Žodžio „gėlė“ samprata viešojoje vartosenoje

BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ Lietuvių kalbos institutas KEY WORDS: textbook, survey, meaning, shade of meaning, definition, flower. INTRODUCTION This article is the second in a cycle of articles on the concept of the word flower. The subject of the first article of the series “The concept of flower in explanatory dictionaries” (Bendra kalba 91, 2018) was the definitions of the noun gėlė -ių) given in Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian and English explanatory dictionaries. The aim of the article was to determine how many meanings of the word „gėlė“ can be found in Lithuanian and to compare the peculiarities of the definition of „gėlės -ių“) in the explanatory dictionaries of the aforementioned languages, to make proposals for the presentation of this word in the General Dictionary of Lithuanian Language (hereinafter – GDL). After analyzing the definitions of the meaning of flower in Lithuanian, Latvian, Russian and English explanatory dictionaries, it became clear that the Lithuanian dictionaries should allocate more meanings of this word, but this should be verified based on textbooks and survey data. The object of this article is the study of the use of the word gėlė in the texts of the Contemporary Lithuanian Language (hereinafter – CLT) and the data of student surveys. The aim of the article is to investigate the semantics of the word gėlė in the current written language and the modern perception of the flower based on the definition and formulation in the General Lithuanian studentų apklausų rezultatais, taip pat pateikti pasiūlymų dėl šio žodžio apibrėžties reikšmių Language Dictionary. Theoretical assumptions. This article combines two semantic concepts – structuralist and cognitive. The structuralist aspect of word meaning naturally emerges when analyzing the syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationships of explanatory words in specific sentences (in illustrative examples) and their relationships with their hyponyms (hyperonyms) or synonyms, etc., while the investigated connections of those words with wider mental structures (concepts) allow the definitions of their meanings to be supplemented with prototypical ones. In the first case, the definition of values moves away from the logical criteria of necessity and Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 2 signs BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 and otherwise improve the structure of the lexicographic article (Gaidienė, Liutkevičienė In 2017: 3). modern lexicography, in order to define the meaning of a word, as well as to avoid the inconsistency of the definition of meanings, it is proposed to rely on the theory of prototypes 2006: 327–355). Primintina, kad prototipu vadinamas būdingiausias kategorijos narys, pagal (for more details see. Geeraerts which can be recognized by the category itself (Ungerer, Schmid 2006: 10). The term prototype is associated with the experimental studies carried out by Eleonora Rosch in the 20th century, the results of which showed that “members of categories are asymmetrical and asymmetrical structures of the categories themselves” (Lakoff 1987: 63), i.e. some members of categories have more or less characteristic features of that category, and the boundaries of the categories themselves are not clear. Prototipo sąvoka leksikografijoje gali būti vartojama ir taikoma dviem lygmenimis: 1) sufficiency, since the definition first lists those characteristics that characterize the prototypical member of the category (Jakaitienė 2005: 82). In the second case, the different meanings of a word are structured according to the same principle as the different members of the same category, i.e. the view is held that a word has a prototypical meaning, with which less prototypical meanings are associated. According to Pragglejaz (2007: 3), prototypical meanings tend to be more specific, refer to things that are easier to imagine, see, hear, feel, smell or taste, they relate to body actions, are more defined, often historically older, and not necessarily more frequent. As Rolandas Mikulskas (2009: 72) states, “one of the main tasks of lexicographic definition is to help the reader of the dictionary to recognize the representatives of the categories of word markings in reality”. This is done by means of prototype-defining features. It is these characteristics of the flower that were determined in this article based on the DLKT and the questionnaire specially compiled by the authors of the article (see section “Methodology” for more details). The study showed that a flower is recognized primarily by its external features, which are perceived visually (e.g., by the flower), olfactory (e.g., by the smell) or otherwise. By examining the characteristics of the meaning of the research lexem, it also proposes conceptual means that allow to present the meanings of polysemantic words on an equal basis. medžiagą išryškėjo, kokie iš šių gėlės požymių yra tipiškiausi, o kokie ne tokie tipiški. Taigi prototipų teorija žodyno autoriui padeda išskirti tipiškiausius ir mažiau tipiškus Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 3 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 Methodology. In order to fully understand how a flower is perceived, we need to study its wider usage. The DLKT was selected for the research, compiled by the Vytautas Magnus University Computer Linguistics Center. The research material of the article consists of 84 sentences, in which the word flower (or the name of a specific flower) was used, and 6 sentences, in which the word flower was used. Examples are selected from DLKT (fiction, 1 non-fiction and administracinės literatūros, publicistikos ir šnekamosios 2 kalbos). Iš viso buvo peržiūrėta 3 apie 7 570 DLKT sentences 4 containing the word rožlė 5 and about 12 251 DLKT sentences containing the word žiedas. Examining the examples, the following questions are raised: 1) how many meanings of flower are shown by the examples in the DLKT – or only one, as stated in the Lithuanian language ar daugiau reikšmių ir 2) ar galima skirti tokias gėlės reikšmes kaip ‘gražiai žydintis augalas’ ir explanatory dictionaries, flower as simply ‘ornamental (e.g., having beautiful leaves) plant’. In order to find out how a part of society – youth – perceives the flower, a student survey was 6 conducted. As stated by Kristina Rutkovska, Marius Smetona, Irena Smetonienė for the whole (2017: 32), ši grupė – studentų – yra pasirenkama dėl sudėties įvairovės, nes gali atstovauti society. According to the authors, “[of] course, it is possible to interview non-students, but students are usually the group that has still retained the attitude of parents, grandparents, but has already acquired new aspects of attitude at school, university, and, most importantly, is more relevant to the present, has easier access to information using the latest technologies, social networks, media” (Rutkovska et al. 2017: 32). Thus, it is believed that the student survey should convey the modern perception of the flower. In total, 100 students of different 7 degrees and faculties from two Lithuanian universities – Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and Šiauliai University. Representatives of the exact sciences direction made up 50% of all respondents, the social sciences direction 1 More sentences were examined, but the most typical were selected for the article. 