‘flower as a plant’.

Judging from the material in the Russian-language dictionaries examined, the word flower refers only to a plant that bears a flower (unlike in Latvian and Lithuanian dictionaries). CEM even emphasizes that the flower is not just any flower, but a conspicuous or fragrant one (and thus distinctive in some way).

To summarize, the meanings of the word flower given in Russian-language dictionaries can be said to be defined using both traditional and cognitive strategies for defining meaning.

4. DEFINITIONS OF THE WORD FLOWER IN ENGLISH EXPLANATORY DICTIONARIES

This section examines definitions of the word flower in English explanatory dictionaries—MERRIAM-WEBSTER, OXFORD, MACMILLAN, COLLINS, and CAMBRIDGE.

TABLE 5. Definitions of the meanings of flower in English dictionaries

Dictionary Definition of the word flower (English flower) Real features recorded in the definitions MERRIAM-WEBSTER 1 a¹: the specialized part of an angiospermous plant that occurs singly or in clusters, possesses whorls of often colorful petals or sepals, and bears the reproductive structures (such as stamens or pistils) involved in the development of seeds and fruit <...> b: a cluster of small flowers growing closely together that resembles and is often viewed as a single flower <...> 1 a: (flower as a reproductive organ) ‘a specialized part of angiosperm²³ plants’, ‘occurs singly or in clusters’, ‘has whorls of often colorful petals or sepals’, ‘has reproductive structures—stamens or pistils—involved in the development of seeds and fruit’ b: (inflorescence) ‘a cluster of small flowers’, ‘resembles a flower’, ‘often treated as a single flower’

²¹ The original numbering of meanings given in the English-language dictionaries is retained in the article (in both the English text and its translation). ²³ This is a division of the plant kingdom. For more information, see VLEe (https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/magnolijunai-10860).

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose

12

c: a plant grown or valued for its flowers <...> d: a cut stem of a plant with its flower²²

c: (flower as a plant) ‘a plant grown for its flowers’, ‘a plant valued for its flowers’ d: (flower as a part of a plant) ‘a cut stem with a flower’

OXFORD

1. The seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) that are typically surrounded by a brightly colored corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals). 1.1 A brightly colored and conspicuous example of the flower of a plant together with its stalk, typically used with others as a decoration or gift²⁴ <...>

1. (flower as a reproductive organ) ‘the part of a plant that produces seeds’, ‘consists of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels²⁵, surrounded by a brightly coloured corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals)’ 1.1 (flower as a part of a plant) ‘conspicuous’, ‘a brightly coloured flower with a stem’, ‘used as a decoration’, ‘used as a gift’

MACMILLAN

1 the colored part of a plant from which the plant’s fruit develops. A flower is often made up of many petals <...> a. a flower and its stem that have been removed from a plant <...> 2 a plant that is grown because its flowers are attractive

1. (flower as a reproductive organ) ‘a colourful part of a plant’, ‘it develops into a fruit’, ‘usually consists of many petals’ a. (flower as a part of a plant) ‘a flower with a stem, cut from the plant’ 2. (flower as a plant) ‘a plant grown for its beautiful flowers’

COLLINS

1. <...> A flower is the part of a plant which is often brightly coloured, grows at the end of a stem, and only survives for a short time <...> 2. <...> A flower is a stem of a plant that has one or more flowers on it

1. (flower as a part of a plant) ‘a part of a plant’, ‘often brightly coloured’, ‘grows at the end of a stem’, ‘survives only for a short time’ 2. (flower as a part of a plant) ‘a stem with one or more flowers’, ‘cut’,

²² MERRIAM-WEBSTER has other meanings of flower as well, but they are unrelated to the meanings of flower examined in this article.

²⁴ OXFORD also has other meanings of flower, but they are unrelated to the meanings of flower examined in this article.

²⁵ Cf. LRTB: “A carpel is a modified leaf of a plant flower. One or several fused carpels form a pistil” (see http://terminai.vlkk.lt/pls/tb/tb.result).

