Publication Date

1980

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Brown, Cecil H., 1944-

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Anthropology

LCSH

Animals--Folklore; Plant lore--Japan; Biology--Nomenclature; Biology--Classification

Abstract

This thesis describes an investigation of Japanese folk botanical and folk zoological nomenclature and classification, especially with respect to the applicability of general principles of folk biological classification as outlined by Berlin (1972, Berlin, et al.,1973, 1974). Both taxonomies are organized in terms of a small number of hierarchic ranks. They differ, however, in degree of borrowing from scientific taxonomy and variability across informants. Japanese folk zoology has adopted scientific terms more readily, and variation among informants is less than for folk botany. These differences may arise from three reasons. First, people are probably more interested in and aware of animals than plants. Second, in the animal world discontinuities involving organisms may be more distinct than those in the plant world. Third, in folk botany functional categories are sometimes even more important than pure morphological categories in the classification of plants.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

77 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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