2 The majority of the DLKT consists of written texts in various genres. There are few spoken language texts in the DLKT, so this article generally states that the current written language is being studied. 3 Material from DLKT was collected in February 2018. 4 Of these sentences (7 570) the forms of the word flower are slightly fewer, because the noun flower and veiksmažodžio gėlė (gelti) formos. 5 Specify the exact number of sentences in which the word ‘ring’, meaning ‘plant reproductive organ, homonym, iš kurio užauga vaisius ar sėklos, ppr. spalvingoji augalo dalis’ (BŽ), pasakyti sudėtinga, nes žiedas turi meaning: 1. ‘ant piršto dėvimas apskritimo pavidalo papuošalas’; 2. ‘circular object, part or component’; 3. ‘circular inlet, ppr. cementinė, šulinio rentinio dalis’; 4. ‘circular closed road or intersection, circle’; 5. ‘Circular organ part’; 6. ‘ring-shaped sweet brittle bread’; 7. ‘a group of people, animals or the like arranged in a circle’; 8. ‘a thin circular pool of dust and meteoric bodies surrounding a planet’ (BZ). 6 Apklausa atlikta 2018 m. balandžio–gegužės mėn. 7 The authors sincerely thank the lecturer of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University doc. dr. Rasaule Vladarskiene and Šiauliai University lecturers doc. dr. Yolanda Vaskeliene, who helped to carry out the student survey. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 4 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 representatives – 36%, representatives of the humanities – 14% (see table 1). Women accounted for 48% of all respondents (10% in sciences, 60% in social sciences and 30% in humanities), while men accounted for 52% of all respondents (87% in sciences, 13% in social sciences and 0% in humanities). Women who spent their childhood and early youth in the countryside accounted for 42% of all surveyed women, and men – 40% of all surveyed men. Women who spent their childhood and early youth in the city accounted for 58% of all women surveyed, while men accounted for 60% of all men surveyed (see Table 1). TABLE 1. Distribution of respondents by gender and field of study, per cent Gender Kryptis Women Men Iš total from rural from urban Scientific direction 0 5 20 25 50 Social science direction 12 17 1 6 36 Humanities direction 8 6 ––14 By age, women are approximately between 20 and 24 years old, and men are between 21 and 24 years old. Women in humanities are also older (see Table 2). Social Sciences 20–24 21–22 Humanities 21–23, 25, 27, 33, 36, 47, 53 –100 respondents in total Iš viso 48 Iš viso 52 100 2 LENTELĖ. Respondentų pasiskirstymas pagal amžių Moterys Vyrai from rural from urban Exact sciences 22–23 21–24 Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The survey consisted of two open-ended questions (see BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 1-2), where respondents had to write down their own answer, and seven closed-ended questions (see 3-8 and 10), to which respondents had to answer yes or no. The survey also included a mixed type question (see 9) to which respondents were asked to answer yes or no, and if yes, to justify their answer by recording several examples. 1. What do you think is the main characteristic(s) of a flower? 2. What part (organ) do you think a plant must have to be called a flower? 3. Do you think a flower can not have a (obviously visible) flower? 5. Do you think a flower always has a vertical stem? 6. Do you think a flowering vine is a flower? 7. Do you think a flowering aquatic plant is a flower? 8. Do you think a flowering cactus is a flower? one example. 4. Do you think a non-blooming ornamental plant (e.g. with beautiful leaves) is a flower? 9. Ar, Jūsų manymu, žydintis krūmas (puskrūmis) yra gėlė? Jei taip, nurodykite bent 10. Do you think the following plants are flowers? The names of the plants and their pictures were given: St. John's wort poinsettia asparagus sunflower oil rose ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Žodžio gėlė samprata viešojoje vartosenoje | 6 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 Atviraisiais klausimais siekta išsiaiškinti, kaip jaunimas suvokia gėlę, kokius The main characteristics are distinguished, and the closed questions were intended to check some assumptions raised by studying the DLKT data and the definitions and illustrative examples of the word gėlė presented in the Lithuanian and other language dictionaries. As already mentioned, the respondents were asked which of the listed plants (with pictures) they considered to be flowers. The plants mentioned in the survey were not chosen randomly. The analysis of the DLKT data showed that the flower is perceived differently, so it was decided to choose atypical representatives of this category, for example, shrubs (semi-shrubs), plants with dimly coloured flowers, etc. They tried to show the flower and the beautiful leaves of the plant in the pictures. In this way, it was wanted to find out which plants respondents consider flowers and which do not. It was assumed that if a flower was depicted, the respondents would consider such a plant as a flower, and vice versa. However, as the results of the survey showed, not always the ring is necessarily associated with a flower. The survey data was processed manually. The answers in the article are presented in numerical and percentage terms, distinguishing the answers according to the respondents’ belonging to a certain field of science, gender and, if significant, according to where the respondents spent their childhood and early youth – in the countryside or in the city. Tyrimo metodai: semantinė analizė, lyginamasis, skaičiavimo, apklausų. 