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose

13

and has been picked, usually with others, for example to give as a present or to put in a vase <...> 3. <...> Flowers are small plants that are grown for their flowers as opposed to trees, shrubs, and vegetables²⁶ <...>

usually with other (flowers—explained by the article’s authors) as a gift’, ‘picked, usually with other (flowers—explained by the article’s authors) to put in a vase’ 3. (flower as a plant) ‘a small plant’, ‘grown for its flowers’, ‘not a tree, not a shrub, not a vegetable’

CAMBRIDGE

the part of a plant that is often brightly coloured and has a pleasant smell, or the type of plant that produces these <...>

1.²⁷ (flower as a part of a plant) ‘part of a plant’, ‘often brightly coloured’, ‘often pleasantly scented’ 2. (flower as a plant) ‘has conspicuous flowers’, ‘has a pleasant scent’

Judging from the English-language dictionaries under discussion, for English speakers flower is first and foremost a blossom (as it is for Russians цветок). Lithuanian dictionaries do not give this meaning, although it probably exists, so usage needs to be investigated. Latvian dictionaries give a similar meaning, but not ‘a single blossom’; rather, ‘a blossom, usually with a stem’. Three English-language dictionaries emphasize that a blossom is a reproductive organ, using scientific features in their definitions, cf. ‘a specialized part of magnoliophyte plants’, ‘has whorls of often colorful petals or sepals’, ‘has reproductive structures, stamens or pistils, which are involved in the development of seeds and fruits’ (MERRIAM-WEBSTER); ‘the seed-bearing part of a plant’, ‘consists of reproductive organs (stamens and carpels) surrounded by a brightly coloured corolla (petals) and a green calyx (sepals)’ (OXFORD); ‘the fruit develops from it (the blossom—explained by the article’s authors)’, ‘usually consists of many petals’ (MACMILLAN), and so on. Nevertheless, these definitions also include a feature perceived visually: the blossom’s bright colour is indicated in every case.

COLLINS opts for more cognitive, more readily understood features of meaning for the average speaker, relating to colour, scent, duration, and the place where the blossom grows (cf. ‘often brightly coloured’, ‘grows at the end of a stem’, ‘exists for only a short time’ (a feature noted only in this dictionary)); so does MACMILLAN (cf. ‘often pleasantly scented’).

²⁶ COLLINS also gives more flower meanings, but they are unrelated to the meanings of flower examined in this article.

²⁷ In this case, the meaning given by CAMBRIDGE was divided by the authors of this article into two meanings (or shades of meaning). The possibility of distinguishing two meanings (or shades of meaning) is also indicated by the word or used in the dictionary definition.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose 14

MERRIAM-WEBSTER records one more meaning (or shade of meaning) of flower, which is absent from every dictionary examined so far: ‘inflorescence’ (the features given are ‘a cluster of small flowers’, ‘resembling a flower’, ‘often treated as a single flower’). As can be seen, this meaning (or shade of meaning) is defined by focusing on features perceived visually.

Another meaning given in English-language dictionaries is ‘flower as a plant’, defined on the basis of features perceived visually, cf. ‘has conspicuous flowers’ (CAMBRIDGE), ‘a small plant’ (COLLINS), and by smell, cf. ‘has a pleasant scent’ (CAMBRIDGE). Dictionaries also indicate the purpose of a flower, cf. ‘a plant grown for its (beautiful) flowers’ (COLLINS), ‘a plant valued for its flowers’ (MERRIAM-WEBSTER). For the meaning ‘flower as a plant’, COLLINS also notes that it is ‘not a tree, not a shrub, not a vegetable’. This distinction is useful to dictionary readers, as it tells them what a flower is not—trees and vegetables flower too, but are not flowers; for example, a flowering cherry has a blossom but is not considered a flower. However, the statement that a flower is not a shrub is somewhat puzzling, since a flower can also be a shrub, for example a rose, which is also considered a flower in English²⁸.

At first glance, it might seem that, strangely enough, OXFORD does not give the meaning ‘flower as a plant’, at least judging by the definitions. However, one of the meanings is accompanied by this illustrative example: As I crossed the hospital grounds, I noticed some really beautiful flowers; I picked them up for my vase’ (Eidamas per ligoninės kiemą, pastebėjau kelias išties gražias gėles. Nusiskyniau jas pamerkti į vazą). Here, it is clearly a growing (living) flower that is meant.

