Open AccessVernacular names of species of <em>Opuntia (Cactaceae)</em> in Moroccan Arabic: Mechanisms of phytonymic lexicon production in Arabic and Spanish
Author(s) -
Joaquín Costa
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
anales del jardín botánico de madrid/anales del jardín botánico de madrid
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.189
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1988-3196
pISSN - 0211-1322
DOI - 10.3989/ajbm.2535
Subject(s) - vernacular , lexicon , cognate , arabic , genus , linguistics , cactus , meaning (existential) , history , botany , geography , biology , philosophy , epistemology
The languages that extend outside their original floristic sphere develop, to denominate new species, some mechanisms that remain their validity in force when the languages stop their expansion and are stabilized: Spanish and Arabic have gone through a parallel process to create vernacular names of plants before an exotic species: Acquisition of a term also exotic, readaptation of a patrimonial term that acquires a new meaning, or the creation of an entirely new plant name. In the article we analize these mechanisms to denominate American species of the genus Opuntia Mill. in the Moroccan Arabic in parallel with the Spanish. Around sixteen Moroccan vernaculars was mentioned and a hypothesis is raised about the Spanish chumbera (prickly pear cactus) and its cognate oriental Arabic ṣubbāra/ṣubbayra.