1. THE USE OF FLOWERS IN CONTEMPORARY LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE TEXTS In the Dictionary of Lithuanian Language (hereinafter – LKŽe) and the Dictionary of Modern Lithuanian Language (hereinafter – DŽ7i) the word gėlė is defined as follows: ‘beautifully flowering or ornamental plant, grassland’ (LKŽe) and ‘beautifully flowering or having beautiful leaves plant’ (DŽ7i). After examining how the flower is defined in the Latvian, English 8 and Russian explanatory dictionaries, it became clear that the flower has more than one meaning in the dictionaries of these languages. That a flower in Lithuanian can have more than 9 one reikšmę, rodė ir keli iliustraciniai pavyzdžiai, užfiksuoti LKŽe ir DŽ7i žodžio gėlė 8 Cambridge Dictionary (toliau – CAMBRIDGE), Collins English Dictionary (toliau – COLLINS), Macmillan Dictionary (toliau – MACMILLAN), Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus (toliau – MERRIAM-WEBSTER), Oxford Dictionaries (toliau – OXFORD); The dictionary of the Latvian literary language (in Latvian – semantic LLVV), Mūsdienu latviešu valodas vārdnīca (toliau – MLVV); Словарь русского яз ыка (toliau – МАКС), Русский dictionary (in Latvian – SEM), Т олковый словарь живaго великорусского языка (in Latvian – СЛОВАРЬ ДАЛЯ), Толковый словарь русск ого языка С. И. Ожегова и Н. Ю. Шведовой (in Latvian – ТСОШ). 9 For other results of the study, see: 2018. "Liutkevičienė 2018. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word gėlė in public usage | in 7 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 lexicographic articles. It is true that these illustrative examples are presented in one value together with the corresponding examples (both LKŽe and DŽ7i). After analyzing the DLKT examples, it became clear that the perception of the flower is not as specific or unambiguous as it might appear at first glance. In order to formulate a more detailed definition of this word than that given in LKŽe and DŽ7i, it is necessary to distinguish the most characteristic, typical features of the flower based on the examples of DLKT. 1.1. Examples of DLCT show that the flower is perceived primarily as a living plant: 1.1.1. A flower, like all plants, needs these essential conditions to grow – soil, water, sun, etc. (see sentences 1-6). (1) It is very important <...> to prepare the soil properly for the above mentioned flowers (emphasis added by the author). (2) Soil for flowers and fertilizers are becoming extremely popular commodities. (3) Mood and tenderness to a man are like dew and sun to flowers. (4) These flowers bloom profusely when grown in a sunny, bright place. (5) Some flowers accumulate water during the rainy season. (6) All flowers do not like drafts. 1.1.2. A flower can grow, live on its own – it grows, expands, survives, develops, etc. (see sentences 7-12), or it can be cultivated by man – sown, multiplied, planted, etc. (see sentences 13-16) sakinius): (7) Drėgnoje parko žemėje dygo gėlės ir žolės. (8) A stolen thing wears better, a stolen flower grows better. (9) The latter [shrubs – authors’ note], blocking the light, prevent these flowers from expanding rapidly. (10) Manau, kad ne tik žmogus, bet net gėlė privalo išgyventi visą laiką nuo gležno from the seedling to the frost-bitten stalk. (11) Quietly developing on the shelf vases of flowers. (12) A flower, behold, it withers. (13) Time to sow long-vegetation flowers in the boxes. (14) Different species of flowers of the same genus are propagated by seed in different ways. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 8 (15) BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 Turning thousands of delicate seedlings into healthy flower bushes is hell-difficult. (16) Flowers are planted at the edge of the flowerbed. 1.1.3. A flower can grow a) in fields or forests (wild flower) (see sentences 17-20), b) in gardens or nurseries (planted by man) (see sentences 21-23), c) at home (planted by man, house flower) (see sentences 24-27): meadow flower. (17) Gomfrena (Gomphrena) – bur notinių (Amaranthaceae) šeimos saulėmėgė nereikli (18) Newness is like a flower in the field: it blooms, and the next day it withers. (19) The beautiful flower growing on the slope of the ditch attracts attention from afar with its strong stem, long dense inflorescence and the fact that it is the only one of its kind (20) Gėlė, auganti iš po apipuvusio rąstigalio, surado sau itin parankią vietą. in the whole forest. (21) He designed and made a great flowerbed in the shape of a heart. (22) Walnut has a toxic effect on other garden plants, flowers and grasses growing next to it. (23) The most exotic flower – the giant arunus – blossomed in the British garden of the British Empire. (24) Compost may be used … for the cultivation of indoor flowers. (25) Even if the flower does not like the conditions in our room, it can still adapt and bloom by growing flowers. (26) No flower bloomed on the window sill. (27) They <...> knew where to put the pot with the flower. 1.1.4. A flower is usually recognized by its most typical external feature – the ‘flower’ – it is a flowering plant (see sentences 28–32). However, the external (visually perceived) features of a flower are also ‘leaves’ (see sentences 33–34) or ‘stems’ (see sentences 35–36). In this case, the stem may not necessarily be obvious (it is not directly mentioned in the examples), but it can be inferred, for example, from the fact that the flower grows upwards (see sentence 35). Another (smell) characteristic of a flower is ‘smell’ (see sentences 37–39): (28) The flower blossomed white. (29) Apparently, the flower spread its flowers for the night. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 9 (30) BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 The earth will begin to adorn with the first blossoms, flower heads. (31) It is a flower of the Burnotidae family, with an inflorescence resembling a rooster's scab. (33) If the soil is too (32) Ilgas kekes sudarančioms gėlėms (pentiniams) patrumpinamos žiedynų viršūnės. wet, the flower may also lose its leaves. (34) The curtains were drawn, <...> and the broad-leaved flower on the low table still suffered alone in the dark. (35) What a book! The woman grew up like a flower. (36) And not just any virgin, but a lily. It <...> is a flowering, vertical nursery flower. (37) Take strongly scented flowers out of the room. (38) Įvairių eterinių aliejų kombinacijos suteikia gėlėms joms būdingą kvapą. (39) Night smells of flowers and river. 1.1.5. As already mentioned, the LKŽe and DŽ7i flower is described as a beautifully flowering or decorative (having beautiful leaves) plant. The Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia (hereinafter – VLEe) describes a flower similarly as in the aforementioned dictionaries, but much more broadly, cf. flowers “for decorative purposes grown in the field, in a room or in a greenhouse annuals, daugiamečiai žoliniai augalai, rečiau krūmai, turintys dekoratyvinius žiedus, lapus, stiebus biennials or <...>”. In this case, it is important that the three sources mentioned above distinguish 10 two external (visually perceived) characteristics of a flower: 1) ‘a flower is a flowering plant’, i.e. having a flower, and 2) ‘a flower is simply an ornamental plant’, not necessarily having a (obviously visible) flower, but distinguished, for example, by beautiful leaves. 