Another meaning recorded in English-language dictionaries is ‘flower as a part of a plant’, that is, ‘a cut flower’. In the dictionaries under discussion, it is perhaps somewhat more explicitly emphasized than in the Latvian and Russian dictionaries mentioned that a flower must have not only a blossom but also a stem (in some cases it is even defined as ‘a stem with a blossom’); moreover, it is often noted that this part of the plant has been ‘picked’, cf. ‘a picked stem with a blossom’ (MERRIAM-WEBSTER), ‘a blossom with a stem, picked from a plant’ (MACMILLAN). The visual distinctiveness of this part of the plant is also noted, cf. ‘distinctive’, ‘a brightly coloured blossom with a stem’ (OXFORD), ‘a stem with one or more blossoms’ (COLLINS). In addition, dictionaries clearly describe the purpose of a flower (as a part of a plant), cf. ‘used as decoration’, ‘used as a gift’ (OXFORD), ‘picked, usually with other (flowers—explained by the article’s authors) as a gift’, ‘picked, usually with other (flowers—explained by the article’s authors) to put in a vase’ (COLLINS). CAMBRIDGE does not distinguish the meaning ‘flower as a part of a plant’, but provides illustrative examples of it, cf.: a bunch / bouquet of flowers (a bouquet of flowers).

²⁸ See rose: http://www.sierraflowerfinder.com/en/c/roses/12?page=1&flt=0.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose 15

To summarize, the meanings of the word gėlė given in English dictionaries are defined using both traditional and cognitive strategies for defining meaning. The English dictionaries examined, like Latvian and Russian dictionaries, distinguish more meanings than Lithuanian explanatory dictionaries.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Lithuanian dictionaries provide only one meaning for the word gėlė (a beautifully flowering or ornamental plant). It is true that LKŽ_e indicates a semantic nuance—an indoor flower. This nuance is sometimes very easy to distinguish on the basis of illustrative examples, but not always. However, the examples provided in the dictionary do not make it possible to say when a flower is understood as ‘a beautifully flowering plant’ and when as ‘simply a beautiful, ornamental plant’. To establish this, corpus materials would need to be studied, surveys conducted, and so on.

2. Latvian, Russian, and English dictionaries distinguish more meanings of the word gėlė. As in Lithuanian dictionaries, one of the meanings is ‘a flower as a plant’. Latvian dictionaries, like LKŽ_e, also distinguish the semantic nuance ‘indoor flower’.

3. Latvian, Russian, and English dictionaries distinguish the meaning (or semantic nuance) ‘a flower with a stem’. This distinction seems logical, since it is no longer the whole plant, but only part of it. The distinction of this meaning is also supported by sufficiently clear illustrative examples, which can even be found in the Lithuanian dictionaries examined; cf.: She put all the flowers in water (LKŽ_e); A bouquet of flowers. Put the flowers in water (DŽ₇).

4. Russian and English dictionaries distinguish the meaning ‘a flower as a blossom’. The scientific feature is most often emphasized—that it is the reproductive organ of a plant—but visual and olfactory features are also mentioned. This meaning of gėlė most likely exists in Lithuanian as well, but dictionaries do not yet include it.

5. One English dictionary (MERRIAM-WEBSTER) also distinguishes a semantic nuance (‘inflorescence’) under ‘blossom’; this nuance is not indicated in the other dictionaries examined. It is difficult to say at present whether this semantic nuance exists in Lithuanian, since further research is needed.

6. Latvian dictionaries state that flowers can be herbaceous plants or subshrubs; Lithuanian encyclopedias make a similar statement—that flowers can be herbaceous plants or shrubs. One Russian dictionary (CEM) says that a flower is a herbaceous plant, while the other dictionaries examined make no mention of this. Usage should be studied to establish whether

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose |16

For the average user of the Lithuanian language, a flower may be associated not only with a herbaceous plant, but also with a shrub or subshrub.

