Zulu plant names / Adrian Koopman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Koopman, Adrian.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plant names, Popular--Zulu language.

Plant names, Popular.

Plants--South Africa.

Plants.

Plants--Nomenclature.

South Africa.

Physical Description:

xviii, 324 pages,12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (color) ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Pietermaritzburg : University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2015.

Summary:

In this book Adrian Koopman details the complex relationship between plants, the Zulu language and Zulu culture. Zulu plant names do not just identify plants, they tell us a lot more about the plant, or how it is perceived or used in Zulu culture. For example, the plant name umhlulambazo (what defeats the axe) tells us that this is a tree with hard, dense wood, and that usondelangange (come closer so I can embrace you) is a bramble with large thorns that snag the passer-by. In a similar vein, both umakuphole (Jet it cool down) and icishamlilo (pat out the fire) refer to plants that are used medicinally to treat fevers and inflammations. Plants used as the base of love charms have names that are particularly colourful, such as unginakile (she has noticed me) uvelabahleke (appear and they smile) and the wonderfully named umgcingci-wafika-umntakwethu (how happy I am that you have arrived, my sweetheart).And then there are those plant names that are just plain intriguing, if not mystifying; umakhandakansele (the heads of Mr Rate!), isamllasonwabu (hand, of a chameleon), intombikayibhinci (the girl does not wear clothes) and ukhuningomile (piece of firewood, I am thirsty). Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

Background to this book 1

When is a name not a 'name'? 2

Botany and linguistics 4

Sources of data 7

Cross-language borrowing (the 'Tambootie Factor') 14

Zulu names adopted from English or Afrikaans 14

Plant names adopted from Zulu and other African languages 15

The Umzimbeet 16

The Tamboetie 16

The Lala Palm 16

The Ifafa Lily 17

Madoombies and matoengoelas 17

The Umtiza, the Iboza and various other plant species 17

2 The nature and history of plant naming 20

Indigenous knowledge versus scientific botany 27

Naming 'just happens' versus deliberate, planned naming 28

Namers unknown versus namers known 28 Date of naming unknown versus date of naming and identification recorded 29

Meaning very often entirely referential versus referential and underlying meanings 29

Unsystematic versus systematic 31

Range from single words to phrase versus binomial system 32

Knowledge passed on orally versus knowledge passed on academically 33

Knowledge stored in group memories versus knowledge stored in writing 34

A comparison of five authors 35

Correspondence between plant and name 36

One name for several plants 36

Several names for one plant 36

Variations in oral knowledge 37

The Zulu Botanical Knowledge Project 40

3 The structure of plant names 42

Introduction 42

Terminology issues 43

All names are nouns 43

Underlying structure of plant names 45

The structure of Zulu plant names 47

Plant names in the Zulu noun class system 47

Distribution of plant names 48

Plant name stems occurring in more than one noun class 49

Names of fruit 50

Zulu plant names with related words for fields, gardens, thickets and groves 51

Change of noun class means change of species 52

Different types of Zulu noun stems 52

Simple stems 52

Plant names with reduplicated stems 54

Complex stems 56

Use of -ma- 56

Use of -no- 57

Various other verbal and nominal affixes 59

Compound stems 59

Phrasal names 61

Compounds with-thi 62

Morphological variations 68

Name formatives in Zulu 68

4 The semantics of plant names 74

Introduction 74

Relationship between underlying meanings and plant itself for Zulu cultural usage of plant 78

Connotative and associative meanings 80

Some exploration of meaning in botanical names and English, Southern Sotho and Afrikaans vernacular names 83

Botanical names 83

English names 84

Southern Sotho names 87

Afrikaans names 89

Relationship between meanings in a polysemic entry 91

5 Using umuthi 93

Introduction 93

The nature of umuthi 94

The properties of umuthi 96

Chemical properties 96

Sympathetic properties 97

Environmental properties 100

The users of umuthi 101

The inyanga 101

The indigenous knowledge of an inyanga 102

Administrative procedures 103

The isangoma 104

The inyanga yezulu 105

The umthakathi 106

The umuntukazana 108

Concoction types 108

Catalysts 110

Named medicine types 111

Conclusion 114

6 Names referring to the plant Itself 115

Introduction 115

Zulu plant names with no equivalent in the botanical nomenclature 117

Describing the plant itself 118

The 'maas' metaphor 118

Behaviour and growth patterns of plants 120

Thorns 122

Tough, hard wood 124

Smell or taste of plant 126

Appearance of plant 131

Colouration 131

Other descriptions 134

The 'elephant's ear': Metaphors from the natural world 136

Genitalia 138

Shape, size, texture 141

Characteristic habitat 144

Rocks, cliffs and hillsides 144

Wetlands habitat 145

Phrasal habitat names 147

Flora and fauna relationships 148

Birds 154

7 Names referring to medicinal usage 157

Introduction 157

Problems in description and categorisation 159

Two sub-categories 160

Names referring to the disease or body part to be treated 160

Hysteria and madness 163

Biting creatures and pests 165

Intended effect of treatment 169

Impotence and infertility 169

Cooling medicines 173

Treating dysentery and stomach disorders 174

Miscellaneous medicinal aims 176

Names of medicines 176

8 Names referring to the use of plants as charms 179

Introduction 179

'Magic' 180

Protective charms 184

Protection against evil 184

Use in witchcraft 194

Protection against the weather 200

Love charms 204

Love charm emetics 214

Plants used as charms for positive and practical purposes 215

Use of plants in rites and rituals 219

9 Names referring to the practical use of plants 221

The practical use of plants 221

Names referring to practical uses 223

Uses of wood 223

Firewood 224

Construction 226

Implements, utensils, craftwork 226

Enclosures 230

Trees providing food and drink 230

Fruit 230

Other foods 231

Practical household uses 232

Dyes and tanning 232

Fibres 233

Cosmetics and personal hygiene 234

Poisons, insecticides and glues 237

Fishing 237

Miscellaneous 238

10 The power in names 240

The use of names in chants, incantations and spells 241

The power of plant names as mnemonics 244

11 Conclusion 250

All naming takes part within a naming system 250

The names 251

The named 251

The namers 252

The context 253

Challenges for the future 254

Survey of vernacular names in the natural sciences 256

Conformity in the provision of vernacular names 258

Conformity in Zulu bird names: An experiment 263

Where to next with Zulu plant names? 266

The aims of this book 268.

ISBN:

1869142810

9781869142810

OCLC:

914290260