1.1.5.1. Before this study, it seemed that in the mind of the average speaker, a flower must have a flower. This is confirmed by the examples of the DLKT that have been examined, which show that a flower is a flowering plant, the most typical external feature of which is the ‘flower’, see also: (40) Every flower grows to bloom. (41) It is good for a flower to blossom, for a tree to spring up, and for the grass to blossom. or grain, for a tree – a leaf, (42) Nes viskas jau nuspėta <...>, kai to pavasario dar nebuvo nė ženkl o: žemei – žolė for a flower – a flower. (43) To know a flower is to become a flower, to be a flower, i.e. to experience the flower blossom, to enjoy sunrises. 10 For more details see. VLEe: https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/geles-43169. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 16 (5) BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 Students walking in pairs along Laisvės alėja buy slightly more expensive, not cents, but a whole litas bouquet or rose flower. (DLKT). (6) Narcizų jau daug, todėl <...> džiaugiasi, jei pavyksta gauti 15–20 centų už žiedą. (DLKT). The examples given include compounds such as rose petals and bouquets of wild flowers (1); flowers or such blossoms, picked, brought in (2); flowers ring given (3); gave each a rose (4); buys a bouquet or a rose (5); that they are able to get 15-20 cents per flower (6), indicates that the flower is not meant here as ‘a reproductive organ of a plant from which fruit or seeds grow, e.g. ‘the colourful part of the plant’ (BZ), and specifically ‘the cut flower’, because hardly one flower (without stem or leaves) is given away, bought, brought home, etc. 1.5.2. According to the DLKT, a flower can also mean ‘a flower as a living plant’, for example: flowers of springs (7) Einantys draustinio keliukais ir ne keliukais, turėtų žinoti, ko verti miško, pievų ir with springs, understand that the beauty of naturally flowering plants is unrepeatable, that you will never grow any such flowers yourself or buy them in the market. (8) Passers-by in a hurry can buy a more modest bouquet of field flowers or a more solid one of flowers grown in the gardens. From sentences 7-8 it is clear that we are talking about the flower’s growth process, i.e., about the fact that the flower is a living plant, cf.: blossoms – naturally reproducing plants – such flowers (7). In this sentence, flowers and flowers are used as synonyms. The eighth sentence refers to bouquets, i.e. cut flowers, but the compound flowers grown in gardens denotes the process of growing, so the plant is with roots. 1.5.3. In LKŽe and BŽ the meaning of the flower ‘flower’ is recorded (DŽ7i does not have this meaning), cf.: (LKŽe) 2. gėlė: <...> O, garden of beautiful flowers! They gather flowers, all kinds of grass [to crown cows]. <...> Crowds before God with rings went out. (BZ) 2. flower: Bridesmaid bouquet of three flowers. A box of candy and a few roses – what is a bad gift? ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Žodžio gėlė samprata viešojoje vartosenoje | 17 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 Minėtuose žodynuose antra žiedo reikšmė aiškinama tiesiog žodžiu gėlė (vadinasi, in general a flower). In this case, we can talk about a metonymy transfer of meaning, when the part is used instead of the whole (the flower – the flower). However, the examined examples of DLKT and Internet usage indicate that in the cases under consideration perhaps even more often can be spoken of ‘cut flower’. Therefore, perhaps in the Lithuanian language explanatory dictionaries should distinguish the meaning of the flower as a ‘plant’ and the flower as a ‘cut plant’. 2. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE STUDENT SURVEY As already mentioned, 100 students of different degrees and faculties from two Lithuanian universities participated in the survey (see section “Methodology”). To the first question of the survey – “What do you think is the main characteristic of a flower?” – about half of all the representatives of the scientific disciplines and genders surveyed (52, i.e. 52%) answered that the main characteristic of a flower is the flower (variants: flowers, flowering, flowering, petals). Sometimes the ring is also indicated in the answer and the visually perceived sign of the ring, e.g.: bright, beautiful ring, the ring is other than green color. Other respondents said that the main characteristic of a flower is  smell (variant: smelling) (8, i.e. 8 per cent);  beauty (4, i.e. 4 per cent) (variant: aesthetic beauty);  lapeliai (1, t. y. 1 proc.);  form (1, 26 i.e. 1 per cent). There were also respondents who indicated not one, but two or even three of the flower’s characteristics:  leaves and flowers (7, i.e. 7 %) (variants: flower(s) and/or leaves); has a flower or leaves of not green, but some other color; green leaves and flowers, usually other than green; petals, leaves);  stem and ring (5, i.e. 5%) (variant: there is a stem and a ring);  spalva, kvapas (3, t. y. 3 proc.);  flowering and smelling (2, i.e. 2 %) (variant: smelling, bright flower colour);  ring, color (1, 27 i.e. 1%);  leaves and stem (1, i.e. 1%); In this case, it is not very clear what the respondent meant – 26 whether the shape of a ring, or the shape of a flower, etc. 27 It is not very clear what is meant here – whether the bright color of the flower, or the color of the flower or flower that stands out from the environment, or so on. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 18 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204  leaves, colour (1, i.e. 1 per cent);  colour, shape, smell, uniqueness (1, i.e. 1%);  beauty, colour, smell (1, i.e. 1%);  colour, smell, flowering period (1, i.e. 1 %);  smell and appearance (1, i.e. 1%)  flowers, leaves, stem (1, i.e. 1%). There were a few isolated answers, standing out from the others and somewhat confusing, for example, for some respondents the main characteristic of a flower is that  the flower grows from the ground, has flowers, but not on the branches (1, i.e. 1%);  flower roots underground (1, i.e. 1%);  green flower colour (1, i.e. 1%);  the flower always grows (1, i.e. 1%);  the flower blooms longer than the tree (1, i.e. 1%). The answers given raise doubts about whether the respondents really understand what a flower is (or the question itself), because a) not only the flower grows from the ground and b) not only its roots are underground, but also the roots of trees, shrubs and most plants in general, c) not only flowers are green, but also trees, shrubs, etc. (moreover, green is only the color of the flower stem and leaves (usually)), d) flowers have their own period of existence, so it is inaccurate to say that they always grow, as if it were an incomplete procesas, e) kai kurie medžiai, pavyzdžiui, obelis, gali žydėti ilgiau negu tam tikros rūšies gėlės. Some of the representatives of the exact sciences (men) observed slightly different characteristics of the flower, cf. :  a flower is a plant without wood (1, i.e. 1%);  gėlė yra žemesnis už medį augalas, turintis žiedą (1, t. y. 1 proc.);  the flower has nectar (1, i.e. 1%). Indeed, a) the wood is the part of the 28 tree (not the flower) between the furrow and the core (DŽ7i), b) the flower 29 is a plant lower than the tree, and c) 30 nectar is not only found in flowers, but in all flowering plants. 