7. In almost all the dictionaries examined, traditional and cognitive definitions of the meanings of flower are generally combined. The cognitive features most often mentioned are the brightness of the flower (e.g., ‘often brightly colored’), its fragrance (e.g., ‘often pleasantly scented’), and its purpose (e.g., ‘a plant grown for its (beautiful) flowers’, ‘used as a gift’). Among the dictionaries examined, COLLINS follows a more cognitive strategy for defining the meanings of flower. Only this dictionary, when defining the meaning ‘a flower as a part of a plant’, mentions the feature ‘lives for only a short time’.

8. Having analyzed the definitions of the meanings of flower in explanatory dictionaries of Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, and English, it must be concluded that Lithuanian dictionaries should distinguish more meanings of this word. Even the illustrative examples in the latter dictionaries show that the word flower has two meanings—‘a flower as a plant’ and ‘a cut flower’. It is likely that Lithuanian also has a third meaning of the word flower—‘a flower as a blossom’. However, this assumption needs to be tested using corpus and survey data. It is evident that the meanings of the word flower should be defined in greater detail in Lithuanian explanatory dictionaries, drawing more heavily on a cognitive strategy for defining meaning (which gives priority to the features of the denotatum identified when categorizing the reality around us, and therefore easily recognized by dictionary readers), for example, by emphasizing the flower’s distinctive coloring and fragrance, indicating its purpose, perhaps even its lifespan, and so on. These points should be taken into account when writing the lexicographic article on flower for the Dictionary of Standard Lithuanian.

ŠALTINIAI

BŽ: Bendrinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas. Redaktorių kolegija: D. Liutkevičienė (vyr. redaktorė), G. Naktinienė, R. Petrokienė, D. Svetikienė, K. Vosylytė, J. Zabarskaitė. (rengiamas). – Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas. Prieiga internete: http://bkz.lki.lt.

CAMBRIDGE: Cambridge Dictionary. Prieiga internete: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/.

COLLINS: Collins English Dictionary. Prieiga internete: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/.

DŽ₇ᵢ: Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas: 7-as patais. ir papild. leid. Vyr. red. Stasys Keinys. Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas, 2012; elektroninis variantas, 2015 (atnaujinta versija, 2017). Prieiga internete: http://lkiis.lki.lt/dabartinis.

Flower bank. Prieiga internete: http://www.flowerbank.ru/?p=6522.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose | 17

LKA: Lietuvių kalbos atlasas 1: Leksika, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1977.

LKŽ.: Lietuvių kalbos žodynas (t. 1–20, 1941–2002): elektroninis variantas. Redaktorių kolegija: Gertrūda Naktinienė (vyr. redaktorė), Jonas Paulauskas, Rիտutė Petrokienė, Vytautas Vitkauskas, Jolanta Zabarskaitė, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas, 2005 (atnaujinta versija, 2008). Prieiga internete: www.lkz.lt.

LLVV: Latviešu literārās valodas vārdnīca. Prieiga internete: http://www.tezaurs.lv/llvv/.

LRTB: Lietuvos Respublikos terminų bankas. Prieiga internete: http://terminai.vlkk.lt.

MACMILLAN: Macmillan Dictionary. Prieiga internete: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/.

MERRIAM-WEBSTER: Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus. Prieiga internete: https://www.merriam-webster.com/.

MLVV: Mūsdienu latviešu valodas vārdnīca. Red. I. Zuicena, A. Roze. Prieiga internete: http://www.tezaurs.lv/mlvv/.

OXFORD: Oxford Dictionaries. Prieiga internete: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/.

Sierra Flower Finder. Prieiga internete: http://www.sierraflowerfinder.com/en/c/roses/12?page=1&flt=0.

SŽ: Sinonimų žodynas / Antanas Lyberis. 2-asis patais. leid. Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas, 2002, XIV, 586 p.; elektroninis variantas, 2015. Prieiga internete: https://lkiis.lki.lt.

Vikipedija. Laisvoji enciklopedija. Prieiga internete: https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagrindinis_puslapis.

VLE.: Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija: elektroninis variantas. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras, 2018. Prieiga internete: https://www.vle.lt.