28 Plg. LRTB: mediena „lignoceliuliozės medžiaga, esanti tarp medžio arba krūmo žievės ir šerdies“ (žr. http://terminai.vlkk.lt/pls/tb/tb.result). 29 Plg. LRTB: tree “trunk perennial plant (usually not lower than 2 m) with a frozen stem and roots, branches forming a trunk and an upper shoot” (see http://terminai.vlkk.lt/pls/tb/tb.result); LPEe: tree ‘a perennial plant of at least 3 m in height with a distinct main stem and roots. <…>’ (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/medis-13511). 30 Plg. LPEe: nectar ‘the liquid produced and secreted by the glands of plants belonging to the Magnoliophyta division. <...>’ (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/nektaras-101105); LRTB: nectar “sweet liquid secreted by the nectar glands of plants” (see http://terminai.vlkk.lt/pls/tb/tb.result). Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The listed characteristics of respondents can be BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 assigned to scientific (a, c) and cognitive (b) characteristics. 31 One respondent indicated not the 32 characteristic of the flower, but its purpose, e.g.: the flower is intended to decorate the house (1, i.e. 1 per cent). In summary, it can be said that most often for the participants of the survey the main (therefore most typical) characteristic of a flower is the flower, which is usually bright, beautiful, distinctive. Other characteristics that respondents refer to more frequently – smell, beauty and colour – are probably also associated with the blossom of a flower. Also, respondents indicated leaves and stems as characteristics of the flower, which are most 33 often mentioned together with the flower, cf.: leaves and flowers, stem and flower. So in this case The DLKT and survey data coincide, cf. the DLKT material examined: a flower is usually recognized by the most typical external feature – ‘flower’, but the external (visually perceived) features of a flower are also ‘leaves’ or ‘stem’. There is another flower characteristic (olfactory) – ‘smell’ (see 1.1.4 for details). To the second question of the survey – “What part (organ), in your opinion, must have a plant to call it a flower?” – respondents most often (68, i.e. 68 per cent) answered that the flower (variants: flowers, petals, inflorescence) must bloom; a ring that is not similar to žalius lapus). Gerokai rečiau buvo nurodomos kitos gėlės dalys (organai):  stem (6, i.e. 6 per cent);  roots (3, i.e. 3 per cent);  lapeliai (1, t. y. 1 proc.);  pin (1, i.e. 34 1%). There were also respondents who indicated not one, but two, three or even four of the flower’s characteristics, e.g. :  stem and ring (6, i.e. 6%) (variants: stem and rings; ring and stem; stem with rings; ring, green stem; ring/stem); or leaves; flower – it first hits the head, but it can be only leaves);  žiedai, lapai (5, t. y. 5 proc.) (variantai: lapai ir žiedas; žiedas ar puošni lapija; žiedas 31 The cognitive sign – that a flower is lower than a tree plant – is also mentioned in the COLLINS dictionary, cf. flower 3. (flower as a plant) ‘small plant’, ‘not a tree, not a shrub, not a vegetable’ (for more see Gaidienė, Liutkevičienė 2018). 32 By the way, some dictionaries of foreign languages – Latvian, English, Russian – also indicate this feature, e.g. ‘plant for home decoration’ (MLVV, LLVV); ‘plant grown for (beautiful) flowers’ (COLLINS), ‘[plant] used as decoration’, ‘used as a gift’ (OXFORD); ‘held for rings’ (СЛОВАРЬ ДАЛЯ) (for details see (2018) "Liutkevičienė, Gaidienė". 33 In the compound stem and ring, apparently, the vertical stem is meant. 34 Plg. VLEe: pistil "a female organ located in the middle of the flower of plants of the division Magnoliophyta. <…>’ (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/piestele-4460). Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene.  stem, leaves, flowers (3, i.e. 3 per cent) (variants: BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 petals, leaflets and stem; stem, leaves, petals); 35  a spike, a stem or simply 36 a ring (1, i.e. 1%);  stem, flowers, bud, leaves (1, i.e. 1%).  the flower must have a Buvo keli pavieniai atsakymai, išsiskiriantys iš kitų, ne visai aiškūs, pavyzdžiui, stem, still has to perform photosynthesis (1, i.e. 1%);  the flower has the one where the pollen makes (1, i.e. 1%);  gėlė turi stebūlą (1, t. y. 1 proc.),  the flower has divisions (1, i.e. 1%). It should be noted that photosynthesis is necessary not only for flowers, but also for the vast 37 majority of plants, it supports life on earth. The respondent, who answered that the flower “has that where it makes pollen”, probably meant a stem or a pistil. Well, what did the respondents mean by "stub" and "divided", it's hard to say. One (i.e. 1%) respondent could not describe what part or organ a plant must have in order to be called a flower. has a ring. Somewhat less often respondents said that a plant must have a Taigi dauguma apklausos dalyvių mano, kad augalą būtų galima pavadinti gėle, jei jis stem, leaves, and even less often – roots, in order to be called a flower. To the third question of the survey – “Do you think that a flower can not have (obviously visible) blossom?” – respondents answered as follows: a) the majority of scientists responded that a flower may not have an obviously visible flower (women – 5 out of 5; men – 35 out of 45); (b) female representatives of the humanities also responded that they may not have (13 out of 14); c) the opinions of the representatives of the social sciences differed somewhat: women (23 out of 29) and a man from the countryside (1 out of 1) think that they may not have, while men from the city seem to have neg ali not (4 out of 6). Thus, in the opinion of the majority of respondents, a flower may not have an obviously visible flower (79%). Only 21% of all respondents said that they cannot do without it. Opinions of men and women 35 It is said that such a description is suitable not only for a flower, but also for a tree and a bush. 36 Plg. VLEe: stem ‘the male reproductive organ of the flower of plants of the magnolia family. <…>” (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/kuokelis-24064). 37 Plg. VLEe: photosynthesis "<...> the process by which organisms (chlorophyll-bearing plants, green and purple bacteria) use the visible part of the solar energy to synthesize high-energy compounds. <...>’ (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/fotosinteze-41233). Plg. LRTB: „<...> During photosynthesis, the radiant energy of the Sun’s light is converted into chemical energy of organic compounds, which all organisms use for metabolism and other functions“ (see http://terminai.vlkk.lt/pls/tb/tb.result). Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The conception of the word flower in public usage | 21 is BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 almost identical, cf.: that a flower may not have an obviously visible blossom was answered by 85% of women and 73% of men, and that it cannot not have a blossom – by 15% of women and 27% of men. The answers of the respondents to the first, second and third questions of the survey contradict each other. On the one hand, respondents (most often) state that the main characteristic of a flower is the flower and that in order to be called a flower, it must (most often) have a flower, and to the third question – “Do you think that a flower can not have (obviously visible) a flower?” – respondents most often answer that it can not. Such answers show that the perception of what is a flower is not settled in the minds of the same respondents. Perhaps without thinking, they give that characteristic of the flower that first comes to mind, i.e. prototypical, and when they go deeper, those characteristics begin to vary – they begin to try to typify, structure the data. The fourth question of the survey was as follows: “Do you think that a non-blooming ornamental plant (e.g., having beautiful leaves) is a flower?”. This question was answered as follows: a) some scientists answered that a non-flowering ornamental plant is not a flower (women – 4 out of 5, men (from the countryside) – 11 out of 20), while some men (from the city) answered that a non-flowering ornamental plant is a flower (15 out of 25); (b) the representatives of the humanities also believe that a non-flowering ornamental plant is a flower (13 out of 14); c) the social sciences representatives also answered that a non-flowering ornamental plant is a flower (female – 20 out of 29; male – 5 out of 7). Thus, the prevailing opinion is that a non-blooming ornamental plant (e.g. with decorative leaves) can be considered a flower (63% said yes, 37% said no). The opinions of women and men are quite similar, with 71% of women and 56% of men saying so. Again, the answers of respondents to the first and second, third and fourth questions of the survey contradict each other – on the one hand, it is most often stated that the main characteristic of a flower is the flower, on the other hand, a non-blooming ornamental plant is also considered a flower. However, some examples of DLCT confirm that the blossom is not important for the flower (see subsection 1.1.5.2 for more details). It is important that the plant called a flower is decorative, for example, has beautiful leaves. To the fifth question of the survey – “Do you think a flower always has a vertical stem?” – respondents answered as follows: a) scientists almost unanimously answered that a flower does not always have a vertical stem (women – 4 out of 5; men – 44 out of 45); b) the opinions of the representatives of the humanities were divided: women from the countryside said that not always (7 out of 8), while those from the city said that always (6 out of 6); ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Žodžio gėlė samprata viešojoje vartosenoje | 22 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 c) socialinių mokslų atstovai beveik vienbalsiai sako, kad gėlė ne visada turi vertikalų stem (female – 25 out of 29, male – 7 out of 7). When asking this question, a slightly different answer was expected – that the prototypical flower stem is vertical (the stem, as a necessary organ of the flower, is 38 mentioned by a number of respondents, cf. answers to the first and second questions of the survey). However, as you can see, the majority (87%) of respondents believe that a flower does not always have a vertical stem. The opinions of men and women coincide. In their opinion, a flower does not always have a vertical stem (75% of women and 98% of men said so). If we compare the DLKT data, we would notice that the material presented in the text does not give an unequivocal answer. Some DLCT examples show that flowers often have a vertical stem, while others do not always. Neither vines nor aquatic plants have vertical stems, but some of them are still called flowers (see subsection 1.2 for more details). The sixth question of the survey was: “Do you think that a flowering vine is a flower?”. Respondents answered this question as follows: a) the opinions of the scientists were almost equally divided: women (4 out of 5) and men from the countryside (11 out of 20) believed that a flowering vine was a flower, while men from the city believed that it was not a flower (13 out of 25); of 14); c) the opinions of the representatives of the social b) humanitarinių mokslų atstovės atsakė, kad žydintis vijoklinis augalas yra gėlė (12 sciences, as well as of the exact sciences, differed: women from the countryside believe that the flowering vine is a flower (9 out of 12), women from the city do not think so (10 out of 17); men from the countryside answered that the flowering vine is a flower (1 out of 1), men from the city were divided equally – is a flower (3 out of 6) and is not a flower (3 out of 6). Thus, 59% of all respondents believe that a flowering vine is a flower. The majority of women (67%) and men (52%) surveyed believe that the prevalence of the flowering vine is not so large. yra gėlė. Tačiau iš rezultatų matyti, kad manančių, jog žydintis vijoklinis augalas yra gėlė, Thus, the respondents have doubts about the flowering vine as a flower. To the seventh question of the survey – “Do you think a flowering aquatic plant is a flower?” – respondents answered as follows: 38 In fact, a flower does not always have a vertical stem, cf. flower „<...> For example, according to the place of cultivation, they are divided into indoor flowers and outdoor flowers, according to the flowering time – into flowers that bloom in spring, summer or autumn, according to the nature of growth – into low-growing, vine-like, climbing and other kinds. <…>’ (for more information see VLEe: https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/geles-43169). Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 23 a) BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 the scientists almost unanimously said that the flowering aquatic plant is a flower (female – 5 out of 5; male – 38 out of 45); b) humanities representatives also believe that a flowering aquatic plant is a flower (10 out of 14); c) the social scientists almost unanimously answered that the flowering aquatic plant is a flower (women – 27 out of 29; men – 7 out of 7). Thus, that a flowering aquatic plant is a flower, thinks 87% of all respondents. 81% of women and 87% of men thought that a flowering aquatic plant was a flower. In this case, the respondents most likely think of a water lily or a lotus. 