МАКС: Словарь русского языка. Под ред. А. П. Евгеньевой. Prieiga internete: http://slovari.ru/search.aspx?s=0&p=3068.

СЕМ: Русский семантический словарь. Отв. Ред. Н. Ю. Шведова. Prieiga internete: http://slovari.ru/search.aspx?s=0&p=3068.

ТСД: Толковый словарь живого великорусского языка. Владимира Даля. Prieiga internete: http://slovardalja.net/search.php.

ТСОШ: Толковый словарь русского языка С. И. Ожегова и Н. Ю. Шведовой. Prieiga internete: http://slovari.ru/search.aspx?s=0&p=3068.

LITERATŪRA

Bartmiński J. 1988: Definicja kognitywna jako narzędzie opisu konotacji. – Konotacja. Lublin: Wydawnictwo UMCS.

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose |18

Gaidienė A., Liutkevičienė D. 2017. Reikšmių apibrėžimo ypatumai Bendrinės lietuvių kalbos žodyne: augalai ir gyvūnai. – Bendrinė kalba 90, 1–47. Prieiga internete: http://www.bendrinekalba.lt/?90.

Gritėnienė A. 2014. Žibuoklės vaizdinys šiuolaikinėje lietuvių prozoje. – Lietuvių kalba 8, 1–11. Prieiga internete: http://www.lietuviukalba.lt/index.php/lietuviu-kalba/article/view/95/75.

Gudavičius A. 2009: Etnolingvistika: tauta kalboje, Šiauliai: Šiaulių universiteto leidykla.

Kazlauskaitė R. 2010. Žydinčios aguonos vaizdinys lietuvių poezijoje. – Filologija 15, 53–70.

Kazlauskaitė R. 2014. Žydinčios saulėgrąžos vaizdinys lietuvių poezijoje. – Res Humanitariae XVI, 86–107.

Maskuliūnienė D., Kvašytė R. 2010. Gėlių pavadinimų semantika Janinos Degutytės ir Arturo Guobos poezijoje vaikams. – Filologija 15, 99–113.

Rutkovska K., Smetona M., Smetonienė I. 2017. Vertybės lietuvių pasaulėvaizdyje, Vilnius: Akademinė leidyba.

Įteikta 2018 07 12

Priimta 2018 11 12

THE CONCEPTION OF THE WORD FLOWER (LITH. GĖLĖ) IN DICTIONARIES

S u m m a r y

The article deals with the meanings of the noun flower and their definitions in the dictionaries of the Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, and English languages.

The study has revealed that Lithuanian dictionaries only provide one meaning of the word flower. Latvian, Russian, and English dictionaries identify more meanings of the same word.

Nearly all of the dictionaries covered usually combine the traditional definitions of the meanings of flower and their cognitive counterparts. The most common cognitive attributes mentioned are: the brightness of a flower (e.g., ‘usually bright in colour’), its smell (e.g., ‘normally nice-smelling’), and purpose (e.g., ‘a plant cultivated for its (lovely) blossoms’, ‘used as a gift’).

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose

19

Having analysed the definitions of the meanings of the word flower in the Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian, and English dictionaries, we have to admit that the dictionaries of the Lithuanian language should contain more meanings of this word. Illustrative examples from the latter dictionaries show that there are two meanings of the word flower: a ‘flower as a plant’ and a ‘picked flower’. It is probable that the Lithuanian language has a third meaning of the word flower, which is a ‘flower as a blossom’. Yet this presumption needs to be verified with data from corpuses and surveys. The dictionaries of the Lithuanian language should provide more detailed definitions of the word flower, in greater reliance on the cognitive strategy of the definition of a meaning by accentuating the chromatic distinction of the flower, its smell, stating its purpose, possibly lifetime, and so on. These are the things to consider in writing a lexicographic article on flower for the Dictionary of the Standard Lithuanian Language (Bendrinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas).

KEYWORDS: dictionary, meaning, shade of meaning, definition, flower.

ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ

DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ

Lietuvių kalbos institutas

Petro Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius

[email protected]

[email protected]

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018)

www.bendrinekalba.lt

ISSN 2351-7204