39 40 Respondents were also asked, “Do you think a blooming cactus is a flower?” The responses were distributed as follows: a) the representatives of the exact sciences do not have a common opinion on this issue – they answered that the flowering cactus is a flower (women – 2 out of 5; men – 26 out of 45), and that it is not a flower (female – 3 out of 5; male – 19 out of 45); b) the majority of the humanities think that a flowering cactus is a flower (13 out of 14); c) the opinions of representatives of the social sciences, as well as the exact sciences, diverged somewhat, especially among women, as follows: 12 out of 19 believe that there is a flower, and 7 out of 19 believe that there is no flower; for most men, a kilusių iš kaimo, ir moterų, kilusių iš miesto. Moterys, kilusios iš kaimo, mano, kad žydintis kaktusas yra gėlė (11 iš 12), o kilusių iš miesto nuomonės pasiskirstė flowering cactus is not a flower (5 out of 7). Thus, the answers were distributed as follows: 66% of respondents said that the flowering cactus is male (53%). If we compare the answers with the DLCT data, we would notice that the text also treats the cactus as a flower in a gėlė. Moterų, manančių, kad žydintis kaktusas yra gėlė, buvo kiek daugiau (79 proc.) negu contradictory way, but some cacti can be considered flowers (see subsections 1.1.5.1 and 1.1.5.2 for more details). To the ninth question of the survey – “Do you think that a flowering shrub (half-shrub) is a flower?” – respondents answered as follows: 39 Plg. VLEe: vandens lelija „<...> Žiedai dvilyčiai, dideli, iškilę virš vandens. Šiaurinių platumų water lily flowers white, tropical water lilies of various colors - red, blue, yellow. <…>’ (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/vandens-lelija-99595). 40 Plg. VLEe: lotus "<...> The flowers are large, solitary. <...> Both lotus species are cultivated as ornamental, their fruits are used for bouquets. <...>’ (see https://www.vle.lt/Straipsnis/lotosas-17658). Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 24 a) BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 scientists (women) do not have a common opinion – 3 out of 5 believe that a flowering shrub (half-shrub) is a flower; 2 out of 5 replied that it is not a flower, representatives (male) also replied that a flowering shrub (semi-shrub) is not a flower (37 out of 45); b) the opinions of the representatives of the humanities differed – women (from the countryside) and the city) vienbalsiai teigė, kad žydintis krūmas (puskrūmis) nėra gėlė (8 iš 8), o moterys (iš answered both that there is a flower (3 out of 6) and that there is no flower (3 out of 6); c) in the opinion of almost all social scientists, a flowering shrub (half-shrub) is not a flower (women – 25 out of 29; men – 7 out of 7). A total of 82% of respondents said that a flowering shrub (semi-shrub) is not a flower (79% of women and 85% of men). The respondents’ response that a flowering shrub (semi-shrub) is not a flower is somewhat contrary to the definition of a flower given by the VLEe (see subsection 1.1.5 for more details). Furthermore, the DLCT material indicates that some shrubs (semi-shrubs) are considered flowers, for example the rose (for details see 1.1.5.1 and 1.1.5.2). 1.1.5.2). The tenth question of the survey was formulated as follows – “Do you think the following plants are flowers?”. Let’s see which plants respondents consider flowers and which they do not. 1) St. John's wort: a) the opinions of scientists differed: women think that St. John’s wort is not a flower (4 out of 5), men from the countryside differed – some say it is not a flower (11 out of 20), others say it is a flower (9 out of 20), and men from the city say it is not a flower (18 out of 25); b) women in the humanities also believe that St. John's wort is not a flower (11 out of 17). Women from the countryside believe that St. John's wort is 14); c) socialinių mokslų atstovių (moterų) iš kaimo ir miesto nuomonės išsiskyrė – a flower (11 out of 12), while women from the city say that it is not a flower (14 out of 17). Majority of social sciences (male) nuomone, kraujažolė yra gėlė (4 iš 7). Thus, the majority (62%) of respondents believe that St. John's wort is not a flower. A total of 63% of all women and 62% of all men responded that St. John's wort is not a flower. 2) Point setting: (a) female scientists said that poinsettia is a flower (3 out of 5), 26 men (out of 45) thought it was a flower and 19 men (out of 45) thought it was not a flower; Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in public usage | 25 b) BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 the representatives of the humanities unanimously answered that poinsettia is a flower (14 out of 14); c) the representatives of the social sciences almost unanimously stated that poinsettia is a flower (female – 24 out of 29; male – 5 out of 7). A total of 72% of respondents said that poinsettia is a flower. 83% of all respondents moterų ir 62 proc. visų apklaustų vyrų mano, kad puansetija yra gėlė. 3) Smidras. Almost all respondents answered that asparagus is not a flower, cf. : a) the representatives of the exact sciences almost all answered that it is not a flower (women – 4 out of 5; men – 38 out of 45); b) almost all of the humanities representatives also answered that asparagus is not a flower (12 out of 14); c) representatives of the social sciences almost unanimously stated that asparagus is not a flower (female – 28 out of 29; male – 6 out of 7). Thus, 88% of all respondents believe that asparagus is not a flower. 92% of all women and 85% of all men said that asparagus is not a flower. It should be noted that, according to the DLCT, asparagus is considered to be a flower in some cases (see subsection 1.1.5.2 for 4) Saulėgrąža. Beveik visi respondentai mano, kad saulėgrąža yra gėlė, plg.: further details). a) representatives of the exact sciences answered that there is a flower 45); (women – 5 out of 5; men – 39 out of 100); b) representatives of the humanities also answered that there is a flower (12 out of 14); c) the representatives of the social sciences almost unanimously stated that the sunflower is a flower (female – 27 out of 29; male – 7 out of 7). Thus, that the sunflower is a flower, believes 80% of all respondents, of which so 92 proc. visų apklaustų moterų ir 88 proc. visų apklaustų vyrų. thinks 5) Oil. The opinions of the surveyed respondents about oil differed somewhat: a) the majority of scientists believe that oil is not a flower (4 out of 5) tiksliųjų mokslų atstovų – vyrų – nuomonės išsiskyrė. Dauguma vyrų iš kaimo and believe that oil is not a flower (14 out of 20), while the opinions of urban men were divided – 14 (out of 25) consider oil a flower, 11 (out of 25) do not consider oil a flower; b) the opinions of the representatives of the humanities also differed: the majority of women from the countryside believe that oil is not a flower (7 out of 8), while the opinions of urban women were divided by half – 3 (out of 6) believe that oil is a flower, 3 (out of 6) believe that oil is not a flower; c) the opinions of the representatives of the social sciences also differed, cf.: 16 women (out of 29) answered yes, 13 (out of 29) – no; 5 men (out of 7) – yes, 2 (out of 7) – no. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The concept of the word flower in the public usage | 32 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 LRTB: Lietuvos Respublikos terminų bankas. Internet access: http://terminai.vlkk.lt. Macmillan Dictionary. Available online at: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/. MERRIAM-WEBSTER: Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. www.merriam-webster.com. MLVV: Dictionary of Modern Latvian Language. Red. by I. Zuicena, A. Roze. Internet access: http://www.tezaurs.lv/mlvv/. Oxford: Oxford Dictionaries. Online access: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_page. VLEe: Visuoti nė lietuvių enciklopedija: elektroninė versija. – Vilnius: Science and Encyclopedias Publishing Center, 2018. Online access: https://www.vle.lt. MAX: Dictionary of Russian Language. In order. A. P. Yevgenyeva. Access on the Internet: http://slovari.ru/search.aspx?s=0&p=3068. SEM: Russian semantic dictionary. Отв. 1998-1999 regular budget N. Y. Švedova. Access on the Internet: http://slovari.ru/search.aspx?s=0&p=3068. SLOVARY DALYA: Explanatory dictionary of the living great Russian language. Vladimir Dal. Internet access: http://slovardalja.net/search.php. TSOSH: Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by S. I. Ozhegov and N. Y. Shvedova. Access on the Internet: http://slovari.ru/search.aspx?s=0&p=3068. Internet text resources to browse the search engine Google. Internet access: https://www.google.lt. LITERATŪRA 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. Gaidienė A., Liutkevičienė D. 2018. Gėlės samprata aiškinamuosiuose žodynuose. – Bendrinė kalba 91, 1–19. Prieiga internete: http://www.bendrinekalba.lt/?91. Geeraerts D. 2006: Words and other wonders. – Cognitive Linguistic research 33, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin – New York. Gudavičius A. 2009: Etnolingvistika: tauta kalboje, Šiauliai: Šiaulių universiteto leidykla. Jakaitienė E. 2005: Leksikografija, Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ. Žodžio gėlė samprata viešojoje vartosenoje | 33 BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 Lakoff G. 1987: Лакофф Дж. Женщины, огонь и опасные вещи: что категории языка говорят нам о мышлении. Пер. с англ. И. Б. Шатуновского, Москва: Языки славянской культуры, 2004. Mikulskas R. 2009: Kognityvinė lingvistika ir leksikografijos problemos. – Kalba ir žmonės. Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla, 39–80. Pragglejaz Group 2007: A Method for Identifying Metaphorically Used Words in Discourse. – Metaphor and Symbol 22(1), 1–39, Philadelphia. Prieiga internete: http://lingwistyka.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/51533082/Pragglejazproc.20groupproc.2 0-proc.20MIP.pdf (Žiūrėta 2018 11 07). Rutkovska K., Smetona M., Smetonienė I. 2017. Vertybės lietuvio pasaulėvaizdyje, Vilnius: Akademinė leidyba. Ungerer F., Schmid H.-J. 2006: An introduction to cognitive linguistics, London: Longman. [2nd edition]. Įteikta 2018 11 29 Adopted on 30 December 2018 THE CONCEPT OF THE WORD FLOWER IN PUBLIC USAGE Summary The obj e c t of study of this article is the usage of the word flower (Lith. gėlė) in the Corpus of the Modern Lithuanian Language (CMLL) and data from student surveys. The g o a l of the article is to analyse the semantics of the word flower in the modern written language and the modern conception of flower based on student surveys, and to present suggestions to distinguish and formulate the meanings of the definition of this word in the Dictionary of the Standard Lithuanian Language (DSLL). Analysis of the CMLL and survey data has showed that the word flower does not have an established conception in the Lithuanian language. Some diametrically conflicting attitudes have become apparent. Some data suggest that a flower is not a ‘decorative plant’, ‘decorative plant’, ‘sward’, ‘vine’, ‘cactus’, or ‘shrub’. Other data point that a flower is a ‘herbaceous plant’, ‘vine’, ‘cactus’, ‘water plant’, ‘subshrub’, ‘shrub’. Notably, such conflicting data have been derived from the same sources or even from the replies of the same respondents. Anželika Gaidiene, Danute Liutkevičiene. The study aimed to identify the most typical attributes BENDRINĖ KALBA 91 (2018) www.bendrinekalba.lt ISSN 2351-7204 of a flower. The surveys have showed that a flower is most often recognised by its typical exterior attribute, the ‘blossom’; It is a blossoming plant. The study also sought to find out whether a flower is merely a blossoming plant, or a decorative plant that does not necessarily has a (clearly visible) blossom but rather stands out, blossom, others, that say, in its lovely leaves. Some examples and answers imply that a flower must have (a unique) no blossom is strictly necessary: all that matters is that the plant referred to as a ‘flower’ ought to be decorative, for instance, have extravagant leaves, which makes ‘leaves’ a typical attribute of a flower as well. Such mutually contradicting opinions indicate that the perception of what a flower is has not yet been established in the human consciousness. Other typical attributes of a flower are a ‘stem’ and ‘smell’. The examples picked out in the CMLL show that the purpose of flowers is important, too: flowers can be given as a present, they can be used as a home decoration or an expression of respect. Having analysed the CMLL material and survey data, as well as with reference to the presumptions brought forward in the authors’ previous article about the conception of flower in dictionaries, we can state that the word flower has three meanings in the Lithuanian language: a ‘plant’, a ‘part of a plant’, and a ‘blossom’. The following definitions of the meanings of the word were proposed for the DSLL: (1) a small wild, garden, or potted plant that blossoms or has extravagant leaves and is often distinguished by a pleasant smell; (2) the stem and blossom of this plant intended as a gift, an expression of respect, a home decoration, and so on; (3) the blossom of the plant. Furthermore, a third shade of the meaning of flower, that of a plant having a blossom of a particular colour, was identified as well. KEYWORDS: corpus, survey, meaning, shade of meaning, definition, flower. ANŽELIKA GAIDIENĖ, DANUTĖ LIUTKEVIČIENĖ Lietuvių kalbos institutas Petro Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius, Lithuania [email protected] [email protected]